Hermann Hesse (July 2, 1877 – August 9, 1962) was a German author, and the winner of the 1946 Nobel Prize in Literature. He is most famous for his novels Steppenwolf, Das Glasperlenspiel (The Glass Bead Game), and Siddhartha.
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Easton Press Hermann Hesse books
Steppenwolf - Collector's Library of Famous Editions - 1991Siddhartha - 2008
Franklin Library Hermann Hesse books
Stories of Five Decades by Hermann Hesse - Collected Stories of the World's Greatest Writers - 1984
Hesse's interests in existential, spiritual, and mystical themes and Buddhist and Hindu philosophy may be seen in his works.
Born in the Black Forest town of Calw, Württemberg, Hesse emigrated to Switzerland in 1912, becoming a Swiss citizen in 1923. A staunch pacifist, Hesse opposed World War I strongly. The residual fallout of his feelings towards war can be seen in many of his books. During World War II, his writings found strange allies. The German propagandist Joseph Goebbels initially defended Hesse's books, and as a result Hesse was allowed to continue writing unmolested. However, after he demanded that certain portions in his book Narcissus and Goldmund dealing with pogroms be left untouched, Hesse found himself on the Nazis' blacklist. Despite this ominous situation, Hesse escaped World War II unharmed.
Like a number of his characters, Hesse had many problems throughout his life with women. His first marriage with Maria Bernoulli, with whom he had three children, ended sadly, his wife having mental problems. His second marriage was apparently a brief fling with Ruth Wenger, lasting only a few months. He finally married Ninon Dolbin in 1931 and remained with her for the rest of his life.
Hesse developed a certain conservatism in his later life. In Das Glasperlenspiel, characters denounce all music after Johann Sebastian Bach as superficial and bad, with Ludwig van Beethoven being an extreme example of bad taste. Das Glasperlenspiel, with its William Morris-like idealised medieval style, was extremely popular in the war-torn Germany of 1945.
Hesse died of cerebral hemorrhage in his sleep in Montagnola at the age of 85. The famed German missionary Rev. Dr. Hermann Gundert was the grandfather of Hermann Hesse.
Steppenwolf
Steppenwolf
is a poetical self-portrait of a man who felt himself to be half-human
and half-wolf. This Faust-like and magical story is evidence of Hesse's
searching philosophy and extraordinary sense of humanity as he tells of
the humanization of a middle-aged misanthrope. Yet his novel can also be
seen as a plea for rigorous self-examination and an indictment of the
intellectual hypocrisy of the period. As Hesse himself remarked, "Of all
my books Steppenwolf is the one that was more often and more violently
misunderstood than any of the others".
Harry Haller is a sad and
lonely figure, a reclusive intellectual for whom life holds no joy. He
struggles to reconcile the wild primeval wolf and the rational man
within himself without surrendering to the bourgeois values he despises.
His life changes dramatically when he meets a woman who is his
opposite, the carefree and elusive Hermine. The tale of the Steppenwolf
culminates in the surreal Magic Theater For Madmen Only!
At first
sight Harry Haller seems a respectable, educated man. In reality he is
the Steppenwolf: wild, strange, alienated from society and repulsed by
the modern age. But as he is drawn into a series of dreamlike and
sometimes savage encounters accompanied by, among others, Mozart, Goethe
and the bewitching Hermione the misanthropic Haller discovers a higher
truth, and the possibility of happiness.
Originally published in
English in 1929, Steppenwolf ’s wisdom continues to speak to our souls
and marks it as a classic of modern literature.
Siddhartha
Siddhartha
is an allegorical novel by Hermann Hesse which deals with the spiritual
journey of an Indian boy called Siddhartha during the time of the
Buddha. The book was written in German, in a simple, yet powerful and
lyrical style. It was first published in 1922, after Hesse had spent
some time in India in the 1910s.
Herman Hesse's classic novel has
delighted, inspired, and influenced generations of readers, writers,
and thinkers. In this story of a wealthy Indian Brahmin who casts off a
life of privilege to seek spiritual fulfillment. Hesse synthesizes
disparate philosophies Eastern religions, Jungian archetypes, Western
individualism into a unique vision of life as expressed through one
man's search for true meaning.
The story revolves around a young
man who leaves his home and family on a quest for the Truth. Embarking
on a journey that takes him from the austerities of renunciation to the
profligacy of wealth. That leads him through the range of human
experiences from hunger and want, to passion, pleasure, pain, greed,
yearning, boredom, love, despair and hope. A journey that leads finally
to the river, where he gains peace and eventually wisdom. This is the
story of Siddhartha as told by Nobel Laureate Hermann Hesse in his most
influential work.
The story begins as Siddhartha, the son of a
Brahmin, leaves his home to join the ascetics with his companion
Govinda. The two set out in the search of enlightenment.
Siddhartha
goes from asceticism, to a very worldly life as a trader with a lover,
and back to asceticism as he attempts to achieve this goal.
Additional information and source: Hermann Hesse