Description
Peter Owen Publishers | Paperback | 256 pages
Publication date: 06 July 2006
ISBN: 9780720612912
A new edition of the classic novel by Hermann Hesse features a foreword from the musician and artist Graham Coxon:
‘The clean simplicity of Hesse’s writing offers a vast space in which to push your weightless mind, and, although you can see the universe between the lines, he never forces you to venture too deeply but rather leaves it entirely up to you as to how far in you might like to travel. This is not just a story. This book is a gentle arm around the shoulder.’
Translated from the German by Leila Vennewitz
HERMANN HESSE (1877-1963) is counted among the leading thinkers of the twentieth century. Born in Germany and raised in a Black Forest town, he rebelled against a stern monastic education, he worked as a locksmith and a bookseller before embarking on a 65-year writing career. Having traveled as far as India, he settled in Switzerland in 1911 in opposition to German militarism. Awarded the Nobel Prize in 1946, he died in 1963 aged eighty-five.
Reviews
‘A poetic novel unique in its fascination’ — Thomas Mann
‘One of his masterpieces . . . without doubt a great novel’ — Observer
‘His greatest novel’ — New York Times
‘This extremely beautiful novel has a ripeness and wisdom all too rare in modern literature’ — Daily Telegraph
