Hermann Hesse

This collection of poems, written during the same period as Steppenwolf, was first published in 1928 in a limited edition of 1,000 copies. Hesse's uneasiness about the degree of self-exposure in these quite untypical poems is evident in that the majority (and many of the best) were never reprinted during his lifetime. Astonishingly frank and raw at times, they reflect his effort to balance the constraints of his intellectual life with his longing for the free experiences of the senses. Together with Steppenwolf--the link with that novel is unmistakable--Crisis served as a catharsis for Hesse, bringing to its climax a difficult period of questioning and despair...."[A]n intense, difficult work of high seriousness. " - The Guardian

"All I really wanted was to try and live the life that was spontaneously welling up within me. Why was that so very difficult?" Generations of readers have recognized the impassioned cry that introduces the young narrator of Demian, and embraced this tale of a troubled young man's struggle toward self-awareness. Initially published in Berlin in 1919, the novel met with instant critical acclaim, as well as great popular success among people seeking answers amid the devastating aftermath of World War I. A brilliant psychological portrait of an individual's departure from social conventions in the search for spiritual fulfillment, Demian encompasses many of the themes associated with Hermann Hesse, its Noble Prize–winning author, particularly the duality of human nature and the quest for inner peace. Considered an important work in the evolution of twentieth-century European literature, this perceptive coming-of-age novel enjoys a particular resonance with young adults, a fact that has made Demian a perennial favorite in schools and colleges all over the world. This inexpensive edition, featuring an excellent new English translation, is sure to be welcomed by teachers and students, and by the legions of confirmed Hesse fans.

A powerful new translation of Nobel Prize winner Hermann Hesse’s masterpiece of youthful rebellion—with a foreword and cover art by James FrancoA Penguin ClassicA young man awakens to selfhood and to a world of possibilities beyond the conventions of his upbringing in Nobel Prize winner Hermann Hesse’s beloved novel Demian. Emil Sinclair is a quiet boy drawn into a forbidden yet seductive realm of petty crime and defiance. His guide is his precocious, mysterious classmate Max Demian, who provokes in Emil a search for self-discovery and spiritual fulfillment. A brilliant psychological portrait, Demian is given new life in this translation, which together with James Franco’s personal and inspiring foreword will bring a new generation to Hesse’s widely influential coming-of-age novel. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

In this novel about music, love, and creativity, Hermann Hesse weaves a tale of loss and redemption. Kuhn, the sensitive narrator, disabled in an accident as a young man, has become a renowned composer. He is drawn to a beautiful, mysterious singer named Gertrude and becomes engulfed in an enduring passion for her. But because he fears her sympathy, he ends up losing her to his friend and singer, Muoth. Kuhn becomes inextricably involved in their ill-fated marriage and is almost destroyed -- but eventually he finds his redemption through his art and the completion of his opera.

<p>In this novel about music, love, and creativity, Hermann Hesse weaves a tale of loss and redemption. Kuhn, the sensitive narrator, disabled in an accident as a young man, has become a renowned composer. He is drawn to a beautiful, mysterious singer named Gertrude and becomes engulfed in an enduring passion for her. But because he fears her sympathy, he ends up losing her to his friend and singer, Muoth. Kuhn becomes inextricably involved in their ill-fated marriage and is almost destroyed -- but eventually he finds his redemption through his art and the completion of his opera.</p><h3>Review</h3> <p>"One of the defining spirits of our century." --"Ralph Freedman" </p> <p>"Hesse is a writer of suggestion, of nuance, of spiritual intimation." --"The Christian Science Monitor" </p> <h3>About the Author</h3> <p>Hermann Hesse (1877-1962), the German novelist, essayist, and poet, is universally considered one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. His works include "Steppenwolf," "Siddhartha," and "Narcissus and Goldmund." Hesse was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1946. </p> <p><p>With <I>Gertrude</I>, Herman Hesse continues his lifelong exploration of the irreconcilable elements of human existence. In this fictional memoir, the renowned composer Kuhn recounts his tangled relationships with two artists--his friend Heinrich Muoth, a brooding, self-destructive opera singer, and the gentle, self-assured Gertrude Imthor. Kuhn is drawn to Gertrude upon their first meeting, but Gertrude falls in love with Heinrich, to whom she is introduced when Kuhn auditions them for the leads in his new opera. Hopelessly ill-matched, Gertrude and Heinrich have a disastrous marriage that leaves them both ruined. Yet this tragic affair also becomes the inspiration for Kuhn's opera, the most important success of his artistic life.<BR><br>

