"I hope for nothing, I fear nothing, I am free." The Ascetic is a philosophical manifesto that is imbued with a visionary-prophetic tone, infused with the lyricism of its creator. The meaning of life and existence is condensed into a continuous struggle against the "uphill climb of man," where the moral "duty" aligns with the existential "scream," giving voice to "freedom," the complete release of human existence from every fear and every hope.

Kazantzakis revised his Ascetic over and over again; it is the seed from which all of his work has sprouted, as he once confessed to Prevelakis. In other words, it is the quintessence of his thought. This generous book, with its painful honesty and poetic quality, embodies the fervent desire for freedom, the struggle for completion, which ultimately culminates in a powerful cry to guide us to the highest step of maturity: silence.

"We come from a dark abyss; we end in a dark abyss; the bright space in between we call Life. As soon as we are born, the return begins; at the same time the beginning and the return, we die every moment. That is why many proclaimed: The purpose of life is death. But as soon as we are born, the effort begins to create, to compose, to make matter into life; we are reborn every moment. That is why many proclaimed: The purpose of ephemeral life is immortality."

The new editions, with new covers and specially designed fonts, are accompanied by introductory texts and an afterword that provide more details about the work itself and the era in which it was written.