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丿賲賷丕賳

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賰鬲亘 賴賷爻賴 乇賵丕賷丞 "丿賲賷丕賳" 亘賳孬乇 賲賱鬲賴亘 賵賴賵 賮賷 兀賵噩 賳囟賵噩賴. 廿賳賴 賰鬲丕亘賹 氐睾賷乇 丕賱丨噩賲貙 賵賱賰賳 丕賱賰鬲亘 氐睾賷乇丞 丕賱丨噩賲 賴賷 丕賱鬲賷 鬲鬲賲鬲毓 睾丕賱亘丕 亘丕賱丿賷賳丕賲賷賰賷丞 丕賱兀賰孬乇 睾賳賶. 賵賲賳 丕賱賵丕囟丨 兀賳 賴賷爻賴 賯丿 兀丿乇賰 兀賳 毓賲賱賴 賴匕丕 廿賳賲丕 賷鬲禺匕 爻賲丞 賰賵賳賷丞. 賴匕丕 賲丕 賷卮賴丿 毓賱賷賴 丕賱毓賳賵丕賳 丕賱賮乇毓賷 賱賱乇賵丕賷丞 賵丕賱賲亘賴賲: "丨賰丕賷丞 卮亘丕亘". 賲亘賴賲 賱兀賳賴 賯丿 賷卮賲賱 丨賰丕賷丞 卮亘丕亘 亘丕賱賲毓賳賶 丕賱賮乇丿賷貙 賵賰匕賱賰 丨賰丕賷丞 噩賷賱 賲賳 丕賱卮亘丕亘. 賵賱賲 賷卮兀 賴賷爻賴 兀賳 鬲氐丿乇 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 丨丕賲賱丞 廿爻賲賴貙 亘賱 丕禺鬲丕乇 賱鬲賵賯賷毓賴丕 廿爻賲丕 賲爻鬲毓丕乇丕 賴賵 "爻賳賰賱賷乇" 丕賱賲賯鬲亘爻 賲賳 毓丕賱賲 "賴賵賱丿乇賱賳"貙 賵賱賲 賷囟毓 鬲賵賯賷毓賴 毓賱賷賴丕 廿賱丕 賲賳匕 胤亘毓鬲賴丕 丕賱毓丕卮乇丞.

賰丕賳鬲 "丿賲賷丕賳" 乇賵丕賷丞 賱賲爻鬲 毓氐亘 丕賱賲乇丨賱丞 亘丿賯丞 賲孬賷乇丞貙 賵氐賵乇鬲 亘丨爻 賲毓乇賮賷 氐賵乇丞 卮亘賷亘丞 亘兀賰賲賱賴丕 丕毓鬲賯丿鬲 兀賳賴 賯丿 賳賴囟 賲賳 亘賷賳 氐賮賵賮賴丕 匕賱賰 丕賱亘胤賱 丕賱匕賷 鬲噩爻丿鬲 賮賷賴 丌賲丕賱賴丕 丕賱兀賰孬乇 毓賲賯丕.

199 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1919

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About the author

Hermann Hesse

2,134books18.7kfollowers
Many works, including Siddhartha (1922) and Steppenwolf (1927), of German-born Swiss writer Hermann Hesse concern the struggle of the individual to find wholeness and meaning in life; he won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1946.

Other best-known works of this poet, novelist, and painter include The Glass Bead Game , which, also known as Magister Ludi, explore a search of an individual for spirituality outside society.

In his time, Hesse was a popular and influential author in the German-speaking world; worldwide fame only came later. Young Germans desiring a different and more "natural" way of life at the time of great economic and technological progress in the country, received enthusiastically Peter Camenzind , first great novel of Hesse.

Throughout Germany, people named many schools. In 1964, people founded the Calwer Hermann-Hesse-Preis, awarded biennially, alternately to a German-language literary journal or to the translator of work of Hesse to a foreign language. The city of Karlsruhe, Germany, also associates a Hermann Hesse prize.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 9,387 reviews
Profile Image for RandomAnthony.
395 reviews108 followers
April 11, 2011
Hermann Hesse's Demian influenced me more than just about any book although I haven't read the novel in twenty years. Through my late teens and early twenties I searched out every Hesse book I could find, including the rarities, journals, letters, etc., going as far as to ferret out European editions in a Berlin bookstore on a solo trip as much influenced by Hesse as cheap airfare. My initial college experiences (three institutions in six semesters) ended badly. I became depressed and, although I had friends, spent much of my time isolated with books. My hostile, unsupportive parents created a tense, unsafe environment. The future looked bleak. I was terrified.

But I had Hesse. And many of the Hesse protagonists reminded my sad, desperate ass of myself. I eventually finished college, scraped out an existence, and learned to survive. Later a woman graciously and sympathetically agreed to marry me. We moved to Wisconsin. When packing up the apartment for the trek north I crated the Hesse books and didn't return to the author for twenty years.

A few weeks back I spotted a decent Demian edition, with the Thomas Mann introduction, for a couple bucks at a Borders closing sale. I read the book over seven illness-ridden gray spring days. And while my perceptions of the novel changed, of course, with the passing decades, Hesse's vision once again earned my appreciation.

Sinclair, the novel's narrator, is a German teenager transitioning from the warm, safe glow of his childhood world into a much scarier adulthood. He tries to follow the rules but feels himself called to something other than the town status quo. In school he meets a new student, the mysterious, adult and somewhat feminine Demian. Sinclair, through Demian, learns of the individuals with the 鈥淢ark of Cain.鈥� These people are special; they can't feel fulfilled within the normal societal context and must look elsewhere for meaning. Sinclair spends much of his time alone, feels loss and terror, and almost fails out of boarding school. Do you see why this setup was attractive to a teenager who felt like he couldn't stand ten minutes in a room with his parents and couldn't pass his first university courses? I wanted to feel as if my isolation and third-rate social skills had meaning and set me apart with a purpose I couldn't comprehend. Demian and Sinclair separate after graduation and the latter experiments with alcoholic hazes before falling under the influence of a new mentor, the benevolent but drunken and limited church organist Pistorus. Sinclair paints and creates a vision of a bird breaking out of the egg as metaphor for his own process. I wanted so badly to embody that bird, to prove my failures as something deeper than incompetence. Sinclair catches up with Demian near the start of what seems to be the second world war, and when they next part they declare themselves part of a new vanguard who will help reshape the world after the military convulsions.

Demian is flawed. Some passages rely on vague, mythic language that mires in mystical and somewhat frustrating possibilities; in other words, one could accuse Hesse of taking the easy way out by framing Demian's insight as near indescribable. And when Sinclair and Hesse 鈥渃all鈥� each other the pair somehow telepathically sense the need to meet. This magic, romantic power is easier to describe than anything tangible and even as a teenager I knew this type of interaction was beyond my capabilities and probably bullshit. And when Demian says things like 鈥淭he new world has begun and the new world will be terrible for those clinging to the old. What will you do?鈥� he benefits from the lack of detail. But none of that mattered to me twenty, twenty-five years back. Hesse portrayed identity-challenged young men who struggled on the edge of mainstream daily existence and hoped for something more. And while I can see the inherent romanticism and frustrating pseudo-spiritualism with older, calmer eyes, I still feel the pull of Hesse's work. Without Demian and similar books I would have lacked a voice for emotions I couldn't articulate on my own; Hesse's work became a framework around which I could see potential self-value at a time in my life when I was precariously close to a feeling worthless. And while I can position Demian as a novel that resonates differently with me at forty-one than at nineteen, I recognize the camaraderie inherent in this book with a part of me that will never completely disappear. Demian is intrinsic to my narrative vocabulary and always will be. The vestiges of Hesse's influences are subtle but still present; while I like to think I would search for meaning in what I do, beyond convention, without ever reading Hesse, his work provided form and foundation, however mystical, on which I could build as I grew older and (hopefully) more capable. Thank you, Mr. Hesse, for being there when I needed you most.
Profile Image for Lucy Dacus.
104 reviews46.3k followers
December 29, 2022
Nobody told me this would be kinda gay?
Profile Image for Jenn(ifer).
191 reviews993 followers
August 5, 2015

I wanted only to try to live in accord with the promptings which came from my true self. Why was that so very difficult?

This quote stands alone on the very first page of the novel, and it tells you all you need to know.

I loved this book. I want to make you love it. I sit here at this keyboard and try to write, yet after reading this exquisite novel, everything I have to say sounds trite. I type. I delete. Type some more. Delete. Nothing I say is adequate.

I feel like I live inside Hermann Hesse鈥檚 thoughts. All of my struggles 鈥� with morality and purpose and meaning 鈥� they were his struggles too. There were moments while reading this book where I just closed the pages, closed my eyes and thought, 鈥淲ow. I just want to live in THIS moment. Suddenly, everything is clear. I don鈥檛 want to read anymore or think anymore or talk anymore. I just want to experience THIS.鈥� So profound was his writing that I can鈥檛 even manage to explain it to you. It's visceral. There were moments where that cognitive dissonance that I鈥檓 constantly battling just stopped鈥� It was like a bright light was shone on all my dark tendencies and I could clearly see my true nature. Sincerely, it was that profound for me. I want it to be profound for you, too. Because then maybe, just maybe, we will understand each other.

You are only afraid if you are not in harmony with yourself鈥� A whole society composed of men afraid of the unknown within them! They all sense that the rules they live by are no longer valid, that they live according to archaic laws 鈥� neither their religion nor their mortality is in any way suited to the needs of the present.

Everyone who ponders, seeks, wonders, philosophizes鈥� everyone who Thinks should read this book.
Profile Image for Vit Babenco.
1,693 reviews5,221 followers
January 20, 2024
There are two worlds: the world of good and the world of evil鈥� The world of light and the world of darkness鈥�
There were stories of the lost boys, prodigal sons, that this had happened to, and I read them avidly. The return to the father, to what was good, was always such a magnificent liberation in these stories 鈥� I was perfectly aware that this was the only right and good and desirable outcome; but still, the part of the story that took place among the lost and evil souls was always much more exciting, and, if it were only possible to admit it, it was sometimes actually rather a shame that the lost soul had to repent and be found again.

We live in the world of duality鈥� Dichotomy is present in everything鈥� There is the apparent world and there is the secret world鈥� The world of pride and the world of humility鈥� The world of Cain and the world of Abel鈥�
鈥n a walk with my father I asked him what to make of the fact that some people thought Cain was better than Abel.
He was very surprised by the question. He explained to me that this interpretation was in no way new; it had emerged already in the earliest centuries of Christianity and been taught in various sects, one of which called itself the 鈥淐ainites.鈥� But obviously, he said, this insane teaching was nothing but the devil鈥檚 attempt to destroy our faith. For if you believe that Cain was in the right and Abel in the wrong, then it follows that God was in error, or in other words that the God of the Bible is not the one true god but a false god.

There is the world of creators and there is the world of creatures鈥� We dwell in the material world鈥� And we abide in the world of psyche鈥� There is the world of verity and the world of hypocrisy鈥�
At the end of class, Demian said rather thoughtfully: 鈥淭here鈥檚 something I don鈥檛 like about that story, Sinclair. Read it through again, and test it out on your tongue: there鈥檚 something about it that leaves an insipid taste in your mouth. It鈥檚 the part about the two thieves. It鈥檚 magnificent, of course, those three crosses standing next to one another on the hill! But then this sentimental little tract about the good thief! He used to be a criminal, he鈥檚 committed God knows what crimes, and now he gets all mushy and performs these whiny rituals of self-improvement and repentance?! What鈥檚 the point of remorse if you鈥檙e two steps away from the grave, I ask you? It鈥檚 nothing but a sanctimonious fairy tale, treacly and dishonest, insipid and sentimental and obviously didactic.鈥�

There are two worlds: the world without and the world within.
Profile Image for Ahmad Sharabiani.
9,562 reviews571 followers
August 9, 2021
Demian: Die Geschichte einer Jugend = Demian: The Story of Emil Sinclair's Youth, Hermann Hesse

賾First Publication date 1919. Emil Sinclair is a young boy who was raised in a middle class home, amidst what is described as a illusory world.

Sinclair's entire existence can be summarized as a struggle between two worlds: the show world of illusion (related to the Hindu concept of maya) and the real world, the world of spiritual truth.

In the course of the novel, Sinclair is caught between good and evil, represented as the light and dark realms.

Accompanied and prompted by his mysterious classmate and friend 'Max Demian', he detaches from and revolts against the superficial ideals of the world of appearances and eventually awakens into a realization of self.

