My Heroes – Hermann Hesse
Hermann Hesse (July 2, 1877 – August 9, 1962) was a German-born Swiss poet, novelist and painter. He used his fictional heroes to explore his search for authenticity, self-knowledge and spirituality. He authored 17 works from 1899 to 1943.
The works that most impressed me was Siddhartha, Steppenwolf, Journey to the East and Damien. These works helped me in my own exploration for authenticity, self-knowledge and sprirituality.
I’ve only read Steppenwolf and only because I liked the band. For some reason I thought it was about a Werewolf and was slightly disappointed when it wasn’t.
I’ve got nothing worthwhile to add. Just saying hey.
“A true seeker could not accept any teachings, not if he sincerely wished to find something. But he who had found, could give his approval to every path, every goal; nothing separated him from all of the other thousands who lived in eternity, who breathed the Divine.”
I read Siddhartha when I was 13. About a month before I read Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas and Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance. Man! Was that good summer!
I read Siddhartha about the same time either just before or just after Robert Heinlen’s Stranger in a Strange Land. They fit together quite nicely.
I’m a littlemore simple when it comes to literature.
John Steinbeck
Of Mice And Men
Cannery Row
The Pearl
It was my Mother’s favorite Author also. I bought her 30 Steinbeck books…hardbacks only…25 were first editions.
Just thought I’d let you know I was here and tell you my favorite books.
You’ve got me curious about this Author. heart
I have this love-hate thing with Hesse. He belongs to the modern classic authors of Germany. On the one hand, he was a pioneer about reaching out to foreign cultures and letting German readers experience them. However, much like Timothy Leary, he never realised what kind of a sub-culture movement he would eventually cause, which has left its mark on modern Germans.
Thanks to Siddharta, which was an ode to the wisdom and beauty of Asian culture, and reflects Hesse’s love and admiration of this culture, this work is one of the key reasons why modern Germans sort-of despise their own culture. Like other German authors before him (such as Karl May), Hesse somehow made other peoples’ cultures more attractive, preferable and “better” than his own.
The result: Many modern Germans believe that being from a third world country is somehow “better” than being from Germany. In an odd way it teaches self-hate and contempt for all things German. It epitomizes Asian culture as a paradigm and subtly suggests Germans should hate themselves for being German.
One of his other works, “Klingsor’s Last Summer” still serves as a blueprint for Germans who get fed up with the rat-race, sell everything they have and migrate to the most anti-German place they can find to ‘start over’ again. Works wonderfully in this novel. Pity reality is just a tiny bit different.
His famous work “Steppenwolf”, is in my humble opinion, a diary of Hesse’s severe psychological problems. Even Hesse had to admit “Steppenwolf” was “more often and more violently misunderstood” than any of his other books.
It’s no wonder there are so many people who read this novel, and force themselves to finish it as say “I don’t get it!” How can you, if you’re sane, and you’re reading a book written by a madman, that all the critics believe is really a ‘genius’?
It’s one of those books you have to dissect in a college course where your literature professor has to tell you ‘WTF’ Hesse was really talking about, because you as the reader can’t ever quite figure out the parts where Hesse is writing about his fantasies or what really happened. It’s kind of like walking in one the film “Fight Club” in the middle of the film, and thinking, ‘what’s the deal here?’.
Very interesting blog, and thought provoking too. Hesse leaves me with the thought that we are spiritual beings and on that level there are no differences as far as political or cultural ideologies are concerned. Therein lies the madness and the duality. We are literally split apart on a physical level. Perhaps we should all think about that on these blogs here where people fight about politics, or take sides in egotistic blog wars. Can we not all rise above all that? Hugs to you John 😀 :love:
“Again and yet again, lovely and ancient saga,
I descend into your fountain,
Hear your golden lieder,
How you laugh, how you dream, how softly you weep.
As a warning from your depths
Comes the whispered word of magic;
Drunken and asleep, so I seem,
And you call me forth and away…”
-Hermann Hesse.
Childhood of the Magician (1923)