<p>In this novel about music, love, and creativity, Hermann Hesse weaves a tale of loss and redemption. Kuhn, the sensitive narrator, disabled in an accident as a young man, has become a renowned composer. He is drawn to a beautiful, mysterious singer named Gertrude and becomes engulfed in an enduring passion for her. But because he fears her sympathy, he ends up losing her to his friend and singer, Muoth. Kuhn becomes inextricably involved in their ill-fated marriage and is almost destroyed -- but eventually he finds his redemption through his art and the completion of his opera.</p><h3>Review</h3> <p>"One of the defining spirits of our century." --"Ralph Freedman" </p> <p>"Hesse is a writer of suggestion, of nuance, of spiritual intimation." --"The Christian Science Monitor" </p> <h3>About the Author</h3> <p>Hermann Hesse (1877-1962), the German novelist, essayist, and poet, is universally considered one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. His works include "Steppenwolf," "Siddhartha," and "Narcissus and Goldmund." Hesse was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1946. </p> <p><p>With <I>Gertrude</I>, Herman Hesse continues his lifelong exploration of the irreconcilable elements of human existence. In this fictional memoir, the renowned composer Kuhn recounts his tangled relationships with two artists--his friend Heinrich Muoth, a brooding, self-destructive opera singer, and the gentle, self-assured Gertrude Imthor. Kuhn is drawn to Gertrude upon their first meeting, but Gertrude falls in love with Heinrich, to whom she is introduced when Kuhn auditions them for the leads in his new opera. Hopelessly ill-matched, Gertrude and Heinrich have a disastrous marriage that leaves them both ruined. Yet this tragic affair also becomes the inspiration for Kuhn's opera, the most important success of his artistic life.<BR><br>

Hermann Hesse: A Pictorial Biography offers a wealth of unknown photographic and textual material which was first discovered among Hesse's literary effects after his death. Over 200 photographs chronicle his family background, his school and apprentice years, his first literary efforts and initial successes, his travels to India and throughout Europe, his continuing growth as a writer. These photographs, apart from illustrating Hesse's long and varied life, amply document his position in the cultural life of his time and his relationships with celebrated contemporaries. The photographs are accompanied by a brief text prepared by Volker Michels, a leading Hesse scholar, which includes comments about Hesse from such writers as Thomas Mann, Martin Buber, T.S. Eliot, and Andre Gide, examples of Hesse's unpublished light verse, and a detailed chronological table. Hesse's own essay "Life Story Briefly Told" serves as an introduction. Together, text and pictures provide the Hesse reader with new tools to interpret and evaluate the life and works of this exceptional man and artist.

<p>A single volume of the most beautiful texts by Herman Hesse including intimate memories of his final years. Hesse collected life sketches, poems, aphorisms and short essays dedicated to the ultimate challenge of a writer who had already accomplished a celebrated body of work — that of accepting his final years and the approach of death with grace.</p> A single volume of the most beautiful texts by Herman Hesse including intimate memories of his final years. Hesse collected life sketches, poems, aphorisms and short essays dedicated to the ultimate challenge of a writer who had already accomplished a celebrated body of work -- that of accepting his final years and the approach of death with grace. A single volume of the most beautiful texts by Herman Hesse including intimate memories of his final years. Hesse collected life sketches, poems, aphorisms and short essays dedicated to the ultimate challenge of a writer who had already accomplished a celebrated body of work -- that of accepting his final years and the approach of death with grace.

