Details 1st Edition in Greek signed by the Author Nikos Kazantzakis Published by Diphros Athens in 1956 Illustrator of the dust cover is George Barlamos The author first wrote the book in French and under the name Nikolai Kazan, Toda-Raba, in Revue des Vivants (periodical), published Paris 1931 (abridged) 227 pages 15cm X 22cm Soft paper cover On the last pages of the book (223-227) there is a poem writen by Giannis Magklis Writing history Written in French at Gottesgab in 1929, under the initial title Moscou a crié [=Moscow Shouted]. The foreword and afterword to Toda-Raba were translated by P. Prevelakis and published in the periodical Protoporia ("Moscow Shouted", issues 8-9, August-September 1929, pp. 202-207, and "Toda-Raba", issue 1, January 1930, pp. 1-15). The French original was first published in French periodicals. Plot This work condenses Kazantzakis' impressions of the Soviet Union and his experiences there. The protagonist is a Negro named Toda Raba, which is the Hebrew for "Thank you". He is flanked by seven further characters, each of whom is of different descent and cultural background: Sou-Ki, an aged Chinese teacher; Amita, an elderly Japanese poet; a Polish Jewess named Rahel (the literary persona of Kazantzakis' friend Rahel Lisptein, from his time in Berlin); the Cretan Crane ("Crane" is one of Kazantzakis' pseudonyms); Azad, an elderly Armenian labourer, and "the man with large jaws". All of these people arrive in the Soviet Union, travelling first to Astrachan to attend an Oriental Congress, and then to Moscow, where the anniversary of the Revolution is celebrated with magnificent parades. At the end, while visiting the Lenin Mausoleum, Toda-Raba has a vision of a nuclear holocaust that destroys the world. After the purification of the old world, he sees seeds under the earth being brought back to life by rain to form the image of Lenin.