鬲丕乇蹖禺 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 禺賵丕賳卮: 丿乇 蹖讴蹖 丕夭 乇賵夭賴丕蹖 賲丕賴 丌诏賵爻鬲 爻丕賱 1974賲蹖賱丕丿蹖

毓賳賵丕賳: 丿賲蹖丕賳: 爻乇诏匕卮鬲 噩賵丕賳蹖 丕賲蹖賱 爻蹖賳讴賱乇貨 丕孬乇: 賴乇賲丕賳 賴爻賴貨 賲鬲乇噩賲: 禺爻乇賵 乇囟丕蹖蹖貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 亘賳诏丕賴 鬲乇噩賲賴貙 1346貨 丿乇 263氐貨 夭蹖乇 賳馗乇 丕丨爻丕賳 蹖丕乇卮丕胤乇貨 趩丕倬 丿蹖诏乇 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 噩丕賲蹖貙 毓賱賲蹖 賮乇賴賳诏蹖貙 1386貨 丿乇 200氐貨 卮丕亘讴 9645620457貨 趩丕倬 爻賵賲 1392貨 賲賵囟賵毓 丿丕爻鬲丕賳賴丕蹖 賳賵蹖爻賳丿诏丕賳 丌賱賲丕賳 - 爻丿賴 20賲

毓賳賵丕賳: 丿賲蹖丕賳貨 丕孬乇: 賴乇賲丕賳 賴爻賴貨 賲鬲乇噩賲: 賱蹖賱蹖 亘賵乇亘賵乇貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 賮乇爻貙 1363貨 丿乇 239氐貨

毓賳賵丕賳: 丿賲蹖丕賳貨 丕孬乇: 賴乇賲丕賳 賴爻賴貨 賲鬲乇噩賲: 賲丨賲丿 亘賯丕蹖蹖 (賲丕讴丕賳)貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 丕賳鬲卮丕乇丕鬲 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 1371貨 丿乇 258氐貨 卮丕亘讴 丕蹖讴爻 - 964560950貨 趩丕倬 丿賵賲 1372貨 趩丕倬 倬賳噩賲 1385貨 趩丕倬 卮卮賲 1388貨 賴賮鬲賲 1393貨 卮丕亘讴 9789645609502貨

毓賳賵丕賳: 丿賲蹖丕賳貨 丕孬乇: 賴乇賲丕賳 賴爻賴貨 賲鬲乇噩賲: 毓亘丿丕賱丨爻蹖賳 卮乇蹖賮蹖丕賳貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 丕爻丕胤蹖乇貙 1374貨 丿乇 197氐貨 卮丕亘讴 9645960266貨 趩丕倬 丿賵賲 1375貨 趩丕倬 趩賴丕乇賲 1385貨

賲賳 诏乇诏 丿卮鬲賴丕 丿乇 賲蹖丕賳 亘乇賮賴丕 賴賲賴 噩丕 丿乇 倬賴賳丕蹖 丿賳蹖丕 爻乇诏乇丿丕賳賲貨 丿丕爻鬲丕賳蹖 賲乇亘賵胤 亘賴 丿賵乇丕賳 賳賵噩賵丕賳蹖 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴 丕爻鬲貙 讴賴 禺賵丿 乇丕 丿乇 丌賳貙 芦爻蹖賳讴賱乇禄 賳丕賲蹖丿賴鈥� 丕賳丿貙 賳丕賲蹖 讴賴 丿乇 丌睾丕夭 賳賵蹖爻賳丿诏蹖貙 亘賴 毓賳賵丕賳 鬲禺賱氐 禺賵蹖卮 亘乇诏夭蹖丿賴 亘賵丿賳丿貨 丕蹖賳 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 亘丕乇 丿乇 爻丕賱 1919賲蹖賱丕丿蹖 賲賳鬲卮乇 卮丿貨 芦丿賲蹖丕賳禄 乇丕 丨丿蹖孬 賳賮爻 丕賳爻丕賳 丿丕賳爻鬲賴鈥� 丕賳丿貙 丨爻亘 丨丕賱 丕蹖丕賲蹖 丕夭 毓賲乇 丌丿賲蹖貨 讴賴 賲毓賲賵賱丕賸 丿乇 趩賳亘乇賴 蹖 丕乇夭卮鈥屬囏й� 賯乇丕乇丿丕丿蹖 夭賳丿丕賳蹖 賲蹖鈥屫促堌� 賵 賴乇诏夭蹖 賲噩丕賱 馗賴賵乇 賳賲蹖鈥屰屫жㄘ�

鬲丕乇蹖禺 亘賴賳诏丕賲 乇爻丕賳蹖 21/06/1399賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 17/05/1400賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 丕. 卮乇亘蹖丕賳蹖
Profile Image for Alice.
496 reviews73 followers
September 13, 2016
The things I do for BTS...

Joking, this was one of the few books that really had an impact on my way of thinking. It talked about religion, belief and growth in a very profound way, as if Hesse wasn't really writing but more conversing directly with my mind.

Sinclair and Demian, though being very peculiar and surreal characters, were one the mirror of the other, surrounded by a plot heavy with symbolism and magical elements.

The idea of the two worlds, one so close to the other that you could esily slip into one another is very fascinating and paonts a very sad but true picture of the human being and its behaviour.

"The bird fights its way out of the egg. The egg is the world. Who would be born must first destroy a world. The bird flies to God. The God's name is Abraxas"
Profile Image for Sean Barrs .
1,122 reviews47.4k followers
July 20, 2018
鈥淚 realize today that nothing in the world is more distasteful to a man than to take the path that leads to himself.鈥�

Demian is a sad and lonely read; it is a thoroughly depressing exploration of the human soul and the adolescent mind.

The book portrays a general sense of detachment and dispossession with reality and the rest of the world. Emil Sincliar is different. We all are, in our own way; though Emil is separate to everyone else in his solitude. He doesn鈥檛 quite belong with other people; he doesn鈥檛 enjoy the same things and often feels unmoved by things that would directly affect most people: he is an outsider looking in, fated to exist apart from the rest of humanity.

Unlike Harry Haller in Steppenwolf, Emil is not a genius or particularly gifted with anything; however, he is a truth seeker: he wishes to find the truth of himself in a world that dictates otherwise. Society is driven by monetary success, relationship success and occupation success though Emil does not want any of these things: he wants to understand human nature at its very core so he can better understand himself and his own place within this world. He is suicidal, depressed and exhausted with the realities of modern existence.

鈥淚 have been and still am a seeker, but I have ceased to question stars and books; I have begun to listen to the teaching my blood whispers to me.鈥�

He looks within himself and finds the answers. Through the words of a friend, he realises that morality, that good and evil, that god and the devil, are not necessarily diametrically opposed but are part of larger whole: one entity that exists in union. (Sounds like Hesse has been reading Nietzsche.) His soul becomes less fractured and his person becomes more solid as a result. He is ready to be born anew with his knew knowledge; thus, he expresses himself in art, art that echoes the images and ideas of the surrealists.

description

As with most modernist works, Demian is an absolute treasure trove of psychoanalytical theory. Part of me considered that none of the events are real or the characters, but are mere tools used by the author and our narrator (Emil) to express his mental states and his sense of anguish in a world that he feels apart from. Despite being a relatively short work, the narrative is dense and obscure. I would love to read this in conjunction with Jung or Freud and consider the implications of the dreams and the expressions of emotions. There鈥檚 certainly a lot to pick apart here.

This is a very clever book, though I don鈥檛 think it is nearly as successful as Steppenwolf, which explores similar themes to a higher degree of effectiveness; it is, nevertheless, definitely worth a read for the philosophically minded.
Profile Image for Ehsan.
90 reviews285 followers
September 11, 2012

賯乇兀鬲 丨賵賱 賴乇賲丕賳 賴爻賴 賮賷 賰鬲丕亘 丕賱賱丕賲賳鬲賲賷貙 賵賯乇兀鬲 毓賳 丕賱賱丕賲賳鬲賲賷 賮賷 賰鬲丕亘 丕賱毓丕賱賲賷賾丞 丕賱廿爻賱丕賲賷賾丞 丕賱孬賾丕賳賷丞貙 賴賰匕丕 賯丕丿賳賷 丕賱賯丿乇 廿賱賶 丿賲賷丕賳 賵爻賳賰賱賷乇貙 賱賰賳 賱賲丕匕丕 丕賱乇賾賵丕賷丞 丕賱賾鬲賷 賰丕賳 亘胤賱賴丕 爻賳賲賱賷乇 鬲毓賳賵賳 亘丕爻賲 丿賲賷丕賳 責

爻賳賰賱賷乇 賷乇賲夭 廿賱賶 賴爻賴 .. 丕賱亘丕丨孬 毓賳 賳賮爻賴貙 賰賲丕 賷毓亘賾乇 賮賷 亘丿丕賷丞 賰鬲丕亘賴: " 賱賲 兀賰賳 兀乇賷丿 廿賱丕賾 兀賳 兀毓賷卮 賵賮賯 丕賱丿賾賵丕賮毓 丕賱丨賯賷賯賷賾丞 丕賱賾鬲賷 鬲賳亘毓 賲賳 丿丕禺賱賷貙 賮賱賲丕 賰丕賳 丕賱兀賲乇 亘毓匕賴 丕賱氐賾毓賵亘丞責 " 賵賴匕賴 丕賱賲賯丿賾賲丞 丕賱賯氐賷乇丞 賴賷 兀賰孬乇 賲丕 賲爻賾 乇賵丨賷 賲賳 丕賱乇賾賵丕賷丞 - 賵賲丕 賲爻賾賴丕 賰孬賷乇 - 賱賯丿 兀乇丿鬲購 丿丕卅賲賸丕 兀賳 兀毓賷卮 丨賷丕丞 胤亘賷毓賷賾丞貙 丕賱丨賷丕丞 丕賱賾鬲賷 禺購賱賯鬲 賲賳 兀噩賱賴丕貙 丕賱丨賷丕丞 丕賱賾鬲賷 鬲賳亘毓 賲賳 丿丕禺賱賷 亘毓賷丿賸丕 毓賳 兀賷賾 鬲卮賵賷賴 賲丿賳賷 兀賵 孬賯丕賮賷賾貙 兀乇丿鬲購 丕賱匕賾賴丕亘 廿賱賶 亘賯毓丞 亘賰乇 賲賳 丕賱賰乇丞 丕賱兀乇囟賷賾丞 毓賱賾 乇賵丨賷 鬲毓賵丿 亘賰乇賸丕 .

賵爻賳賰賱賷乇 兀乇丕丿 匕賱賰 兀賷囟賸丕貙 賵賴爻賴貙 賱賰賳賾 賵賳賱爻賵賳 賷賯賵賱 亘兀賳賾賴 賱賲 賷噩丿 丕賱廿噩丕亘丞 賮賷 兀賷賾 賲賳 乇賵丕賷丕鬲賴貙 兀賲賾丕 兀賳丕 賮兀鬲禺賷賾賱 亘兀賳賾賴 賱賵 毓乇賮 賲丨賲賾丿賸丕 賱賵噩丿 賱丿賷賴 丕賱賰孬賷乇貙 廿賳賾 賴爻賴 賷賮鬲賾卮 毓賳 丕賱丿賾賷賳貙 賱賰賳賾賴 賱丕 賷噩丿 丕賱丿賾賷賳 丕賱賾匕賷 賷亘丨孬 毓賳賴 賮賷 丕賱賲爻賷丨賷賾丞貙 賱兀賳賾賴 賷亘丨孬 毓賲賾丕 賴賵 兀賯乇亘 賱賱廿賳爻丕賳貙 賵賴賵 賷毓亘賾乇 毓賳 匕賱賰 毓賱賶 賱爻丕賳 丿賲賷丕賳 賮賷 賯賵賱賴: " 亘丕賱胤賾乇賷賯丞 匕丕鬲賴丕 賷賲鬲丿丨賵賳 丕賱賱賴 賰兀亘 賱賱丨賷丕丞 賰賱賾賴丕貙 賵賱賰賳賾賴賲貙 亘亘爻丕胤丞貙 賷乇賮囟賵賳 賯賵賱 賰賱賲丞 賵丕丨丿丞 毓賳 丨賷丕鬲賳丕 丕賱噩賳爻賷賾丞 丕賱賾鬲賷 賷賯賵賲 毓賱賷賴丕 賰賱賾 卮賷亍貙 賵賷氐賮賵賳賴丕 亘丕賱禺胤賷卅丞 賰賱賾賲丕 兀賲賰賳賴賲 匕賱賰貙 毓賱賶 兀爻丕爻 兀賳賾賴丕 賲賳 毓賲賱 丕賱卮賾賷胤丕賳 "貙 兀噩丿 賮賷 賴匕賴 丕賱噩賲賱丞 賮賷囟賸丕 賲賳 丕賱鬲賯丿賷乇 賱睾乇賷夭丞 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 丕賱賾鬲賷 丨賯賾乇鬲賴丕 丕賱賰賳賷爻丞貙 賵賴匕丕 賲丕 賷毓亘賾乇 毓賳賴 亘賷噩賵賮鬲卮 亘賯賵賱賴 兀賳賾 丕賱賲爻賷丨賷丞 賴賷 丿賷賳 丕賱乇賾賵丨 賮賷 賰鬲丕亘賴 丕賱廿爻賱丕賲 亘賷賳 丕賱卮乇賯 賵丕賱睾乇亘 .

兀賲賾丕 賳亘賷賾 丕賱廿爻賱丕賲 賲丨賲賾丿 賮賯丿 賰丕賳 賷卮噩賾毓 丕賱賳賾丕爻 毓賱賶 丕賱丨賷丕丞 賵賮賯 丕賱胤賾亘賷毓丞 丕賱賾鬲賷 噩亘賱賴賲 丕賱賱賴 毓賱賷賴丕貙 賱賰賳賾 丿毓賵鬲賴 鬲賱賰 賱賲 鬲賰賳 賲亘鬲匕賱丞 賵賱丕 廿亘丕丨賷賾丞貙 亘賱 囟亘胤 丕賱廿爻賱丕賲 丕賱睾乇賷夭丞 亘丕賱夭賾賵丕噩 鬲賯丿賷爻賸丕 賵鬲賰乇賷賲賸丕 賱賴丕 賲賳 丕賱毓亘孬 賵丨乇賾賲 丕賱賱賴賵 亘賴丕 禺丕乇噩 丕賱賲賷孬丕賯 丕賱廿賱賴賷貙 廿賳賾賴丕 丕賱賲賲丕夭噩丞 丕賱禺賱丕賾賯丞 亘賷賳 丕賱乇賾賵丨 賵丕賱噩爻丿貙 賵賴爻賴 賰丕賳 賷亘丨孬 毓賳 卮賷亍 賰賴匕丕 .

