[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][5] She then began to publish translations from French, reviews, and short prose pieces in Pinakothiki and other publications such as the magazine Panathinea.
[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 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] In her later years, Kazantzakis continued to produce fiction, including the short prose collection Turning Points (1952).