Beneath the Wheel - Hermann Hesse

Demian - Hermann Hesse

Since his death in 1962 Hermann Hesse has become one of the most revered writers of his generation. Born in Calw Germany in 1877, Hesse began publishing his own poems as a young man, whilst working in a bookstore. Hesse began to be recognized for his deep humanity and philosophical ideas. By the time he had written his masterpiece Demian he had already relocated to Switzerland. Hesse was staunchly against Germanys military during the First World War and his books were burned by the Nazis during the Second. He received a Nobel prize for literature in 1946, and remains to this day one of the most widely respected European writers of the Twentieth Century. Other Novels of ...

Demian - Hermann Hesse

I have read several books by Herman Hesse but the one that had the strongest impact on me was definately 'Demian'. It is the story of a boy who has unusual influence over his peers. He moves into a new area and soon inspires great awe in his peers. He is respected but also feared. His powers of persuasion seem to come ...

Steppenwolf - Hermann Hesse

I found Steppenwolfe in a WHSmiths in a great big crowded shopping centre. I was alone, and tired, and wanted something to read with my coffee. On the back cover it said 'The hip bible of 1950s counter-culture.' and I thought, 'This one's for me.' I sat down and became mesmerised. This is the most amazing, feeling, indescribably wonderful book I have ever come accross. I am vacilliating because I am struggling over words to describe the impact it had on me. I couldn't stop telling people about it - everyone I knew I told. It gave me a philosophy, it let me understand myself. It changed my life. Not drastically, but it gave me a sense of meaning and ...