賵噩丿 爻賳賰賱賷乇 禺賱丕氐賴 丕賱乇賾賵丨賷 賮賷 丕賲乇兀鬲賷賳貙 丕賱兀賵賱賶 賴賷 亘賷丕鬲乇賷爻貙 丕賱賮鬲丕丞 丕賱亘乇賷卅丞 丕賱胤賾丕賴乇 丕賱賾鬲賷 乇兀賶 胤賴乇 丕賱毓丕賱賲 丕賱賲賮賯賵丿 賲鬲賲孬賾賱丕賸 賮賷賴丕貙 賵鬲睾賷賾乇鬲 丨賷丕鬲賴 賲亘丕卮乇丞 丿賵賳 兀賳 賷鬲丨丿賾孬 賲毓賴丕貙 鬲賵賯賾賮 毓賳 丕乇鬲賷丕丿 丕賱丨丕賳丕鬲 賵丕賱廿爻乇丕賮 賮賷 丕賱卮賾乇亘 賵丕賱丨賷丕丞 丕賱賲亘鬲匕賱丞貙 兀賲賾丕 丕賱賲乇兀丞 丕賱孬賾丕賳賷丞 賮賴賷 廿賷冥丕 賵丕賱丿丞 丿賲賷丕賳貙 賰丕賳鬲 兀賲賾賴 賵丨賱賲賴 賵賲爻賷丨賴 賵睾乇賷夭鬲賴 丕賱噩爻丿賷賾丞 賵兀賲丕賳賴 丕賱乇賾賵丨賷貙 賵賯丿 丕賮鬲乇賯丕 賯亘賱 兀賳 賷鬲賾氐賱丕 噩爻丿賷賸丕貙 賵賱丕 兀賮賴賲 賱賲丕匕丕 丕禺鬲丕乇 賴爻賴 亘兀賳 鬲賰賵賳 廿賷賮丕 兀賰亘乇 賲賳 爻賳賰賱賷乇貙 廿賳賾 賮賷 丕賱兀賲乇 爻乇賸丕 賲丕 賷卮亘賴 丕賱爻乇賾 丕賱賾匕賷 噩毓賱 賱賲丨賲賾丿 夭賵噩丞 賲孬賱 禺丿賷噩丞貙 賰賲 兀丨亘賾 賮賱爻賮丞 賴爻賴 賱毓賱丕賯丞 丕賱賲乇兀丞 亘丕賱乇賾噩賱 賮賷 賴匕賴 丕賱乇賾賵丕賷丞 .

賵兀丨亘 丿賲賷丕賳 賰匕賱賰貙 賯乇兀鬲購 賮賷 賴丕賲卮 丕賱乇賾賵丕賷丞 亘兀賳賾賴 丕爻賲 賲丨乇賮 毓賳 demon 兀賷賾 丕賱乇賾賵丨 丕賱卮賾賷胤丕賳賷賾丞貙 兀賵 賲丕 賷卮亘賴 匕賱賰貙 賱賰賳賾 丿賲賷丕賳 賱賲 賷賰賳 卮賷胤丕賳賸丕貙 賱賯丿 賰丕賳 廿賳爻丕賳賸丕 賲鬲胤乇賾賮賸丕 賮賷 廿賳爻丕賳賷鬲賴貙 賵賰孬賷乇賸丕 賲丕 賷丨賵賾賱賳丕 丕賱鬲胤乇賾賮 賴匕丕 廿賱賶 卮賷丕胤賷賳 賮賷 賲賳馗賵賲丞 丕賱賯賷賲 丕賱禺丕氐賾丞 亘丕賱丌禺乇賷賳貙 賳噩丿 丿賲賷丕賳 賷賯丿賾爻 卮禺氐賷賾丞 賯丕亘賷賱 丕賱匕賷 賯鬲賱 卮賯賷賯賴 賴丕亘賷賱貙 賵賷丨丕賵賱 丿賮毓 爻賳賰賱賷乇 賱賱鬲賮賰賷乇 亘丕賱賯氐賾丞 賲賳 夭丕賵賷丞 兀禺乇賶貙 賱兀賳賾 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳賷賾丞 鬲毓賳賷 兀賳 賳禺胤卅貙 賵賯丿 賯丕賱 賱爻賳賰賱賷乇 匕丕鬲 賲乇賾丞 : " 賱丕 兀毓賳賷 亘兀賳 鬲賯鬲賱 兀賵 鬲睾鬲氐亘 賮鬲丕丞貙 賵賱賰賳 賮賰賾乇 賮賷 丕賱賲爻賲賵丨 賲乇賾丞 兀禺乇賶 " .

丕賱賲賵爻賷賯賶 丕賱賾鬲賷 賷毓夭賮賴丕 亘爻鬲乇賷賵爻 賮賷 丕賱乇賾賵丕賷丞 禺丿卮鬲 賯賱亘賷 兀賷囟賸丕貙 鬲賲賳賾賷鬲 賱賵 賰丕賳 亘丕爻鬲胤丕毓鬲賷 丕賱噩賱賵爻 毓賱賶 賲賯毓丿 禺卮亘賷 亘丕賱賯乇亘 賲賳賴 賵丕賱丕爻鬲賲丕毓 廿賱賷賴 賵廿賱賶 爻賳賰賱賷乇 丿賵賳 兀賳 賷乇賵賳賳賷貙 廿賳賾 亘爻鬲乇賷賵爻 賷乇賲夭 廿賱賶 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 丕賱賾匕賷 賷乇賷丿 氐賳丕毓丞 丕賱賲爻鬲賯亘賱貙 賱賰賳賾賴 賲鬲毓賱賾賯 亘丕賱賲丕囟賷貙 賱匕賱賰 賴賵 賷氐賳毓 丕賱兀賳亘賷丕亍 賵丕賱賰賴賳丞 丕賱賾匕賷賳 亘丿賵乇賴賲 賷氐賳毓賵賳 丕賱賲爻鬲賯亘賱 .

" 丕賱胤賾丕卅乇 賷賰丕賮丨 賱賱禺乇賵噩 賲賳 丕賱亘賷囟丞貙 丕賱亘賷囟丞 賴賷 丕賱毓丕賱賲貙 賵丕賱賾匕賷 賷乇賷丿 兀賳 賷購賵賱丿 毓賱賷賴 兀賵賱丕賸 兀賳 賷丿賲賾乇 毓丕賱賲賸丕 ... 丕賱胤賾丕卅乇 賷胤賷乇 廿賱賶 丕賱賱賴 "
Profile Image for 丿.爻賷丿 (賳氐乇 亘乇卮賵賲賷).
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June 9, 2024
亘囟賲賷乇 丕賱賲鬲賰賱賲貙 賵亘廿丨爻丕爻 賲孬賯賮 賲乇 賵毓賷賴 亘乇丨賱丞 賲夭毓噩丞 爻毓賷丕 賱賲毓乇賮丞 賳賮爻賴貙 賵丕賱賲賷賱丕丿 丕賱孬丕賳賷 丕賱匕丕鬲賷 丕賱匕賷 賷禺鬲丕乇 賮賷賴 賲爻丕乇賴 亘毓丿 賲乇丕丨賱 丕賱睾賮賱丞 賵丕賱賳夭賯 賵丕賱毓賯丕亘 賵丕賱鬲賲乇丿 賵丕賱鬲兀賲賱 賵丕爻鬲禺賱丕氐 賲丕 賷卮亘賴 氐賵乇丞 賷乇鬲囟賷賴丕 卮毓賵乇賴 賲賳 賲丿乇賰丕鬲 兀毓賲丕賯賴 賵賵丕賯毓賴 賵兀丨賱丕賲賴貙 賷賰鬲亘 賴乇賲丕賳 賴賷爻丞 乇賵丕賷丞 丿賲賷丕賳貙 匕丕賰 丕賱丌禺乇 丕賱匕賷 賷爻鬲胤賷毓 兀賳 賷賰賵賳 賲爻丕毓丿丕 爻丨乇賷丕貙 賵賮賷 丕賱賵賯鬲 賳賮爻賴 賷孬賷乇 丕賱鬲爻丕丐賱丕鬲 亘氐丿丿 賯氐丞 廿賳爻丕賳賷鬲賳丕 丕賱賰賱賷丞
賵賲毓 匕賱賰 賱丕 賷賯鬲賳毓 丕賱賯丕乇卅 兀賳 廿賲賷賱 爻賳賰賱賷乇 賯丿 賵噩丿 賳賮爻賴 賮賷 賳賴丕賷丞 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞貙 賵賰兀賳賴 兀氐亘丨 賲賳 廿禺賵丕賳 丕賱氐賮丕貙 賮兀賳 賷乇賶 丕賱賳丕爻 賲鬲噩賴賷賳 廿賱賶 丨乇亘 毓丕賱賲賷丞 亘丕亘鬲爻丕賲丞 鬲賱鬲賲爻 兀禺賵丞 賲睾丿賵乇丞 賱丕 賷噩毓賱賰 鬲鬲毓丕胤賮 賲毓 丕賱毓丕賱賲 丕賱賯丕爻賷
賱賯丿 丕乇鬲丕丨 廿賲賷賱 爻賳賰賱賷乇貙 廿賲賷賱 丕賱賲爻鬲毓丕乇 賲賳 乇賵爻賵貙 廿賱賶 丨賱 鬲賵賮賷賯賷 賷噩賲毓 亘賷賳 丕賱禺賷乇 賵丕賱卮乇貙 賵賰兀賳 賴匕丕 賴賵 丕賱噩丿賷丿貙 兀賵 賰兀賳賴 亘胤賱 賱賳 兀毓賷卮 賮賷 噩賱亘丕亘 兀亘賷 丕賱匕賷 丨賷賾乇賳丕 賲毓賴 賯亘賱 兀賳 賷爻鬲賯乇 賮賷 丿賰丕賳 亘賵賰丕賱丞 丕賱亘賱丨 賲噩丕賵乇丕 兀亘賷賴 賵賲爻鬲賰賲賱丕 賲爻丕乇賴貙 乇亘賲丕 賰丕賳 賳賲賵匕噩 賳噩賷亘 賲丨賮賵馗 賮賷 賯賱亘 丕賱賱賷賱 兀賰孬乇 鬲賲賰賳丕 賮賷 賮賴賲 胤賲賵丨 丕賱乇賵丨 賮賷 丕賱賵氐賵賱 廿賱賶 丨賯賷賯丞 鬲賳胤賯 亘賴丕 賵鬲噩丿 賱賴丕 氐丿賶 賮賷 爻賷丕賯 丕賱亘卮乇賷丞
兀賷丕 賰丕賳 丕賱兀賲乇 - 賰賲丕 賰丕賳 賷賯賵賱 兀爻鬲丕匕賳丕 毓亘丿 丕賱賱賴 禺賵乇卮賷丿 - 賮廿賳 丕賱爻乇丿 丕爻鬲胤丕毓 兀賳 賷賲囟賷 亘賰 賮賷 賲賳胤賯丞 鬲鬲囟丕賮乇 賮賷賴丕 丨賷賵賷丞 丕賱賲睾丕賲乇丞 賲毓 鬲噩乇賷丿 丕賱賮賰乇貙 賵賱賰賳賴丕 賯氐丞 鬲賰賵賷賳 鬲賳丕爻亘 賴賵賷丞 卮丕亘 丨丕卅乇 亘賷賳 丕賱賴丿丕賷丞 賵丕賱睾賵丕賷丞貙 鬲爻賷胤乇 毓賱賷賴 賳夭毓丞 兀賵丿賷亘賷丞 乇丕賮囟丞 賱賱兀亘貙 賵乇丕睾亘丞 賮賷 丨囟賳 兀賲 賷賲丕孬賱 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳賷丞
鬲賱賰 丕賱賰鬲丕亘丞 丕賱鬲賷 鬲賲囟賷 亘廿氐乇丕乇 賮賷 睾丕亘丞 丕賱匕丕賰乇丞 丕賱賰孬賷賮丞 丕賱兀卮噩丕乇
鬲鬲睾賱睾賱 賲賳 丕賱賮乇賵毓 丿丕禺賱 丕賱噩匕賵毓 氐賵亘 丕賱噩匕賵乇
賲毓賴丕 賰卮賾丕賮 丕賱賵毓賷 丕賱丿賯賷賯 丕賱丨丕丿 丕賱匕賷 賷賳賮匕 賮賷 爻賲賰 丕賱毓鬲賲丕鬲
爻乇丿 賲毓乇賮丞 丕賱匕丕鬲 丕賱鬲賷 鬲夭賷丨 丕賱乇賰丕賲 毓賳 氐賵乇鬲賴丕 丕賱賲鬲乇丕賲賷丞 賮賷 兀氐丿丕亍 丕賱氐賲鬲
丕賱鬲乇噩賲丞 賯氐賷丿丞 賳丕氐毓丞 賲鬲賲丕爻賰丞 賲鬲賲賰賳丞貙 鬲丨賲賱賴丕 氐賷丕睾丞 乇氐賷賳丞 賱賱噩賲賱 丕賱賲鬲賵丕夭賷丞 丕賱賲丨賯賯丞 賱卮毓乇賷丞 鬲噩乇亘丞 卮丕亘 賷禺賵囟 賲睾丕賲乇鬲賴 丕賱乇賵丨賷丞貙 丕賱兀爻賱賵亘 賱丕 賷爻賷乇 賵賮賯丕 賱賱賲毓賷丕乇賷丞 丕賱氐丕乇賲丞貙 賮丕爻鬲睾賱丕賱 廿賲賰丕賳丕鬲 丕賱賱睾丞 亘禺丕氐丞 丕賱鬲賯丿賷賲 賵丕賱鬲兀禺賷乇貙 賲毓 丕賱丨賮丕馗 毓賱賶 丕賱爻亘賰 丕賱賳氐賷貙 賲賳丨 丕賱賯丕乇卅 氐賵鬲丕 噩賲丕賱賷丕 賷賱賷賯 亘乇賵丕賷丞 賱賴丕 賲賰丕賳鬲賴丕 賮賷 鬲丕乇賷禺 乇賵丕賷丞 丕賱鬲賰賵賷賳
Profile Image for Fernando.
718 reviews1,067 followers
February 1, 2023
鈥淨uer铆a tan solo intentar vivir lo que tend铆a a brotar espont谩neamente de m铆.
驴Por qu茅 hab铆a de serme tan dif铆cil?鈥�


Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Schiller, E.T.A. Hoffmann, Thomas Mann, G眉nter Grass, Hermann Hesse.
Aqu铆, en esta lista est谩 comprimida la mejor literatura que dio jam谩s Alemania y que dif铆cilmente se igualar谩.
Hermann Hesse forma parte de esos autores que marcaron a fuego la literatura alemana a partir de su genio inconmensurable y su literatura inolvidable.
鈥淒emian鈥� es uno de los libros clave de su obra junto con 鈥淓l lobo estepario鈥�, 鈥淓l juego de Los abalorios鈥�, 鈥淪iddhartha鈥�, "Narciso y Goldmundo" o 鈥淏ajo las ruedas鈥�.
Escrito a modo de bildungsroman o 鈥渘ovela de formaci贸n鈥� nos narra los primeros pasos y la juventud de Emil Sinclair y de c贸mo se abre este a la vida como cualquier ser humano pero con a partir de una prosa maravillosa, tierna y dif铆cil de olvidar.
Emil Sinclair, al igual que los personajes de otras novelas como la de su primo Harry Haller del mismo autor, tiene tambi茅n conexi贸n con otros famosos personajes como lo son Stephen Dedalus, Oscar Matzerath, David Copperfield o Ni茅tochka Nezvanova, solo para traer al tapete a algunos ejemplos en donde la b煤squeda de la superaci贸n personal y el hacerse camino en la vida es lo que abarca la lectura del libro en cuesti贸n.
En el caso de Emil Sinclair, iremos pasando por las distintas etapas de su vida que incluye esta dicotom铆a planteada entre el bien y el mal, lo sagrado y lo profano, lo correcto y lo desviado que se le presenta sin dejar de lados sus cavilaciones, sus dudas, sus preguntas y dificultades primero con sus padres, sus primeros compa帽eros de escuela, el despertar sexual en contraposici贸n con la religi贸n y su especial铆sima relaci贸n con ese muchacho tan enigm谩tico como atrayente: Max Demian.
Toda la vida de Sinclair cambiar谩 a partir del descubrimiento de Demian y ser谩 a partir de all铆 en donde nos encontraremos con las distintas situaciones y pruebas que deber谩n atravesar ambos personajes que en cierto modo es la vida misma, la de ellos en la ficci贸n o la nuestra propia que cada d铆a nos cambia las reglas del juego.
Una novela corta pero intensamente profunda, maravillosa, de esas que lo dejan a uno pensando ha escrito Hesse en 1919, un a帽o despu茅s de terminada la gran Primera Guerra Mundial.
La novela de Hesse es a la vez una mirada sobre qui茅nes somos y c贸mo intentamos avanzar en esta, la 煤nica vida que nos da Dios.
S贸lo en nuestras manos est谩 la posibilidad de aprovecharla d铆a a d铆a y que no se nos escurra entre las manos como arena.
Al fin y al cabo, aunque no nos demos cuenta, es demasiado corta.
Profile Image for karen.
4,012 reviews172k followers
April 4, 2020
i am so glad i give authors three books to make me love them. this was hesse's last chance to woo me, and he really almost got a five-star valentine from me, but we will call it a four and a half - must be a little coy, after all. this is a book that i would love to go back in time and give myself upon graduating from high school. i would love to know whether it would have made me more or less insufferable than i am now. because i could see it going either way, at seventeen. i could see myself taking this as a cautionary tale, in a way, or i could see myself going whole hog into some sort of mystical, quasi-intellectual liter-orgical spree and alienating everyone around me. i can see myself smoking a pipe and holding court with my philosophies and my revelations ohhhh my revelations. as it is, i held no court - i just finished it on the subway, took moll flanders out of my bag, and started reading that, in some quiet bookish equivalent to chain-smoking. but o what could have been...

Profile Image for Rowena.
501 reviews2,710 followers
April 20, 2015
"But every man is more than just himself; he also represents the unique, the very special and always significant and remarkable point at which the world's phenomena intersect, only once in this way and never again. That is why every man's story is important, eternal, sacred; that is why every man, as long as he lives and fulfills the will of nature, is wondrous, and worthy of every consideration."


It's quite timely that I read this one so soon after reading Zweig's tale ( ) about a young boy leaving childhood. This book followed a similar thread, a boy named Emil goes through his personal journey of becoming, and it definitely goes into more depth. Unlike Zweig's book, our protagonist comes of age in the real world, not in an isolated setting, and he does so with a sort of spiritual guide, a curious boy named Demian.

I haven't read Hesse since I was a teenager and I think this book would have been even more impactful to me at that time, when I was trying to discover myself and choose my path. Even so, I really did enjoy this book and I found myself relating so much to this little German boy, something I never expected to be able to do.

Entering the mind of a child on the journey to find out who he or she is, something I hadn't thought of for a long time, was very interesting because it's so easy to forget that we all go through this phase, a time of pain or angst for many when we lose our innocence, learn new things, discover new philosophies, and struggle to find meaning.

I felt I could relate more to the younger Emil, which makes sense because he and I chose very different paths.

Hesse is very philosophical and I enjoyed the conversation on spirituality and dualism although I can鈥檛 necessarily say I agreed with them. I was left with several thought-provoking quotes, some I will include here:

"I have been and still am a seeker, but I have ceased to question stars and books; I have begun to listen to the teachings my blood whispers to me."

"Each man's life represents a road toward himself, an attempt at such a road, the intimation of a path."

"Examine a person closely enough and you know more about him than he does himself.'
"I wanted only to try to live in accord with the promptings which came from my true self. Why was that so very difficult?鈥�
Profile Image for 賲噩蹖丿蹖鈥屫з�.
213 reviews164 followers
November 16, 2015
丿賵爻鬲丕賳蹖 讴賴 丿賳亘丕賱 禺胤 丿丕爻鬲丕賳蹖 賵 賮乇丕夭 賵 賳卮蹖亘 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 賳賵蹖爻蹖 賴爻鬲賳 爻乇丕睾 丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘 賳乇賳.
丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘 亘蹖卮鬲乇 噩賳亘賴 賮賱爻賮蹖 丿丕乇賴 鬲丕 噩賳亘賴 爻乇诏乇賲蹖 賵 丿丕爻鬲丕賳.

丕賵賱蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘蹖 亘賵丿 讴賴 丕夭 賴爻賴 賲蹖 禺賵賳丿賲貙 毓丕賱蹖 亘賵丿 :)
Profile Image for Henry Avila.
535 reviews3,324 followers
January 22, 2025
What another mixed up kid trying to discover in life what is real , important and indeed even worth living book, the great German writer Herman Hesse's life resembles the plot to a certain degree, his popularity spiked sky high in the decade of the turbulent, chaotic unrest of the 1960s. The sensitive youth Emil Sinclair a shy fainted-hearted rather aimless boy of ten living in a town by the Black Forest in Germany before the cataclysm of the First World War...No surprise an older boy Franz Kromer sees the weakling, bullies and threatens Mr. Sinclair into becoming a pathetic and reluctant juvenile delinquent a virtual slave , any petty crime he will do. Afraid to inform his loving parents or sisters, a bit of a coward, we would say unkindly. Intimidated , but like an angel of mercy another kid by the name of Demian brings light into a world of endless, shadowy night of drab darkness, terrifying the jerk and despair evaporates, from a boy he hardly knowns , hope flows. Mr. Kromer disappears into the background but his new, mysterious friend is a vague apparition too, maybe,
still will he endure , help the helpless, give direction , bravery and strength which Mr. Sinclair desperately requires to feel normal, whatever that is. Thus the teachings begins in earnest for the would be confused seeker of truth, knowledge and enlightenment. A quest , a rather slim one to discover a spiritual heaven on earth , to perceive God's will if not his grace. It is a bumping road, a journey which seems infinite yet required for salvation. The novel is a genuine voyage, yes not only an entertainment, but a look into the possible. Sinclair becomes older if not wiser, will he prevail though ? Demian where has he gone , the boy Emil , a student dreams of this enigma, the image floats in his brain and finally at last sees his hero on the lonely streets, he's attending the same university. Meeting the mother of the friend and idol , Frau Eva , a beautiful, charming, intelligent, charismatic older woman, the magic is apparent the attractions very palpable. However nothing last forever or seems real , the troubled man boy nevertheless becomes content, this is home. No more wandering around, quite a refuge from the distractions, noises and the phony people, even better than in his parents and siblings house. A difficult almost plotless story, a deep exercise in obscure religious beliefs, and rites, as the mind of a child and body grows to adulthood. Experiences mental aberrations, uneasiness, but could be a monumental path forward . Still lots of others from all walks of humanity, living in many corners of our enormous sphere have liked, however, more I think did not and will not. But I did very much so.
Profile Image for Piyangie.
587 reviews699 followers
January 29, 2025
Demian is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Hermann Hesse. Combining Hesse's own experiences with theories of psychoanalysis of Carl Jung, Nietzschean philosophy, and Eastern Mysticism, Hesse writes a story of Emil Sinclair's journey from "the world of illusion" to the "world of reality".

Emil Sinclair lives through a naive childhood, in a "world of illusion", completely believing in the conventional morality he was brought up in. A childish lie of his subjects him to the clutches of a bully who compels him to commit acts that are nothing but "crimes" according to Christian morality. Sinclair leads a miserable existence repenting over his sins. However, his meeting with Max Demian, an older student at his school, changes all. For the rest of Sinclair's life, Max Demian becomes a powerful influence and guide for Sinclair. He not only frees Sinclair from the clutches of the bully but also frees him from conventional morality, teaching Sinclair to accept unconventional thoughts ("the world of darkness") as part of human nature. Demian teaches Sinclair that God and Demon both exist within a man and it's for the man to deal with the inner Demon and raise the self towards God. This teaching denies that a man can be governed by external forces like good and evil as set by conventional morality but by the deeper inner spirit. It is then for the man to purify his inner spirit so as to become closer to God.

Sinclair's path to finding "the real world" is not easy. It is shrouded by the illusory world which is dictated by conventional morality. These social rules, strongly influenced by Christianity, bind humans so strongly that one cannot break free at once. Demian's teachings question his once secure world of illusion and slowly shatter it. Unable to comprehend these new doctrines, Sinclair rebels against everything he believed in. He walks through a path of self-destruction and is saved by two intermediate mentors. Demian's return to Sinclair's life marks his ultimate salvation, and together with his mother, Frau Eva, Demian awakens Sinclair's mind towards self-realization.

The story has many symbolic representations. Hesse's description of psychoanalytic theories comes to life in the form of a symbolic narrative drawn from Christian theology. Even the characters of Max Demian and Frau Eva can be explained as symbols. In more than one instance, Demian is portrayed as Sinclair's deep inner self. And Frau Eva represents Sinclair's feelings of love and longing for physical intimacy. In other words, Frau Eva is symbolic of Sinclair's sensuality. Another symbolic interpretation I drew on the characters of Demian and Eva is that they represent Sinclair's masculine and feminine elements respectively. In ancient times, it was believed that harmony of both masculine and feminine elements of oneself is essential for one's supreme spiritual attainment, and I felt both Demian's death and his kiss to Sinclair on behalf of his mother at the point of his death symbolizes the complete masculine and feminine harmony one attains within oneself. When one is in harmony with oneself, the port for self-realization opens to him.

The novel is filled with thought-provoking philosophical content. The themes expounded are impressive. The experimental style of writing with symbolic narrative, which while beautiful, is not the easiest to read. Nor can I claim that the story was particularly interesting. Nevertheless, it has the power to elevate the readers' minds toward new dimensions.

More of my reviews can be found at
Profile Image for 亘孬賷賳丞 丕賱毓賷爻賶.
Author听27 books28.8k followers
December 1, 2011

丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 氐睾賷乇丞貙 賵賱賰賳賴丕 賵毓乇丞 賵賰賲丕 賴賷 毓丕丿丞 賴乇賲丕賳 賴賷爻賴 .. 賮賴賷 賱賷爻鬲 賳氐丕賸 爻賴賱丕賸貙 賵賱丕 亘賷囟丕賸 賲爻賱賵賯丕賸貙 賵賱丕 卮賷卅丕 鬲爻鬲胤賷毓 兀賳 鬲賯乇兀賴 賵鬲爻鬲賵毓亘賴 賰丕賲賱丕賸 賲丕 賱賲 鬲賲賳丨賴 賳賮爻賰 賰丕賲賱丕賸. 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 乇丨賱丞 丿丕禺賱賷丞 賷禺賵囟賴丕 丕賱亘胤賱 氐賵亘 匕丕鬲賴貙 賵毓賱賷賴 賮賴賷 賮賯賷乇丞 亘丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 賵丕賱丨賵丕乇丕鬲 (賳爻亘賷丕賸) .. 賵賲賱賷卅丞 亘鬲賱賰 丕賱毓亘丕乇丕鬲 丕賱鬲賷 鬲囟賷亍 賵鬲賱鬲亘爻購 賮賷 睾賷丕賴亘 丕賱賲毓賳賶. 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 噩賲賷賱丞貙 鬲睾丕丿乇賴丕 賵兀賳鬲 鬲丨爻賾 亘兀賳賰 .. 賴賲賲賲 .. 賱爻鬲 丕賱卮禺氐 賳賮爻賴責

Profile Image for Dave Schaafsma.
Author听6 books32k followers
July 5, 2022
鈥淢an knows how much powder it takes to kill a man, but doesn鈥檛 know how to be happy.鈥濃€擠emian

Update, 7/3/19: I reread this with a small group of students reading Growing Up novels. We have read so far James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Jeffery Eugenides' The Virgin Suicides and now this. All three I realize deal with the struggle between spirituality and sensuality for young people "coming-of-age."