<p>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 World War I to the end of his life. He wrote the earliest essay in this book in September 1914, before he cemented his fame with the novels Steppenwolf and Siddhartha, and continued writing a stream of letters, essays and pamphlets throughout the war. In his native Germany his views earned him the labels 'traitor' and 'viper', but after World War II he was moved to reiterate his beliefs in another series of essays and letters. If The War Goes On . . . resonates as strong today as it did when originally published and begs the question: have our politicians learnt nothing in the last seventy years?</p> <div> <p>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 World War I to the end of his life. He wrote the earliest essay in this book in September 1914, before he cemented his fame with the novels Steppenwolf and Siddhartha, and continued writing a stream of letters, essays and pamphlets throughout the war. In his native Germany his views earned him the labels 'traitor' and 'viper', but after World War II he was moved to reiterate his beliefs in another series of essays and letters. If The War Goes On . . . resonates as strong today as it did when originally published and begs the question: have our politicians learnt nothing in the last seventy years?</p></div> <p> <p>One of the most astonishing aspects of Hesse's career is the clear-sightedness and consistency of his political views, his passionate espousal of pacifism and internationalism from the start of World War I to the end of his life. The earliest essay in this book was written in September 1914 and was followed by a stream of letters, essays, and pamphlets that reached its high point with <I>Zarathustra's Return</I> (published anonymously in 1919, the year that also saw the publication of <I>Demian</I>), in which Hesse exhorted German youth to shake off the false gods of nationalism and militarism that had led their country into the abyss. Such views earned him the labels "traitor" and "viper" in Germany, but after World War II he was moved to reiterate his beliefs in another series of essays and letters.<p>Hesse arranged his anti-war writing for publication in one volume in 1946; an amplified edition appeared in 1949 and that text has been followed for this first...

First published in 1915, Knulp was Hesse's most popular book in the years before Demian. This is the first edition in English. Knulp is an amiable vagabond who wanders from town to town, staying with friends who feed and shelter him. Consistently refusing to tie himself down to any trade, place, or person, he even deserts the companion who might be considered Hermann Hesse himself the summer they go tramping together. Knulp's exile is blissful, gentle, self-absorbed. But hidden beneath the light surface of these "Tales from the Life of Knulp" is the conscience of an artist who suspects that his liberation is worthless, even immoral. As he lies dying in a snowstorm, Knulp has an interview with God in which he reproaches himself for his wasted life. But it is revealed to Knulp that the whole purpose of his life has been to bring "a little homseickness for freedom" into the lives of ordinary men.

Few American readers seem to be aware that Hermann Hesse, author of the epic novels Steppenwolf and Siddhartha, among many others, also wrote poetry, the best of which the poet James Wright has translated and included in this book. This is a special volume—filled with short, direct poems about love, death, loneliness, the seasons—that is imbued with some of the imagery and feeling of Hesse's novels but that has a clarity and resonance all its own, a sense of longing for love and for home that is both deceptively simple and deeply moving.

A classic of twentieth-century literature chronicles the spiritual evolution of a man living in India at the time of the Buddha--a spiritual journey that has inspired generations of readers. We are invited along on Siddhartha's journey experiencing his highs, lows, loves, and disappointments along the way. Always insightful and inspiring, Hesse begins the novel by showing us the life of a brahmin's son. Handsome, well-loved, and growing increasingly dissatisfied with the life expected of him, Siddhartha sets out on his journey, not realizing that he is fulfilling the prophesies proclaimed at his birth. Siddhartha blends in with the world, showing the reader the beauty and intricacies of the mind, nature, and his experience on the path to enlightenment. Sherab Ch�dzin Kohn's flowing, poetic translation conveys the philosophical and spiritual nuances of Hesse's text, paying special attention to the qualities of meditative experience. The Shambhala Library is a series of exquisitely designed and produced cloth editions of the world's spiritual and literary classics, both ancient and modern. Perfect for collecting or as gifts, each volume features a sewn binding, decorative endsheets, and a ribbon marker--in a delightful-to-hold 4 � x 6 � trim size.

