 The topic of tradition and the role of Cultural Associations in reviving it is very often debated throughout Crete.Cretan authors have made important contributions to Greek literature throughout the modern period; major names include Vikentios Kornaros, creator of the 17th-century epic romance "Erotokritos" (Greek Ερωτόκριτος), and, in the 20th century, Nikos Kazantzakis.In the Renaissance, Crete was the home of the Cretan School of icon painting, which influenced El Greco and through him subsequent European painting.