Original review, edited a little, 8/6/18:

Demian: The Story of Emil Sinclair鈥檚 Youth is a 1919 novel situated early on in pre-WWI world of an adolescent boy, Emil, who early on is bullied, with Max Demian intervening on his behalf. I first read it when I was 16 and was thoroughly engaged in it. It wasn鈥檛 until I reread it recently that I realized how it had influenced my early thinking about spirituality and identity. More accessible than Steppenwolf or even Siddhartha, it was one of my very favorite Hesse books, because it situates the spiritual (and in this case Hindi) and psychological (in this case Jungian) ideas in a story of what seem to be real young people (as opposed to abstractions, though some scenes featuring just ideological/spiritual conversations can seem pretty abstract).

It鈥檚 a story, like most Hesse stories, about a young man in the west (specifically Germany, and probably Hesse himself) who comes to Enlightenment by trying to fuse different things he cares about from western and eastern philosophical traditions. The early bullying trauma is the most engaging section of the book because it is the most narrative, feels the most real, like it is pulled right out of Hesse鈥檚 own life. The rest of the book is a kind of condensed developmental allegory of the coming of age ideas of Emil. There are a variety of boys who help lead Emil, a good boy, along a path of doubting the conventional religion with which he was raised, into a time of worldly pursuits and drinking, and back somewhat more in the direction of the Light, the Sacred, and self-realization.

Max Demian is a kind of doppleganger, a shadow self, in Emil Sinclair's Jungian struggle between the shadow and the light. The dialogues in the book between Demian and Sinclair (and other, older boys in the book) feel real enough, but they can also be seen as self- or inner-dialogues. Demian gets him to question conventional interpretations of Biblical stories. He gets him to be skeptical, to doubt, to more freely interpret everything he sees and reads. There is a kind of Jungian dualism that Sinclair struggles with, and a Hindu struggle between the world of illusion (the Hindu concept of Maya) and the real world, the world of spiritual truth, but it is different than the Good-Evil dualism of Christianity in which he was raised.

The backdrop of the book is WWI, and a sense that the world must die before it is reborn into a better thing:

鈥淭he bird struggles out of the egg. The egg is the world. Who would be born must first destroy a world. The bird then flies to God. That God's name is Abraxas.鈥�

Abraxas would seem to be the God of a New Religion that emerges when people see through their worldly illusions. This didn鈥檛 really work out, Herman, did it? Or it may have for a few million people, but not far enough to truly transform the planet. It鈥檚 interesting to see the trend in the US to seek more women politicians to replace rapaciously worldly men. Because in Hesse鈥檚 conception, Emil falls in love with a girl named Beatrice that represents to him a kind of spiritual ideal consistent with this New Religion. I think Email/Hesse thinks going the way of women is generally better than the way of men.

Emil Sinclair later in the book seems to fall in love, too, with Frau Eva, Max Demian鈥檚 mother, whom he views as an image of 鈥渢he Universal Mother,鈥� which maybe evolved into the sixties conception of the Earth Mother, a feminist environmental ideal that was seen as possibly a key to saving the planet. Emil sees Eva as a Goddess image, the Female ideal, representing an ethereal, sensual, emotional life in contrast to the world of men that leads us to death and war. Ironically, most of Sinclair鈥檚 transformations happens through conversations in and through intense relationships with boys, such as Demian and Pistorius. Not teachers, but somewhat older boys who open up his mind to different ideas.

Interestingly, for a guy who develops a kind of Goddess ideal, Emil has almost no real connection to women or girls at all, so he idealizes them in various ways. If he meets a woman, such as Beatrice, he thinks about her, he watches her, but never really talks to her. Other boys seem to have early sexual experiences, but not Sinclair. And yet Woman becomes for Emil the Ideal Spiritual/bodily guide for him. Sinclair鈥檚 challenge: Can he find a way to weave together sexuality (the body, attraction, something renounced by Christianity) and holiness (the Spirit) in Love? And to find the Feminine in himself without completing renouncing the Masculine. Not opposites, but a fusion of the two.

Demian and Max fight in WWI, and one can see how Demian (the book) was so popular among young anti-war people in 1919, after "the war to end all wars," and again in the anti-Vietnam War sixties/early seventies. What Hesse encourages is for young people to 鈥渄iscover their true selves,鈥� and to 鈥渇ollow their inner vision.鈥� Love can be part of that process, of course, but it never seems to me a truly social love, or a social self, with a commitment to changing the world. Hesse鈥檚 is a spiritual quest, a quest for Self-Enlightenment.

When I was 16 I was highly encouraged to make what we called in the Dutch Reformed Church 鈥淧rofession of Faith鈥� in keeping with the tenets of the Heidelberg Catechsim, which we had to basically memorize over a series of years. I was a skeptic, taking notes on sermons I heard that made me worry about my church's Calvinist grounding in Original Sin. We were all--in my church's most conservative version of this view--to see ourselves fundamentally as Sinners. During this same year I read Demian and other works by Hesse. And in the next couple years, I would read the existentialists, and Dostoevsky. It was my Aunt Florence who emerged in this time as my Universal Mother: A one-time flapper, an artist, a teacher, a nudist, joyful, not at all like my Dutch Reformed traditions. She told me once (when I was maybe fourteen?) that she had never believed in the idea of Hell, and this sort of stunned me, because I could never understand it, either, but I was surprised and glad to find someone who agreed with me within my family. Like Emil, who was confirmed in his Church even as he left it, I made my parents happy and made a "Profession of Faith," even as I faced the possibility of being drafted in the Vietnam war. Unlike Emil and Demian, I never served in the military nor fired a weapon in a war.

I was possessed as a young man like Emil with intense feelings ranging from joy to self-pity to melancholy, which is to say adolescence, I guess, and my experience like Emil's featured intense discussions of books and the ideas embodied in them. Self-exploration was central for me at 16, and what contributions I might make to the needs other people were secondary, until I decided to work in a psychiatric institution for some years, and then become a teacher. I very much liked revisiting my past self through this book. I maybe didn't love it as much as I did when I first read it, but I will hold on to my 5 starring of it that I felt then.
Profile Image for J.L.   Sutton.
666 reviews1,175 followers
January 24, 2022
鈥淚 live in my dreams 鈥� that's what you sense. Other people live in dreams, but not in their own. That's the difference.鈥�

Demian by Hermann Hesse 鈥� Steemit

Herman Hesse's Demian: The Story of Emil Sinclair's Youth is a short novel I've read several times and will probably read again. At its core, it's about living your true life. For Emil Sinclair, this is a journey that he initially doesn't even know he is on. Instead, he just sees himself as an extension of his family and their values. That changes with his meeting of Max Demian.

Hesse makes it clear that being a seeker (as he calls it) is a journey fraught with anguish and loneliness. For some reason, that seems very relatable. Even though it is never explicit, the drumbeats leading to World War I provide a fascinating and ominous backdrop to Sinclair's journey. I am not overly fond of the actual ending, but I remind myself that it really is about being on the path.

鈥淚 wanted only to live in accord with the promptings which came from my true self. Why was that so very difficult?鈥�

鈥淕aze into the fire, into the clouds, and as soon as the inner voices begin to speak... surrender to them. Don't ask first whether it's permitted, or would please your teachers or father or some god. You will ruin yourself if you do that.鈥�
Profile Image for Ahmed Oraby.
1,014 reviews3,150 followers
February 7, 2017
廿賳賳丕 賱丕 賳氐賱 兀亘丿賸丕貙 賱賰賳 胤乇賯賳丕 鬲鬲賯丕胤毓
Profile Image for Pedro Pacifico Book.ster.
374 reviews4,542 followers
April 14, 2022
Quando voc锚 come莽a uma nova obra de um dos seus autores favoritos, 茅 dif铆cil de evitar as altas expectativas. 鈥淒emian鈥� 茅 um dos principais livros do escritor alem茫o Herman Hesse, que venceu o Pr锚mio Nobel da Literatura em 1964. Muitos leitores, inclusive, indicam esse livro como uma boa porta de entrada nas obras do autor, j谩 que traz uma tem谩tica de adolesc锚ncia, de forma莽茫o de um jovem.

Emil Sinclair 茅 o protagonista e narrador da hist贸ria. Quando ainda crian莽a, vive um momento comum na vida de muitos: a sa铆da da bolha segura e confort谩vel da casa dos pais para enfrentar o desconhecido e os poss铆veis conflitos com outros jovens de sua idade. Nesse momento, o protagonista conhece Max Demian, um colega de classe que parece ter ideias muito maduras para a sua idade. E 茅 a partir dessa amizade pouco convencional que Sinclair come莽a a refletir sobre sua exist锚ncia, sobre as contradi莽玫es da condi莽茫o humana e suas dualidades. Demian serve como um guia para Sinclair, que enxerga no amigo algu茅m 脿 frente de seu tempo. Um guia para o seu autoconhecimento.

A tem谩tica me agrada bastante, mas confesso que a primeira parte do livro n茫o me cativou tanto. Tive dificuldades de me apegar aos personagens e essa parte inicial me deixou confuso em alguns momentos (talvez por uma maior carga filos贸fica). Por outro lado, a segunda parte do livro, com Sinclair mais velho e mais maduro, me interessou muito mais - o que ficou evidente at茅 no meu ritmo da leitura. Como se o personagem estivesse mais consciente sobre os seus conflitos internos e conseguisse passar isso de forma mais clara ao leitor.

Leia Herman Hesse, mas leia com calma e sabendo sobre as principais quest玫es abordadas pelo autor. N茫o espere uma narrativa comum, repletas de acontecimentos, mas sim uma tem谩tica mais subjetiva e filos贸fica.

Nota: 8,5/10

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678 reviews1,086 followers
May 10, 2023
賱賲 兀賰賳 兀乇賷丿 廿賱丕 兀賳 兀毓賷卮 賵賮賯 丕賱丿賵丕賮毓 丕賱鬲賷 鬲賳亘毓 賲賳 賳賮爻賷 丕賱丨賯賷賯賷丞. 賮賱賲 賰丕賳 匕賱賰 亘賴匕賴 丕賱氐毓賵亘丞



賴匕賴 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 亘丕賱賳爻亘丞 賱賶 賰丕賳鬲 賲孬賱 亘丨乇 鬲賳馗乇 賱賴 賲賳 亘毓賷丿 賮賷毓噩亘賰 賱賵賳賴 賵氐賮丕亍賴 賮鬲賯鬲乇亘 賮鬲噩丿 丕賱賲丕亍 丿丕賮卅 賵噩賲賷賱 賵鬲卮毓乇 丕賱丕賳鬲毓丕卮 賵鬲乇丕賴 賴丕丿卅 賮鬲賳丿賮毓 賮賷賴 賵鬲睾賵氐 賮賷 丕毓賲丕賯賴 賵鬲爻鬲賲鬲毓 亘兀賲賵丕噩賴 丕賱賴丕丿卅丞 賱賰賳 亘毓丿賴丕 賷亘丿兀 丕賱賲賵噩 賮賶 丕賱毓賱賵 賵丕賱丕乇囟 鬲亘鬲毓丿 毓賳 賯丿賲賷賰 賱賰賳賰 鬲馗賱 賲爻鬲賲鬲毓 亘丕賱爻亘丕丨丞 貙 賱賰賳 亘毓丿賴丕 鬲噩丿 丕賱賲賵噩 兀氐亘丨 毓丕賱賶 賵氐丕禺亘 賵丕賱丕乇囟 丕亘鬲毓丿鬲 賰孬賷乇丕 賰賲丕 丕賳 賴賳丕賰 丿賵丕賲丞 鬲爻丨亘賰 賱賱丿丕禺賱 賵賱賲 鬲毓丿 鬲毓乇賮 賲丕匕丕 鬲賮毓賱責

賴匕丕 賲丕丨丿孬 賲毓賶 賰賳鬲 賲爻鬲賲鬲毓丞 噩丿丕 賲毓 丕賱孬賱孬 丕賱丕賵賱 賵賮賶 丕賱孬賱孬 丕賱孬丕賳賶 夭丕丿鬲 賮賱爻賮丞 賴賷爻賴 賱賰賳賴丕 賱丕夭丕賱鬲 賲賲鬲毓丞 賵賮賶 丕賱孬賱孬 丕賱兀禺賷乇 夭丕丿鬲 賮賱爻賮鬲賴 丕賰孬乇 賮兀氐亘丨鬲 毓丕氐賷丞 毓賱賶 賮賴賲賷

廿賲賷賱 爻賳賰賱賷乇 賵丕丨丿 賲賳 丕賱卮禺氐賷丕鬲 丕賱匕賷賳 賷賯毓賵賳 賮賶 丕賱賲賳鬲氐賮 賵 賮賷 丨賷乇丞 亘賷賳 毓丕賱賲 丕賱禺賷乇 賵毓丕賱賲 丕賱卮乇 貙 亘賷賳 毓丕賱賲 丕賱賳賵乇 賵毓丕賱賲 丕賱馗賱丕賲 貙 毓賳 丕賱丨賷乇丞 賵丕賱氐乇丕毓 丕賱丿丕禺賱賶 賮賶 丕賱賳賮爻 丕賱亘卮乇賷丞 賵鬲兀孬賷乇 丕賱丕禺乇賷賳 . 賵毓丿賲 丕賱賯丿乇丞 毓賱賶 丕賱丕賳鬲賲丕亍 賱丕丨丿 丕賱毓丕賱賲賷賳 亘丕賱賰丕賲賱 貙 賮賰賱 賲賳丕 亘丿丕禺賱賴 亘匕乇丞 丕賱禺賷乇 賵亘匕乇丞 丕賱卮乇 賵亘丕禺鬲賷丕乇鬲賳丕 鬲賳賲賵 丕丨丿賶 丕賱亘匕乇鬲賷賳 丕賰孬乇 賲賳 丕賱丕禺乇賶
丕賱鬲禺亘胤 亘賷賳 丕鬲亘丕毓 丕賱賯胤賷毓 丕賵 丕賱鬲賮乇丿 賮賶 胤乇賷賯 禺丕氐 亘賰 丨鬲賶 賵丕賳 賰賳鬲 亘賴 賵丨賷丿丕