The story takes place in the ancient kingdom of Kapilavastu, which is traced to either modern India or modern Nepal. Siddhartha decides to leave his home in the hope of gaining spiritual illumination by becoming an ascetic wandering beggar of the Śamaṇa. Joined by his best friend Govinda, Siddhartha fasts, becomes homeless, renounces all personal possessions, and intensely meditates, eventually seeking and personally speaking with Gautama, the famous Buddha, or Enlightened One. Afterward, both Siddhartha and Govinda acknowledge the elegance of the Buddha's teachings. Although Govinda hastily joins the Buddha's order, Siddhartha does not follow, claiming that the Buddha's philosophy, though supremely wise, does not account for the necessarily distinct experiences of each person. He argues that the individual seeks an absolutely unique, personal meaning that cannot be presented to him by a teacher. He thus resolves to carry on his quest alone. Siddhartha crosses a river and the generous ferryman, whom Siddhartha is unable to pay, merrily predicts that Siddhartha will return to the river later to compensate him in some way. Venturing onward toward city life, Siddhartha discovers Kamala, the most beautiful woman he has yet seen. Kamala, a courtesan, notes Siddhartha's handsome appearance and fast wit, telling him that he must become wealthy to win her affections so that she may teach him the art of love. Although Siddhartha despised materialistic pursuits as a Śamaṇa, he agrees now to Kamala's suggestions. She directs him to the employ of Kamaswami, a local businessman, and insists that he have Kamaswami treat him as an equal rather than an underling. Siddhartha easily succeeds, providing a voice of patience and tranquility, which Siddhartha learned from his days as an ascetic, against Kamaswami's fits of passion. Thus Siddhartha becomes a rich man and Kamala's lover, though in his middle years he realizes that the luxurious lifestyle he has chosen is merely a game that lacks spiritual fulfillment. Leaving the fast-paced bustle of the city, Siddhartha returns to the river fed up with life and disillusioned, contemplating suicide before falling into a meditative sleep, and is saved only by an internal experience of the holy word, Om. The very next morning, Siddhartha briefly reconnects with Govinda, who is passing through the area as a wandering Buddhist. Siddhartha decides to live the rest of his life in the presence of the spiritually inspirational river. Siddhartha thus reunites with the ferryman, named Vasudeva, with whom he begins a humbler way of life. Although Vasudeva is a simple man, he understands and relates that the river has many voices and significant messages to divulge to any who might listen. Some years later, Kamala, now a Buddhist convert, is traveling to see the Buddha at his deathbed, accompanied by her reluctant young son, when she is bitten by a venomous snake near Siddhartha's river. Siddhartha recognizes her and realizes that the boy is his own son. After Kamala's death, Siddhartha attempts to console and raise the furiously resistant boy, until one day the child flees altogether. Although Siddhartha is desperate to find his runaway son, Vasudeva urges him to let the boy find his own path, much like Siddhartha did himself in his youth. Listening to the river with Vasudeva, Siddhartha realizes that time is an illusion and that all of his feelings and experiences, even those of suffering, are part of a great and ultimately jubilant fellowship of all things connected in the cyclical unity of nature. After Siddhartha's moment of illumination, Vasudeva claims that his work is done and he must depart into the woods, leaving Siddhartha peacefully fulfilled and alone once more.

