Hermann Hesse (1877–1962) was a Germany-born Swiss author, poet, and painter. He is best known for his novels that explore themes of spirituality and the search for authenticity, and he received a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1946.
CLEAR ALL
Herman Hesse remained clear-sighted and consistent in his political views and his passionate espousal of pacifism and the bloody absurdity of war from the start of the First World War to the end of his life.
Though set in a place and time far removed from the Germany of 1922, the year of the book’s debut, the novel is infused with the sensibilities of Hermann Hesse’s time, synthesizing disparate philosophies—Eastern religions, Jungian archetypes, Western individualism—into a unique vision of life as...
7
Hesse’s work was attuned to a youth culture animated by an amorphous desire for a breakthrough in consciousness precisely because such a desire gripped him throughout his entire life. Many of us are familiar with this desire; it animates almost every young person, in one way or another.
Within you, there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at anytime and be yourself.
1
Vowing at an early age “to be a poet or nothing at all,” Hermann Hesse rebelled against formal education, focusing on a rigorous program of independent study that included literature, philosophy, art, and history.
Hermann Hesse was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include Steppenwolf, Siddhartha, and The Glass Bead Game, each of which explores an individual's search for authenticity, self-knowledge and spirituality.
Klingsor's Last Summer tells the story of a famous painter named Klingsor as he experiences a final burst of creativity in his last summer of life. He grabs the cup of life with both hands and drinks until he simply cannot take any more.
Most people . . . are like a falling leaf that drifts and turns in the air, flutters, and falls to the ground. But a few others are like stars which travel one defined path: no wind reaches them, they have within themselves their guide and path.
The stories Hesse tells appeal to young people because they keep faith with the powerful emotions of adolescence, which most adults forget or outgrow.
About the German writer.
Photo Credit: UniversalImagesGroup / Contributor / Universal Images Group / Getty Images