鈥溫Y嗀� 兀毓賷卮 賮賷 兀丨賱丕賲賷. 廿賳 丕賱丌禺乇賷賳 賷毓賷卮賵賳 賮賷 丕賱兀丨賱丕賲 賵 賱賰賳 賱賷爻 賮賷 兀丨賱丕賲賴賲. 賵 賴匕丕 賴賵 丕賱賮丕乇賯鈥�



鈥溬冑嗀� 兀卮鬲丕賯 卮賵賯丕賸 丨賯賷賯賷丕賸 賱兀賳 兀毓賷卮 亘卮賰賱 丨賯賷賯賷 賵 賱賵 賱賲乇賴 賵丕丨丿賴, 兀賳 兀毓胤賷 卮賷卅丕賸 賲賳 賳賮爻賷 賱賱毓丕賱賲, 兀賳 兀丿禺賱 賮賷 毓賱丕賯賴 賵 賲毓乇賰賴 賲毓賴鈥�



鈥溬勝傌� 賳爻賷鬲 兀賳 丕賱毓丕賱賲 賲丕夭丕賱 賮賷 賵爻毓賴 兀賳 賷賰賵賳 賵丿賵丿丕賸 賵 賱胤賷賮丕賸. 賰亘乇鬲 賵 兀賳丕 兀鬲毓賵丿 丕賱毓賷卮 賲毓 丿丕禺賱賷. 賵 賱賯丿 丕爻鬲乇禺賷鬲 兀賲丕賲 賲毓乇賮鬲賷 亘兀賳賳賷 賯丿 賮賯丿鬲 賰賱 鬲賯賵賷賲 賱賱毓丕賱賲 丕賱禺丕乇噩賷, 兀賳 囟賷丕毓 兀賱賵丕賳賴 丕賱亘乇丕賯賴 噩夭亍 賱丕 鬲噩夭兀 賲賳 囟賷丕毓 胤賮賵賱鬲賷, 賵 兀賳賴 亘賲毓賳賶 賲賳 丕賱賲毓丕賳賷 毓賱賶 丕賱賲乇亍 兀賳 亘鬲禺賱賶 毓賳 賴匕賴 丕賱賴丕賱賴 丕賱賲睾乇賷賴 孬賲賳丕賸 賱丨乇賷鬲賴 賵 賱賳囟噩 乇賵丨賴.
兀賲丕 丕賱丌賳, 賵 丕賱睾亘胤賴 鬲睾賲乇賳賷, 賮賯丿 乇兀賷鬲 兀賳 賴匕丕 賰賱賴 賰丕賳 賲丿賮賵賳丕賸 兀賵 賲爻鬲鬲乇丕賸 賵 兀賳賴 賲丕夭丕賱 賲賳 丕賱賲賲賰賳 -丨鬲賶 賱賵 鬲丨乇乇鬲 賵 賮賯丿鬲 爻毓丕丿丞 胤賮賵賱鬲賰- 兀賳 鬲乇賶 丕賱毓丕賱賲 賷卮毓 賵 兀賳 鬲賳賯匕 丕賱乇毓卮賴 丕賱賱匕賷匕賴 丕賱鬲賷 賰丕賳鬲 賮賷 乇丐賷丕 丕賱胤賮賱鈥�


賴賶 乇賵丕賷丞 乇睾賲 氐睾乇 丨噩賲賴丕 賳爻亘賷丕 丕賱丕 丕賳賴丕 賱賷爻鬲 爻賴賱丞 鬲丨鬲丕噩 賱鬲乇賰賷夭 賵鬲賮賰賷乇 賵亘胤亍 賮賶 丕賱賯乇丕亍丞 禺丕氐丞 丕賱賳氐賮 丕賱孬丕賳賷 賲賳賴丕









卮賰乇丕 賱氐丿賷賯鬲賶 毓賱丕 丕賱鬲賶 卮噩毓鬲賳賶 亘丕賯鬲亘丕爻丕鬲賴丕 賵賲乇丕噩毓鬲賴丕 毓賱賶 禺賵囟 賴匕賴 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞賵卮賰乇丕 賱氐丿賷賯鬲賶 賴亘丞 賵丕爻乇丕亍 毓賱賶 賲卮丕乇賰鬲賶 賴匕賴 丕賱乇丨賱丞 賵鬲卮噩賷毓賶 毓賱賶 丕賱賵氐賵賱 賱賳賴丕賷鬲賴丕 賵丕鬲賲丕賲賴丕 賮賰賳鬲 丕禺乇 丕賱賵丕氐賱賷賳 賱禺胤 丕賱賳賴丕賷丞 賱賰賳 丕爻賲鬲毓鬲 亘乇賮賯鬲賴賲 賵賲乇丕噩毓鬲賴賲
听馃ぉ馃槏馃尫

侑/佗赡佗赡
Profile Image for 尝耻铆蝉.
2,271 reviews1,179 followers
July 11, 2023
脡mile Sinclair is a ten-year-old boy. Her life is luminously precise: within her family, the world is gentle, clean, wise, and full of love; outside, there is terror, scandal, prison, and violence. This vision crumbles when, after some childish boasting, Sinclair falls under the thumb of a petty thug, who forces him to commit several petty crimes. How can we still believe in the omnipotence of this family, which failed to prevent him from becoming the great criminal he has become?
His meeting with Demian, one of his classmates, will restore the balance by ridding him of his tormentor. The ideas of his savior, which contrast singularly with those of his parents, force Sinclair to revolt to find his way. Even if they lose sight of each other, even if the young man finds other masters, Demian's influence remains present throughout his spiritual journey.
I took great pleasure in discovering Sinclair's journey as a child. Still, things went wrong during his adolescence: the appearance of more "exotic" spirituality, such as Abraxas, a synthesis of the Christian God and the demon, wholly lost and dampened my enthusiasm.
Profile Image for Stela.
1,038 reviews420 followers
July 14, 2021
I will try not to be (too) emotional and write an 鈥渙bjective鈥� review, even though Hermann Hesse鈥檚 Demian moved me beyond words and explanations. Maybe because its serene tone and unaggressive intellectualism have a mesmerizing quality, or maybe because, just like Siddhartha some years later, it does not try to challenge or convince you. Or maybe because of the open-minded way in which it sees the world, it tells its story, it reveals its truth. And last but not least, maybe because of the beautiful image of a perfect friendship the book leaves us with.

It has been said that Demian is an indispensable reading in order to begin to understand Herman Hesse鈥檚 prose, and I can see why. Like the above-mentioned Siddhartha, it follows the same route towards the inner self. But while Siddhartha chooses the path of the Buddhist serenity and separation from the world, Demian searches the path towards the world as a whole in which the contraries, even though they can鈥檛 be harmonized, neither can be separated.

This tiny, tiny book, which manages to be at the same time a psychological novel, a bildungsroman and a novel of ideas (and brilliantly so), was published under the pseudonym Emil Sinclair, the name of a friend of Novalis; the pseudonym was necessary, for Hermann Hesse鈥檚 work had been rejected in Germany after he exiled himself in Switzerland and decided to write against the War. His decision had not been an easy one, and the torment between the love for his country and the feeling he somehow betrayed it had consequences not only on his life but (fortunately!) also on his creation, sweeping his old system of values to make place for a new one, influenced both by Jung鈥檚 psychology and Nietzsche鈥檚 philosophy. Demian, written in 1917 and published in 1919, contains in nuce all the concepts that will haunt Hesse鈥檚 future works 鈥� such as 鈥渄aemon鈥�, 鈥渦nconscious鈥�, 鈥渁nima鈥�, 鈥渁rchetype鈥�, 鈥渙m鈥�, 鈥渁ndrogyne鈥�, concepts one needs to be familiar with to fully understand his 鈥渕agical thinking鈥� that here combines ideas from both The Interpretation of Dreams and Beyond Good and Evil.

In fact, the author himself confessed that the name of the novel (which softly reminds of 鈥渄aemon鈥�) came to him in a dream, and the German philosopher鈥檚 influence upon his characters鈥� thinking is explicitly stated. On the other hand, Emil Sinclair is also the name of the narrator of the story, an older narrator who recalls his journey to his inner self from childhood (the book begins with the image of a disturbed child) to maturity (it ends with the image of a wounded young soldier). From the "Prologue", Sinclair warns us that his story cannot be beautiful since it is true, and cannot be involved with all humanity since 鈥渆ach person is able to interpret himself to himself alone.鈥� Nor is it easy or comfortable, since 鈥渘othing in the world is more distasteful to a man than to follow the path that leads to himself.鈥�

His journey began when he was about ten and discovered for the first time the existence of two worlds 鈥� the home, a world of light, peaceful, Christian and safe, governed by moral principles, and the street, a world of darkness, vigorous, intriguing and frightful 鈥� and he couldn鈥檛 find a reason for their separation. It was the fascination with the second world that made him befriend a boy of bad repute, Franz Kromer and in order to be accepted by him he invented the story of a theft in which he had had the starring role. Kromer, although not really believing him, took full advantage of this lie and made him his personal servant, forcing him to steal and lie for him. This first acquaintance with the evil increased the gap between the narrator and his family, a gap never to be filled again by a boy who feels without being able to explain (yet) that the world is larger than the one his parents were trying to teach him to live in.

In this period of inner and outer torment an enigmatic boy appeared to his school, Max Demian, seven years older and seeming even older, with a quiet dignity that discouraged friendship from the other boys even though he fascinated them.

I saw Demian鈥檚 face and remarked that it was not a boy鈥檚 face but a man鈥檚 and then I saw, or rather became aware, that it was not really the face of a man either; it had something different about it, almost a feminine element. And for the time being, his face seemed neither masculine nor childish, neither old nor young but a hundred years old, almost timeless and bearing the mark of other periods of history than our own. Animals might look thus, trees or stars. (鈥�) All I saw was that he was different from the rest of us, that he was like an animal, a spirit or an image.


Demian, with its idol-like stillness and ageless quality and androgyne appearance is not a character but a symbol, a reference point in the narrator鈥檚 life, an archetypal hero with a thousand faces who takes by turn the role of the guardian angel who frees the narrator from Kromer, of the brother into Cain who stands tall and clear in a confused world, of the mentor who teaches him the values beyond good and evil, and of the friend who never leaves him behind. Demian is also the embodiment of Nietzsche鈥檚 superman, who lives by his own values separated from the conventional ethics, whose sharp vision embraces at the same time the shadow and the light, the weakness and the strength, the happiness and the suffering, without trying to harmonize or divide them, but accepting them in equal measure. He has only one but powerful weapon: the will-power that enables him to stay on his own path and show it to those with the same 鈥渟ign鈥�, the Cain sign. For Cain, Demian says, was not important in the story because of the fratricide, but because of the mark on his face that singularized him. In fact it was that sign that created the story of the fratricide and not the other way around:

鈥淲hat happened and lay behind the whole origin of the story was the 鈥榮ign鈥�. Here was a man who had something in his face that frightened other people. They did not dare lay hands on him; he impressed them, he and his children. It is virtually certain that he bore no actual mark on his brow like a post mark! real life isn鈥檛 as crude as that. Rather there was some hardly perceptible mark, a little more intelligence and self-possession in his eyes than people were accustomed to. This man had power and they all went in awe of him; he had a 鈥榮ign鈥�. You can explain that how you will. People always want whatever is comfortable and puts them in the right.鈥�


Like Siddhartha, Emil Sinclair acquires the Right View of the world through the dark mirror of the illusions the life blinds us with. His Nirvana is the God Abraxas, and he becomes, if he has not been all along, Demian:

The dressing was a painful business. So was everything else that happened to me afterwards. but when on the many such occasions I find the key and look deep down into myself where the images of destiny lie slumbering in the dark mirror, I only need to bend my head over the black mirror to see my own image which now wholly resembles him, my friend and leader.


