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 Nikos Kazantzakis: The Famous Writer
 Nikos Kazantzakis (1883-1957) is the most translated Greek novelist of the 20th century. Born in Heraklion Crete, which was under Ottoman occupation that time, Kazantzakis studied law in Athens and philosophy in Paris. He appeared in literature with translations in the early 20th century but soon he started writing and his work provoced many oppositions as well as many enthusiasts. His work as correspondent gave him the chance to travel in most countries of the world and then he published his impressions in books for each country separetely.
His book The Last Temptation of Christ (1950), where Kazantzakis shares his metaphysical and existencial concerns, was prohibited by the Roman Catholic Church. When he died, the Orthodox Church didn't allow him to be buried in a cemetery, which is why his tomb lies outside the walls of Heraklion. Following his will, his epitaph reads I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free. He became widely popular abroad when his novel Zorba the Greek (1946) was set into a film.
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Aristotle Onassis: The Shipowner
 Aristotle Onassis (1906-1975) is probably the most famous Greek businessman and he was considered one of the richest man in the world, when he was alive. Born in Smyrna, now Izmir Turkey, to Greek parents, he left to Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1922 with 63 dollars in his pocket and managed to make a vast fortune, out of tobacco trade at first and then of shipping. Although his methods were not always legal, he managed to exploit his persuasive nature, acquaintances and good luck to get rich.
Onassis married twice. His first marriage to Athina Livanos gave him two children, a daughter and a son. His second marriage was to Jacqueline Kennedy, widow of the murdered US President John Kennedy. He also had a long-term affair to opera diva Maria Callas, from 1957 till 1968, when he married Jacqueline Kennedy in his private Greek island, Scorpios, a few miles off the coastline of Lefkada Greece. Aristotle Onassis died from myasthenia gravis in 1975 in Paris, not bearing the tragic death of his beloved son, Alexander, in 1973.
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El Greco: The Painter
 His real name was Domenicos Theotokopoulos and he was born in Crete. However, he became famous as "El Greco" (The Greek). A painter, sculptor and architect, he influenced many modern artists with his work, including Picasso. El Greco (1541-1614) was born in Crete and that time the island was under Venetian Occupation. At the age of 26, he moved to Italy, opened a workshop and spent several years there. In 1577, he moved to Toledo Spain, where he stayed till his death. In Toledo, he painted his most famous works.
Regarded as a precursor of Expressionism and Cubism by modern critics, the paintings of El Greco were mostly inspired by religion. He also made many famous portraits. His works had vivid colours and he used to combine Western and Byzantine features in his works.
His most famous paintings include "The Burial of the Count of Orgaz", the "Portrait of Giorgio Giulio Clovio" and the "Opening of the Fifth Seal". El Greco died in 1614 and was buried in the Church of Santo Domingo El Antigua, in Toledo.
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Constantine Cavafy: The Poet
 Constantine Cavafy (1863-1933) is one of the most famous Greek poets worldwide. Born in Alexandria, Egypt, to Greek parents, Cavafy was lucky enough to see his work published and translated while he was alive. Altough he was not as appreciated by the Athenian literary circles, as he was by the critics in Alexandria, he managed to distinguish with his sensitive and liberal style of writing.
His poems are inspired by philosophy, mythology and history, while he frequently expresses personal experience in his works.
His work was often a base to express his homosexuality, which was a taboo for his time and raised many reactions at his time. Irony is a common feeling in his poems, while he didn't keep the structural forms of his time, such as rhyme. The best known poem of Cavafy is "Ithaca", a philosophical poem based on the journey back home of Ulysses.
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Maria Callas: The opera singer
 She is mostly called "La Divina" and she has been awarded as the greatest opera singer in the world. The strange thing is that she herself didn't like to sing, but she was made to attend music courses by her mother, who had soon noticed the warm and unique voice of her daughter. When she grew up, she complained that she hadn't lived a normal childhood and apparently this affected her whole life. Her personal life was not stable, too, despite her long struggle for hapiness.
Maria Callas was born in 1923 in New York to Greek parents. In 1937, her family moved to Athens and she attended music courses in the Conservatory of Athens. Soon, her teachers appreciated her warm and heavy voice. After some performances in the Greek National Opera, she moved to Italy and started to perform in La Scala di Milan. Her career reached its peak in the 1950s and then it decreased, either from a vocal decline or because she wanted to focus on her personal life, which was marked by an unlucky marriage, a devastating affair to Greek ship owner Aristotle Onassis and loneliness.
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