Galateia Kazantzakis ( Greek: Γαλάτεια Καζαντζάκη; 1884 – November 17, 1962) was a Greek novelist, poet, playwright, journalist, and activist. She is considered one of the most prolific female Greek Modernist writers. ^[1]

The writer and activist was born Galateia Alexiou in Heraklion, on the Greek island of Crete, in 1884, although some sources give her birth year as 1881. ^{[1] [2] [3]} Her father, Stylianos Alexiou, was a publisher and author, and her sister, Ellie Alexiou, also became a well-known writer. ^{[2] [4]}

Kazantzakis began her career as a journalist, with her first piece appearing in the Cretan publication Pinakothiki in 1906. ^{[1] [5]} She then began to publish translations from French, reviews, and short prose pieces in Pinakothiki and other publications such as the magazine Panathinea. ^[1] In 1909, she published her first novella, Ridi, Pagliaccio ("Laugh, Clown"), in the journal Nouma. ^[1] This was followed by various works including the 1915 lyric narrative Brief Prose Portraits, the 1927 short story collection 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and, in 1933, her first novel, Women. ^{[1] [3] [6]} She wrote under various pen names, including Lalo de Castro and Petroula Psiloriti. ^[1]

From her earliest writing, Kazantzakis advocated for feminist empowerment and the dismantling of male-dominated social structures. ^[1] She notably wrote in Demotic vernacular, the language of everyday people. ^[4]

Kazantzakis became increasingly involved in left-wing politics and activism during the interwar years, identifying herself as both a feminist and a socialist. ^[1] She served as editor in chief of the communist publication Protoporoi and then the Trostkyist-leaning Nea Epitheorisi. ^[1] In her writing, she condemned women's sexual and labor exploitation. ^[1] During World War II, she was active in the Greek resistance. ^[1] She would be persecuted for her communism, losing her job at the Athens municipal library after the war over her views, but she was never exiled or imprisoned at length. ^{[5] [6]}

Critics argue her work has been undervalued in the shadow of her former husband Nikos Kazantzakis, a major figure in modern Greek literature known for such books as Zorba the Greek. ^[1] After a year living together in Athens, in 1911, the couple married, despite the groom's father opposing the union. ^{[1] [2] [5]} They would divorce in 1926. ^{[5] [6]} In 1933, she remarried Markos Avgeris [ el], also a writer, whom she had known for decades, but she still published under her former husband's surname. ^{[5] [6]}

In her later years, Kazantzakis continued to produce fiction, including the short prose collection Turning Points (1952). ^{[1] [6]} Her last book, 1956's Humans and Superhumans, was a work of autobiographical fiction that dealt with her tumultuous relationship with her former husband. ^{[1] [5]} It is considered her best-known novel. ^[5]

Kazantzakis was also a prolific playwright. ^[1] In 1933, her play While the Ship Sails became particularly well known after it was performed by the National Theatre of Greece. ^{[6] [7]} Her collected plays, 17 in total, were published in 1957. ^[5]

She died in 1962, after a motor accident in Athens. ^{[1] [6]}