And this final, superposed image, emerging strong, proud and clear from the abyss, is one of the most powerful, significant symbols of flesh made spirit, and of humanity redeemed by love I have ever read.
Profile Image for Peiman E iran.
1,437 reviews992 followers
May 25, 2016
丿賵爻鬲丕賳賽 诏乇丕賳賯丿乇貙 丕蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘 丕夭 239 氐賮丨賴 鬲卮讴蹖賱 卮丿賴 丕爻鬲... 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丿乇 賲賵乇丿 禺丕胤乇丕鬲賽 夭賳丿诏蹖賽 倬爻乇亘趩賴 丕蹖 亘賴 賳丕賲 芦爻蹖賳讴賱乇禄 丕爻鬲 讴賴 丕夭 夭亘丕賳賽 禺賵丿卮 亘蹖丕賳 賲蹖 卮賵丿
丕蹖賳 倬爻乇 亘趩賴 丿乇 禺丕賳賵丕丿賴 丕蹖 賲匕賴亘蹖 賵 丕賱亘鬲賴 丕氐蹖賱 賵 倬賵賱丿丕乇貙 賴賲乇丕賴 亘丕 禺賵丕賴乇丕賳卮 亘夭乇诏 卮丿賴 丕爻鬲 賵 乇賮鬲丕乇賽 丌乇丕賲 賵 賲賵丿亘丕賳賴 丕蹖 丿丕乇丿 賵 丕賱亘鬲賴 诏賵卮賴 诏蹖乇 賳蹖夭 賲蹖 亘丕卮丿... 賮囟丕蹖 禺丕賳賴 乇丕 亘賴卮鬲 賲蹖 丿丕賳丿 賵 賮囟丕蹖 禺丕乇噩 丕夭 禺丕賳賴 亘乇丕蹖 丕賵 丿賳蹖丕蹖蹖 鬲乇爻賳丕讴 賵 賲鬲賮丕賵鬲 丕爻鬲
丿乇 賲丿乇爻賴 賳賵噩賵丕賳蹖 亘賴 賳丕賲 芦賮乇賳夭 讴乇賵賲乇禄 讴賴 丿乇 禺丕賳賵丕丿賴 丕蹖 卮乇 賵 禺乇丕亘讴丕乇 亘夭乇诏 卮丿賴 丕爻鬲... 亘丕亘鬲賽 蹖讴 丿丕爻鬲丕賳賽 丿乇賵睾蹖賳 丕夭 蹖讴 丿夭丿蹖 禺蹖丕賱蹖 讴賴 丕夭 噩丕賳亘賽 芦爻蹖賳讴賱乇禄 亘乇丕蹖賽 亘趩賴 賴丕 鬲毓乇蹖賮 卮丿賴 亘賵丿貙 賵蹖 乇丕 鬲賴丿蹖丿 亘賴 賱賵 丿丕丿賳 賲蹖讴賳丿... 芦爻蹖賳讴賱乇禄 丕夭 乇賵蹖 爻丕丿诏蹖 賲丿鬲 賴丕 鬲亘丿蹖賱 亘賴 亘乇丿賴 賵 睾賱丕賲 丨賱賯賴 亘賴 诏賵卮 芦賮乇賳夭 讴乇賵賲乇禄 賲蹖 卮賵丿
鬲丕 丕蹖賳讴賴 卮禺氐蹖鬲 丕氐賱蹖 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 賵 賮乇卮鬲踿 賳噩丕鬲 亘禺卮 芦爻蹖賳讴賱乇禄 蹖毓賳蹖 芦賲丕讴爻 丿賲蹖丕賳禄 賵丕乇丿 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 賲蹖 卮賵丿... 丕賵 亘賴 賴賲乇丕賴 賲丕丿乇卮 芦丨賵丕禄 亘賴 丌賳 卮賴乇 賳賯賱 賲讴丕賳 讴乇丿賴 亘賵丿賳丿 賵 丕賱亘鬲賴 芦賲丕讴爻 丿賲蹖丕賳禄 趩賴 丕夭 賳馗乇 爻賳蹖 賵 趩賴 丕夭 賳馗乇 賮讴乇蹖 賵 噩爻賲丕賳蹖 丕夭 丿蹖诏乇 丿丕賳卮 丌賲賵夭丕賳 亘夭乇诏鬲乇 亘賵丿 賵 乇賮鬲丕乇卮 亘賴 蹖讴 賲乇丿 亘丕 鬲噩乇亘賴 賵 毓丕賯賱 卮亘丕賴鬲 丿丕卮鬲
胤蹖 丌卮賳丕蹖蹖 芦丿賲蹖丕賳禄 賵 芦爻蹖賳讴賱乇禄... 芦丿賲蹖丕賳禄 賲鬲賵噩賴 鬲賴丿蹖丿賴丕 賵 丌夭丕乇 賵 丕匕蹖鬲 芦讴乇賵賲乇禄 賲蹖 卮賵丿 賵 亘賴 乇賵卮 禺賵丿卮 卮乇賽賾 芦讴乇賵賲乇禄 乇丕 丕夭 爻乇賽芦爻蹖賳讴賱乇禄 讴賲 讴乇丿賴 賵 亘賴 賳賵毓蹖 丕賵 乇丕 賳噩丕鬲 賲蹖 丿賴丿... 丕夭 丌賳 亘賴 亘毓丿 芦丿賲蹖丕賳禄 亘乇丕蹖 芦爻蹖賳讴賱乇禄 丨讴賲 蹖讴 丕爻鬲丕丿 賵 賳丕噩蹖 賵 丕賱賴丕賲 亘禺卮 丿乇 鬲賲丕賲 賲爻丕卅賱 乇丕 倬蹖丿丕 賲蹖 讴賳丿 賵 亘乇丕蹖 芦爻蹖賳讴賱乇禄 蹖讴 丕賱诏賵蹖 乇賮鬲丕乇蹖賽 亘賴 禺氐賵氐 賲蹖 卮賵丿
鬲丕 丕蹖賳讴賴 亘毓丿 丕夭 倬丕蹖丕賳 爻丕賱 鬲丨氐蹖賱蹖... 芦爻蹖賳讴賱乇禄 賵 芦丿賲蹖丕賳禄 丕夭 蹖讴丿蹖诏乇 噩丿丕 卮丿賴 賵 芦爻蹖賳讴賱乇禄 亘乇丕蹖 丕丿丕賲賴 鬲丨氐蹖賱 亘賴 卮賴乇 丿蹖诏乇蹖 賲蹖 乇賵丿
毓夭蹖夭丕賳賲貙 丕蹖賳 賯爻賲鬲 丕夭 讴鬲丕亘 亘蹖卮鬲乇 亘賴 丕鬲賮丕賯 賴丕蹖 乇禺 丿丕丿賴 亘乇丕蹖 芦爻蹖賳讴賱乇禄 丿乇 夭賲丕賳蹖 讴賴 丿賵乇 丕夭 禺丕賳賵丕丿賴 夭賳丿诏蹖 賲蹖 讴賳丿 賲蹖 倬乇丿丕夭丿
鬲丕 丌賳讴賴 倬爻 丕夭 鬲賯乇蹖亘丕賸 卮卮 爻丕賱貙 芦丿賲蹖丕賳禄 賵芦爻蹖賳讴賱乇禄 蹖讴丿蹖诏乇 乇丕 賲賱丕賯丕鬲 賲蹖 讴賳賳丿.. 芦爻蹖賳讴賱乇禄 亘乇丕蹖 丕賵賱蹖賳 亘丕乇 亘賴 賲賳夭賱 丌賳賴丕 乇賮鬲賴 賵 亘乇丕蹖 丕賵賱蹖賳 亘丕乇 賲丕丿乇賽 芦丿賲蹖丕賳禄貙 蹖毓賳蹖 賴賲丕賳 芦丨賵丕禄 乇丕 丕夭 賳夭丿蹖讴 賲賱丕賯丕鬲 賲蹖 讴賳丿... 乇賵夭賴丕蹖 亘爻蹖丕乇蹖 丕蹖賳 爻賴 亘丕 蹖讴丿蹖诏乇 亘賴 氐丨亘鬲 賵 亘丕夭蹖 賵 禺賳丿賴 賲蹖倬乇丿丕禺鬲賳丿 賵 诏賵蹖蹖 讴賴 芦丿賲蹖丕賳禄 賵 芦爻蹖賳讴賱乇禄 鬲亘丿蹖賱 亘賴 丿賵 亘乇丕丿乇 卮丿賴 丕賳丿
丕賲丕 賲賵囟賵毓蹖 丿乇 丕蹖賳 賲蹖丕賳 賵噩賵丿 丿丕乇丿 賵 丌賳 丕蹖賳 丕爻鬲 讴賴 芦爻蹖賳讴賱乇禄 毓丕卮賯 賲丕丿乇 芦丿賲蹖丕賳禄 卮丿賴 賵 夭賳丿诏蹖 亘丿賵賳 丕賵 亘乇丕蹖卮 丕賲讴丕賳 倬匕蹖乇 賳蹖爻鬲
丿乇 丕蹖賳 賯爻賲鬲 丕夭 讴鬲丕亘貙 亘賴 氐丨亘鬲 賴丕蹖 乇丿 賵 亘丿賱 卮丿賴 亘蹖賳 芦爻蹖賳讴賱乇禄 賵 芦丨賵丕禄 讴賴 賲鬲賵噩賴賽 毓卮賯 賵 毓賱丕賯踿 芦爻蹖賳讴賱乇禄 亘賴 禺賵丿卮 卮丿賴 丕爻鬲貙 賲蹖 倬乇丿丕夭丿
丿乇 倬丕蹖丕賳 丿丕爻鬲丕賳貙 芦爻蹖賳讴賱乇禄 丿乇 丌乇夭賵蹖 丿乇 丌睾賵卮 讴卮蹖丿賳 賵 亘賵爻蹖丿賳賽 賱亘賴丕蹖 芦丨賵丕禄 賲蹖 賲丕賳丿.. 趩乇丕讴賴 噩賳诏 噩賴丕賳蹖 丌睾丕夭 卮丿賴 賵 芦爻蹖賳讴賱乇禄 賵 芦丿賲蹖丕賳禄 亘賴 噩賳诏 亘丕 卮賵乇賵蹖 丕毓夭丕賲 賲蹖 卮賵賳丿
丿乇 噩賳诏 芦爻蹖賳讴賱乇禄 賲噩乇賵丨 卮丿賴 賵 丕賵 乇丕 亘賴 丿乇賲丕賳诏丕賴 賲賳鬲賯賱 賲蹖 讴賳賳丿.. 賵賯鬲蹖 趩卮賲 亘丕夭 賲蹖 讴賳丿貙 芦丿賲蹖丕賳禄 乇丕 丿乇 鬲禺鬲 讴賳丕乇 禺賵丿 賵 賲噩乇賵丨 賲蹖丕亘丿.. 芦丿賲蹖丕賳禄 亘丕 丌禺乇蹖賳 賳丕 賵 鬲賵丕賳蹖 讴賴 亘乇丕蹖卮 賲丕賳丿賴 亘賴 芦爻蹖賳讴賱乇禄 賳夭丿蹖讴 卮丿賴 賵 亘賴 丕賵 賲蹖诏賵蹖丿: 丕夭 毓卮賯 丕賵 亘賴 賲丕丿乇卮 丕胤賱丕毓 丿丕卮鬲賴 丕爻鬲... 賵 賲蹖诏賵蹖丿 丿乇 乇賵夭 禺丿丕丨丕賮馗蹖 賵 賯亘賱 丕夭 丕毓夭丕賲貙 賲丕丿乇賲 賱亘賴丕蹖賲 乇丕 亘賵爻蹖丿 賵 诏賮鬲: 丕诏乇 賴乇 丕鬲賮丕賯蹖 亘乇丕蹖鬲丕賳 丕賮鬲丕丿貙 賱亘賴丕蹖 芦爻蹖賳讴賱乇禄 乇丕 亘亘賵爻 賵 丕蹖賳 亘賵爻 乇丕 亘賴 噩丕蹖 賲賳 亘賴 賱亘賴丕蹖 丕賵 賲賳鬲賯賱 讴賳
丿乇 乇賵夭 亘毓丿貙 賴賳诏丕賲蹖 讴賴 芦爻蹖賳讴賱乇禄 亘賴 賴賵卮 賲蹖 丌蹖丿.. 亘賴 鬲禺鬲賽 讴賳丕乇蹖 賳诏丕賴蹖 賲蹖 丕賳丿丕夭丿... 賵賱蹖 丿蹖诏乇 芦丿賲蹖丕賳禄 丌賳噩丕 賳禺賵丕亘蹖丿賴 丕爻鬲

丕賲蹖丿賵丕乇賲 丕夭 禺賵丕賳丿賳 丕蹖賳 乇蹖賵蹖賵 賵 趩讴蹖丿踿 丕蹖賳 乇賲丕賳 賱匕鬲 亘乇丿賴 亘丕卮蹖丿
芦倬蹖乇賵夭 亘丕卮蹖丿 賵 丕蹖乇丕賳蹖禄
Profile Image for Maggie.
7 reviews1 follower
May 6, 2008
Ugh. I forced myself to finish this short book and, in the end, felt it wasn't worth the trouble. I picked it up because I loved Siddhartha so much (though it's been years since I read it and now I wonder if it it will hold up). I found Demian terribly melodramatic and over-wrought and I could never really begin to care much about Sinclair and all his angst-ridden inner turmoil. There were a few interesting and lovely passages -- only a couple of times did I feel a thrill of poetry in the language or an inspired idea. Otherwise, I found it completely tedious and disappointing.

If anyone else wants to give it a try, I'd be happy to pass along my paperback copy. Many people seem to adore this book, and I'm sure it will be better appreciated by someone other than me.

Profile Image for Trevor.
1,467 reviews24k followers
February 1, 2021
I had to explain this book to someone the other day and what I thought was the best way of doing that was to say that it is a bit like Holden Caulfield had read Nietzsche, rather than being interested in cocktails.

I鈥檝e often thought that there was something very 鈥榶oung man鈥� about Nietzsche鈥檚 philosophy 鈥� or many interpretations of it. You know, the superman who knows and who wants to make the world bend to his will as a grand statement of art.

It is also hard to know if the main character is the most interesting character in this book. Or rather, if the narrator is the most interesting character. This is obviously hinted at by the fact the title of the novel is the name of someone other than the narrator. But this isn鈥檛 quite like a Holmes novel where you need the narrator as audience member to allow for the proper oohs and ahhs that are meant to be part of the story. In many ways Emil is the person coming of age here, and so it is important we see the world through his eyes.

Nietzsche is only one influence here 鈥� Jung being the other. So, in part this is a game of follow the symbols and the interplay of oppositions. Some Gnostics used to believe (perhaps they still do) that Jehovah was a lesser God, and that the other Gods let him think he was the only one. And then, despite having made a bit of a botched job of creating the universe, He believed, and his creation believed, that he was the one, true God. I鈥檝e always loved the idea of us being the creation of a second rate God. These Gnostics then believed that we needed to somehow bypass Jehovah, to speak with the real managers. All a bit Kafkaesque, if played on an even larger stage.

