Plot

The story is set in Kastellos, a remote village in Macedonia, at the time of the Greek Civil War. The village is controlled by the army, but is being besieged by the guerrillas. Father Yiannaros, the village priest, stands between the two warring factions and tries to reconcile them.

All his exhortations fall on deaf ears, since both factions regard him as an instrument of the opposition. Father Yiannaros wonders where right lies; although some aspects of the guerrillas' vision of society seem valid to him, he is concerned by their inhumane conduct.

When the situation at Kastellos reaches a tragic impasse, he makes the bold decision to meet Kapetan Drakos, the guerrilla leader who is his son, and agrees to hand over the village on condition that nobody is harmed. He then addresses the villagers and persuades them to agree to reconciliation. Yet the moment the guerrillas enter Kastellos, Kapetan Drakos executes twelve people.

In shouldering the burden of their death, Father Yiannaros declares his intention to travel around all the villages to reconcile people and tell them to believe neither the "blacks" nor the "reds". He is already on his way when Kapetan Drakos orders that he be killed.

Writing history

The first draft began in Antibes in 1949; Kazantzakis reworked it in 1954.

Greek editions

  • N. Kazantzakis, I aderfofades, Athens: 1963
  • N. Kazantzakis, I aderfofades, Athens: Eleni Kazantzakis 1965 (and subsequent editions)

Foreign editions & translations

  • Nikos Kazantzakis, The Fratricides, translated into English by Athena Gianakas Dallas, New York: Simon and Schuster 1964, 1984. London: Faber and Faber 1974, 1989
  • Niko Kazantzakis, Vader Janaros, translated into Dutch by Vic Stalling, Utrecht: Fontein 1965
  • Nikos Kazantzakis, Les frères ennemis, translated into French by Pierre-Antoine Aellig, Paris: Plon 1965, 1972, 1975, 1978
  • Nikos Kazantzakis, Os irmãos inimigos, translated into Portuguese by Milton Persson, Rio de Janeiro: Nova Fronteira 1965. Sao Paolo: Circulo do Livro,1965 [1987]
  • Niko Kazantzakis, Brodermordere, translated into Danish by Ole Wahl Olsen, Copenhagen: Jespersen og Pios 1966
  • Niko Kazantzakis, Veljesviha, translated into Finnish by Kyllikki Villa, Helsinki: Tammi 1967, 1981
  • Niko Kazantzakis, Brodermordere, translated into Norwegian by Bjarte Kaldhol, Oslo: Aschehoug 1968
  • Nikos Kazantzakis, Brudermörder, translated into German by Chlodwig Plehn, Munich/Berlin/Vienna: Herbig 1969. Munich: Deutscher Taschenbuch 1974, 1976, 1977, 1979. Bergisch Gladbach: Lübbe 1981. Munich/Berlin/Vienna: Lübbe 1985. Munich: Lübbe 1988. Frankfurt/Berlin: Ullstein 1991, 1993
  • Nikos Kazantzakis, Hermanos enemigos, translated into Spanish by Enrique de Juan, Buenos Aires: Carlos Lohlé 1969, 1976
  • Nikos Kazancakis, Kardeş kavgasi, translated into Turkish Kosta Daponte, Istanbul: Ε Yayinlari 1969, 1971, 1975.
  • Nikos Kazantzakis, Os irmãos inimigos, translated into Portuguese by Celeste Costa, Lisbon: Cor 1972
  • Nikos Kazantzakis, Baradar kushi, translated into Farsi by Muhammad Ibrahim Mahjub, Tehran: Alifba 1979, 1982
  • Nikos Kazantzakis, Bratoyadtsi, translated into Slav Macedonian, Skopje: Misla 1982
  • Nikos Kazanzaqis, Vëllavrasësit. Ai thote se do te jete i lire. Vriteni!, translated into Albanian by Nonda Varfi, Tirana: Albin 1997
  • Nikos Kazancakis, Kardeş kavgasι, translated into Turkish by Aydin Emeç, Istanbul: Can 1985, 2000

Adaptations for the theatre

  • Adaptation by Lakis Michailidis