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Hermann Hesse

ヘルマン・ヘッセ

Hermann Hesse

Pen Names: Emil Sinclair（Pseudonym used for the publication of Demian）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1877-07-02 （Calw, Kingdom of Württemberg, German Empire）
Died
1962-08-09 （Montagnola, Ticino, Switzerland） age 85
Nationality
German, Swiss
Languages
German
Religion
Christianity (Protestant influences)
Residence History
Calw (birthplace) → Basel (childhood / education) → Gaienhofen (Lake Constance, family life) → Bern (brief residence) → Montagnola (long-term residence, died here)

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Short story author, Essayist, Poet, Painter
Active Years
1895-1962
Influenced By
Friedrich Nietzsche, Arthur Schopenhauer, Family library and missionary-background influences (e.g. grandfather Hermann Gundert), C. G. Jung (Jungian analysis / analytical psychology), Indian thought and Buddhism
Influenced
1960s American counterculture generation, Timothy Leary (intellectual influence), Colin Wilson (critic), The band Steppenwolf and the Steppenwolf Theatre Company (named after his novel)

Education

Evangelical Theological Seminary of Maulbronn Abbey
Period: 1891–1893
Year of Graduation: 1893
Country: Germany
Training at the seminary precipitated a personal crisis; the experience influenced works such as Beneath the Wheel.
Gymnasium (Cannstatt)
Period: 1892–1893
Year of Graduation: 1893
Country: Germany
He left formal schooling intermittently and undertook several apprenticeships and vocational trainings.

Awards

Bauernfeld-Preis
1906
Result: 受賞
Mejstrik Prize of the Schiller Foundation
1928
Organization: Schiller Foundation
Result: 受賞
Gottfried-Keller-Preis
1936
Result: 受賞
Goethe Prize
1946
Result: 受賞
Nobel Prize in Literature
1946
Organization: Swedish Academy (Nobel Foundation)
Result: 受賞
Wilhelm Raabe Literature Prize
1950
Result: 受賞
Peace Prize of the German Book Trade
1955
Result: 受賞
Honorary Doctorate, University of Bern
1947
Organization: University of Bern
Result: 授与
Pour le Mérite
1954
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Demian

1919 Novel (psychological novel) 160 pages

A coming-of-age novel exploring a young man's psychological development, inner duality, and the search for selfhood.

self-discoverydualityspiritual awakening
Adaptations
  • [Film / stage (derived works)] Ansatsu (based on Demian) (1996)
Translations
  • Japanese translations (multiple)

Siddhartha

1922 Novel (spiritual quest) 152 pages

The story of Siddhartha's journey to enlightenment in India, rich with Buddhist and Eastern philosophical influences.

enlightenmentjourneyEastern philosophy
Adaptations
  • [Film] Siddhartha (1972)
  • [Film] Siddhartha (2003 film / adaptations) (2003)
Translations
  • Numerous Japanese translations; widely read in Japan

Steppenwolf

1927 Novel (modern alienation / psychoanalytic) 240 pages

Follows the alienated middle-aged man Harry Haller, exploring modern society, inner division, and existential loneliness.

alienationdualitypsychoanalytic exploration
Adaptations
  • [Film] Steppenwolf (1974)
Translations
  • Japanese translations (multiple)

Narcissus and Goldmund

1930 Novel (friendship, art, contrasting lives) 304 pages

Through the friendship of the intellectual Narcissus and the sensual Goldmund, the novel examines contrasting approaches to life.

friendshipartcontrasting life paths
Adaptations
  • [Film (German-language adaptations)] Narcissus and Goldmund (2020)
Translations
  • Japanese translations (multiple)

The Glass Bead Game (Das Glasperlenspiel / Magister Ludi)

1943 Novel (philosophical novel / intellectual utopia) 512 pages

Set in the intellectual realm of Castalia, the novel interrogates culture, spiritual life, and the relation of individual to institution.

knowledge and spiritual lifeinstitution vs individualeducation and art
Translations
  • Japanese translations (variously titled)

Bibliography

  • Complete bibliography (numerous novels, short stories, poems and essays)

Adaptations

  • Siddhartha (1972, 2003 etc.)
  • Steppenwolf (1974)
  • Works based on Demian (Ansatsu 1996 etc.)

Translations of Works

  • Siddhartha — Japanese translations (multiple)
  • Demian — Japanese translations (multiple)
  • Steppenwolf — Japanese translations (multiple)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
introspective and allegorical prosefrequent use of symbolism and mythic motifspoetic description
Recurring Motifs
journeyrivers and waterduality (inner split)spiritual quest and enlightenment

Health

  • Depressive episodes / mental crises
    青年期以降、断続的に生涯を通じて
    Affected his creative work and life outlook; led to engagement with psychoanalysis and Jungian psychology.
  • Amblyopia / vision condition
    幼少期〜青年期
    Contributed to exemption from military service and affected life course.
  • Neuralgia / persistent headaches
    生涯にわたって断続的
    Intermittently affected writing and daily life.

Legacy

An internationally influential writer whose works fuse Eastern thought and psychology around themes of inner quest. Nobel laureate (1946); achieved worldwide readership especially after the 1960s Hesse boom.

Museums

  • Hermann Hesse Museum (Calw) Calw, Germany

Academic Societies

  • International Hermann Hesse Society (Internationale Hermann-Hesse-Gesellschaft)
  • Hermann Hesse-associated foundations

Archives

  • Swiss National Library / HelveticArchives — literary estate holdings

In Popular Culture

  • The rock band Steppenwolf took its name from Hesse's novel
  • Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company is named after the novel
  • Santana's album Abraxas uses a title drawn from a quote associated with Demian

Quotes

  • Words do not express thoughts very well; they always become a little different immediately after they are expressed.
    Source: Writings / essays (various translations of original passages)

Trivia

  • Total sales of his works are reported to exceed 100 million copies (figures vary by source).
  • Siddhartha became a prominent Western novel introducing Eastern thought.
  • Hesse was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1946.