<p>In 1919, the same year Demian was published, seven of these stories appeared as a book entitled Märchen--literally, Fairy Tales. For this first edition in English, we have followed the arrangement Hesse made for the final collected edition of his works, where he added an eighth story, "Flute Dream.</p> <p>"The new note so clear in Demian was first sounded, Hesse believed, in some of these tales written during the years 1913 to 1918, the period that brought him into conflict with supporters of the war, with his country and its government, with conventional intellectual life, with every form of orthodoxy both in the world and in himself. Unlike his earlier work, from Peter Camenzind through Knulp, the stories in Strange News from Another Star do not allow for an essentially realistic interpretation. They are concerned with dream worlds, the subconscious, magical thinking, and the numinous experience of the soul. Their subject is the distilling of wisdom.</p> <p>The eight stories are "Augustus," "The Poet," "Flute Dream," "Strange News from Another Star," "The Hard Passage," "A Dream Sequence," "Faldum," and--perhaps the masterpiece of this collection--"Iris.</p> <p>"</p> <p><p>In 1919, the same year <I>Demian</I> was published, seven of these stories appeared as a book entitled <I>M<I>&#228;</I>rchen</I>--literally, <I>Fairy Tales</I>. For this first edition in English, we have followed the arrangement Hesse made for the final collected edition of his works, where he added an eighth story, "Flute Dream."<p>The new note so clear in <I>Demian</I> was first sounded, Hesse believed, in some of these tales written during the years 1913 to 1918, the period that brought him into conflict with supporters of the war, with his country and its government, with conventional intellectual life, with every form of orthodoxy both in the world and in himself. Unlike his earlier work, from <I>Peter Camenzind</I> through <I>Knulp</I>, the stories in <I>Strange News from Another Star</I> do not allow for an essentially realistic interpretation. They are concerned with dream worlds, the subconscious, magical thinking, and the numinous experience of the soul. Their... <p><p>In 1919, the same year <I>Demian</I> was published, seven of these stories appeared as a book entitled <I>M<I>&#228;</I>rchen</I>--literally, <I>Fairy Tales</I>. For this first edition in English, we have followed the arrangement Hesse made for the final collected edition of his works, where he added an eighth story, "Flute Dream."<p>The new note so clear in <I>Demian</I> was first sounded, Hesse believed, in some of these tales written during the years 1913 to 1918, the period that brought him into conflict with supporters of the war, with his country and its government, with conventional intellectual life, with every form of orthodoxy both in the world and in himself. Unlike his earlier work, from <I>Peter Camenzind</I> through <I>Knulp</I>, the stories in <I>Strange News from Another Star</I> do not allow for an essentially realistic interpretation. They are concerned with dream worlds, the subconscious, magical thinking, and the numinous experience of the soul. Their...

A collection of twenty-two fairy tales by the Nobel Prize-winning novelist, most translated into English for the first time, show the influence of German Romanticism, psychoanalysis, and Eastern religion on his development as an author.

<p class="description">The final novel of Hermann Hesse, for which he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946, The Glass Bead Game is a fascinating tale of the complexity of modern life as well as a classic of modern literatureSet in the 23rd century, The Glass Bead Game is the story of Joseph Knecht, who has been raised in Castalia, the remote place his society has provided for the intellectual elite to grow and flourish. Since childhood, Knecht has been consumed with mastering the Glass Bead Game, which requires a synthesis of aesthetics and scientific arts, such as mathematics, music, logic, and philosophy, which he achieves in adulthood, becoming a Magister Ludi (Master of the Game).</p> <p><p><i>The Glass Bead Game</i>, for which Hesse won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946, is the author's last and crowning achievement, the most imaginative and prophetic of all his novels. Setting the story in the distant postapocalyptic future, Hesse tells of an elite cult of intellectuals who play an elaborate game that uses all the cultural and scientific knowledge of the Ages. <i>The Glass Bead Game </i>is a fascinating tale of the complexity of modern life as well as a classic of modern literature.<br><br>This edition features a Foreword by Theodore Ziolkowski that places the book in the full context of Hesse's thought.<br><br> <p><p><i>The Glass Bead Game</i>, for which Hesse won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946, is the author's last and crowning achievement, the most imaginative and prophetic of all his novels. Setting the story in the distant postapocalyptic future, Hesse tells of an elite cult of intellectuals who play an elaborate game that uses all the cultural and scientific knowledge of the Ages. <i>The Glass Bead Game </i>is a fascinating tale of the complexity of modern life as well as a classic of modern literature.<br><br>This edition features a Foreword by Theodore Ziolkowski that places the book in the full context of Hesse's thought.<br><br>