This could all sound like I really didn鈥檛 like the novel 鈥� and that wouldn鈥檛 be right 鈥� it has more to say than Catcher in the Rye, but it certainly reminded me of that. Perhaps it would make a better novel to give to a young person 鈥� it is hard to say. As I said before, I struggle with a lot of philosophy that references Nietzsche quite as fulsomely as this one does 鈥� but that really is just me.
Profile Image for 础驳颈谤(丌诏赛乇).
437 reviews617 followers
March 15, 2015
亘毓丿 丕毓噩賵亘賴 賵 爻蹖丿乇丕鬲賴丕 賵 亘丕夭诏卮鬲 夭乇鬲卮鬲 丕蹖賳 趩賴丕乇賲蹖賳 讴鬲丕亘蹖 賴爻鬲 讴賴 丕夭 賴乇賲丕賳 賴爻賴 賲蹖禺賵丕賳賲
賴乇賲丕賳 賴爻賴 卮禺氐蹖鬲蹖 禺賵丿爻丕禺鬲賴 丿丕卮鬲賴 賵 賴賲蹖卮賴 丿乇 倬蹖 讴卮賮 賵噩賵丿 賵 賲賳蹖鬲 禺賵丿 亘賵丿賴
丕賵 賯賴乇賲丕賳丕賳卮 乇丕 倬爻 丕夭 蹖丕丿 诏乇賮鬲賳 乇丕賴 乇賮鬲賳貙丕夭 賴乇 賲毓賱賲 賵 丌賲賵夭诏丕乇蹖 乇賴丕 賲蹖讴賳丿 鬲丕 禺賵丿 亘賴 爻賵蹖 卮賳丕禺鬲賳 倬蹖卮 亘乇賵賳丿
賵蹖 亘夭乇诏鬲乇蹖賳 賲匕賴亘 乇賵 丿乇 賵噩賵丿 禺賵丿 丕賳爻丕賳 賴丕 噩爻鬲噩賵 賲蹖讴賳丿
賵 丕賳爻丕賳 乇丕 丌賮乇蹖丿賴 丕蹖 鬲丨爻蹖賳 亘乇丕賳诏蹖夭 賵 禺蹖賱蹖 賳夭丿蹖讴 亘賴 禺丿丕賵賳丿 賲蹖 丿丕賳丿
丿乇 丿賲蹖丕賳 丕夭 爻乇賳賵卮鬲 丕賳爻丕賳 賴丕 賲蹖 诏賵蹖丿 讴賴 亘丕蹖丿 丕蹖賳 賲爻蹖乇 乇丕 胤蹖 讴賳賳丿
丕賱亘鬲賴 賳賴 亘丕 賯丿賲 賴丕蹖 卮鬲丕亘丕賳 亘賱讴賴 丌賴爻鬲賴 賵 亘丕 鬲丕賲賱
賵賴乇 丕賳爻丕賳蹖 爻乇賳賵卮鬲蹖 禺丕氐 丿丕乇丿 賵 亘丕蹖丿 亘讴賵卮丿 讴賴 丌賳乇丕 亘卮賳丕爻丿 賵 亘毓丿 丿乇 丿賳亘丕賱 讴乇丿賳 丌賳 丕夭 賴蹖趩 趩蹖夭 賳鬲乇爻丿
賵賯鬲蹖 亘賴 禺賵丿 亘乇爻蹖 丿蹖诏乇 丕夭 賴蹖趩 賳賲蹖鬲乇爻蹖
賴乇趩賴 賴爻鬲 丿乇賵賳 賲丕爻鬲
賴爻賴 蹖賴 噩賵乇丕蹖蹖 丌丿賲 乇賵 蹖丕丿 丨丕賮馗 禺賵丿賲丕賳 賲蹖 丕賳丿丕夭丿
丿賵 噩賲賱賴 丕夭 讴鬲丕亘:
賵賯鬲蹖 丕夭 讴爻蹖 賲鬲賳賮乇蹖賲 丿乇 賵丕賯毓 丕夭 趩蹖夭蹖 讴賴 丿乇賵賳 賲丕爻鬲 鬲賳賮乇 倬蹖丿丕 賲蹖讴賳蹖賲

倬乇賳丿賴 鬲賱丕卮 賲蹖讴賳丿 丕夭 鬲禺賲 亘乇賵賳 丌蹖丿 .鬲禺賲 丿賳蹖丕爻鬲 賵 賴乇讴爻 讴賴 賲蹖 禺賵丕賴丿 夭丕蹖蹖丿賴 卮賵丿 賳禺爻鬲 亘丕蹖丿 丿賳蹖丕 乇丕 賵蹖乇丕賳 讴賳丿
Profile Image for sologdin.
1,825 reviews807 followers
June 1, 2012
Nutshell: dude goes to school, grover-dills around town with various people, and finally goes off to war, either WWI or a predicted WWII.

Along the way, some amusing readings of biblical events, delivered by Demian, the obscure object of desire in the story, regarding Golgotha (51) and Cain (23-24), the latter of which notes that "the first element of the story, its actual beginning, is the mark." The "Mark of Cain" is a metaphor that stays with the narrator the entire story, though it's not obvious what the point happens to be, though the narrator believes that he felt it for the first time (110) after committing a "trival and careless act of brutality" (109).

The story presents juveniles in a non-patronizing way, and the narrator notes that "some people will not believe that a child of little more than ten years is capable of having such feelings" (29). Zizek, in The Sublime Object of Ideology, explains that "a crucial feature of [Chaplin's] burlesques [is] a vicious, sadistic, humiliating attitude towards children: in Chaplin's films, children are not treated with the usual sweetness: they are teased, mocked, laughed at for their failures, food is scattered for them as if they were chickens, and so on. The question to ask here, however, is from which point must we look at children so that they appear to us as objects of teasing and mocking, not gentle creatures needing protection? The answer, of course, is the gaze of the children themselves" (118-19).

So, if we agree with Zizek as to the principle, it's easy to read this as a serious bildungsroman in the tradition of Goethe's Werther, which is how Mann reads it, in his introduction to the volume.

On the other hand, however, the eponymous character is presented as superhuman; he practices the "art known as thought reading" (31), through which, e.g., "his face tells me he's a first-rate bastard," regarding a third character (32). (This is likely a key text, therefore, behind R. Scott Bakker's writings, from which he has apparently lifted the semiotics of face on which his narrative relies so heavily.)

The superhuman friend appears to dispute human freedom (46) and suggests the "poverty of religion" (52), all without ceasing to believe in the power of the will or in religion. It's an odd combination of reason and unreason.

The text becomes moderately interesting only when the narrator becomes fixated on a passing woman, whom he designates as Beatrice, after Dante. He likes the "boyishness in her face" and the "boyish figure which I loved" (68). It's not hard to see where this is going, I suppose.

In order to stop jerking off so much ("no more tortured nights, no excitement before lascivious pictures, no eavesdropping at forbidden doors" (69)--creepy, that last), the narrator takes up painting (I know, right?) and begins arting out his frustrated libidinal energy. The result is a "dream face," which "looked more like a boy's face than a girl's" (70). After staring at "the close brown hair, the half-feminine mouth, the pronounced forehead with strange brightness" in the portrait, he realizes that "it was Demian's face" (71). We are not surprised. The portrait becomes something like Schroedinger's Canvas, showing either "Beatrice or Demian"--though "I began to sense that this was neither Beatrice nor Demian but myself"--so WTF? (72).

After that, narrator has a recurring dream, "the most important and enduringly significant of my life," involving "a form I had never set eyes on before, tall and strong, resembling Max Demian and the picture I had painted; yet different, for despite its strength it was completely feminine. This form drew me to itself and enveloped me in a deep tremulous embrace. I felt a mixture of ecstacy and horror" (81). That the figure also was "my mother" should not shock the freudianized reader.

The erotic gears shift again, however, when narrator meets Demian's mother, who is "my dream image" (114). It moves into the territory of The Graduate quickly enough, with Demian's momma encouraging the narrator to take her roughly from behind (phrased more in a rhetoric of German Romanticism, rather than British low comedy), though he doesn't appear to go that route, preferring instead to regard her as "a metaphor of my inner self" (131). Definitely not Hoffman-Bancroft at the motel, this crew.

Lots of mumbojumbo about "Abraxas," likely lifted from Jung. Lots of self-obsessed bullshit, as in Steppenwolf. Lots of overt nietzschean influence. Too much nauseating adolescent sex drama. Too much overt freudianisms. Too much this "represented a further step on the road toward myself" (94). FFS. Barf.

This is not Lovecraft's universe, either: "The surrender to Nature's irrational, strangely confused formations produces in us a feeling of inner harmony with force responsible for these phenomena" (90). It's too far in the opposite direction, but I'm not sure if it's worse.

I realize that Hesse was anti-war and anti-fascist, but some of the ideas that appear to be presented positively by this narrative are manifestly fascist bullshit: "You wouldn't consider all the bipeds you pass on the street human beings simply because they walk upright" (92). Or: "a new birth amid the collapse of this present world was imminent" (127), an "approaching conflict" that "will reveal the bankruptcy of present-day ideals" (119). Those ideals are summarized as a nietzschean "herd instinct," in which "men fly into each other's arms because they are afraid of each other--the owners are for the themselves, the workers for themselves" (118), commentary that suggests sympathy with Mussolini's promise to liquidate class conflict through corporatist statism.

Needless to say, those "who bore the mark felt no anxiety about the shape the future was to take" (127), knowing that "with prodigious efforts mighty new weapons had been created for mankind [sic!] but the end was flagrant, deep desolation of the spirit. Europe had conquered the whole world only to lose her own soul" (id.). In the end, "something dreadful" must happen because "the world wants to renew itself. There's a smell of death in the air. Nothing can be born without first dying" (136). These little fascists get their wish because war with Russia starts up: "of course it's not going to be any fun to fire on living beings, but that will be incidental" (140). Incidental to my quest to find myself in portraits of myself that represent myself as superimposed on my mother/best friend/lover/lover's mother/Dante's guide through paradise/&c! I've already barfed in this review, so I don't know what the appropriate visceral response is here.

Recommended for serious gender critics, proto-fascist neo-gnostics, and those filled with the lust to rage and kill, annihilate and die so that they might be born anew.
Profile Image for 賮丐丕丿.
1,095 reviews2,228 followers
August 3, 2017
禺蹖賱蹖 禺蹖賱蹖 夭蹖丕丿 賲賳 乇賵 亘賴 蹖丕丿 讴鬲丕亘 賴丕蹖 倬丕卅賵賱賵 讴賵卅蹖賱賵 丕賳丿丕禺鬲. 亘丕蹖丿 蹖賴 讴賲 賲胤丕賱毓賴 讴賳賲 乇丕噩毓 亘賴 卮亘丕賴鬲丕 賵 鬲賮丕賵鬲 賴丕卮賵賳. 賵賱蹖 賲孬賱 賴賲賵賳 賴丕貙 丕夭 丨賯蹖賯鬲 诏賲卮丿賴 蹖 丕賳爻丕賳蹖鬲 賵 丕夭 毓乇賮丕賳蹖 賲乇賲賵夭 丨乇賮 賲蹖 夭丿貙 亘丿賵賳 丕蹖賳 讴賴 亘诏賴 丕蹖賳 丨賯蹖賯鬲 趩蹖賴 賵 乇丕賴蹖 亘賴 爻賵蹖 丕賵賳 毓乇賮丕賳 賳卮賵賳 亘丿賴. 賮賯胤 卮乇丨 賲讴丕卮賮丕鬲 賵 卮蹖丿丕蹖蹖 賴丕蹖 毓噩蹖亘 賵 睾乇蹖亘 卮禺氐蹖鬲 賴丕 亘賵丿 讴賴 賲爻賱賲丕賸 丿乇 丿賳蹖丕蹖 賵丕賯毓蹖 賲氐丿丕賯 賳丿丕乇賴.

噩丿丕蹖 丕夭 丕賵賳貙 賳蹖賲賴 蹖 賳禺爻鬲 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 禺賵亘 亘賵丿. 賲丕噩乇丕蹖 亘趩賴 丕蹖 讴賴 丿乇 亘蹖賳 丿賵诏丕賳诏蹖 丿賳蹖丕蹖 賳賵乇丕賳蹖 賵 倬丕讴 賵 亘蹖 丌賱丕蹖卮 丿乇賵賳 禺丕賳賴 丕卮 亘丕 丿賳蹖丕蹖 鬲丕乇蹖讴 賵 丌賱賵丿賴 蹖 亘蹖乇賵賳 禺丕賳賴 丕卮 賲乇丿賾丿賴 賵 亘丕 賵乇賵丿 "賲丕讴爻 丿賲蹖丕賳" 丿乇讴 噩丿蹖丿蹖 賳爻亘鬲 亘賴 丕蹖賳 丿賵 丿賳蹖丕 倬蹖丿丕 賲蹖 讴賳賴 賵 鬲睾蹖蹖乇 賲蹖 讴賳賴 賵 亘夭乇诏 賲蹖卮賴.
丕賲丕 賳蹖賲賴 蹖 丿賵賲 丿丕爻鬲丕賳貙 丿蹖诏賴 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丕夭 賳賮爻 丕賮鬲丕丿. 亘丿賵賳 丕蹖賳 讴賴 丨乇賮 禺丕氐蹖 亘夭賳賴 賵 乇丕賴蹖 賳卮賵賳 亘丿賴貙 倬蹖賵爻鬲賴 賲蹖诏賮鬲 讴賴 "賲賳 亘賴 丿賳亘丕賱 蹖丕賮鬲賳 丨賯蹖賯鬲 亘賵丿賲" 賵 "賲賳 亘賴 丿賳亘丕賱 蹖丕賮鬲賳 丨賯蹖賯鬲 亘賵丿賲." 賵 賲毓賱賵賲賴 讴賴 賴賲蹖賳 "亘賴 丿賳亘丕賱 丨賯蹖賯鬲 亘賵丿賳" 賳賲蹖鬲賵賳賴 禺蹖賱蹖 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 乇賵 倬蹖卮 亘亘乇賴.
Profile Image for Phoenix2.
1,172 reviews110 followers
June 8, 2017
鈥淭he bird fights its way out of the egg. The egg is the world. Who would be born must first destroy a world. The bird flies to God. That God's name is Abraxas.鈥�

For a book full of philoshophical meanings, Demian was quite understandable. The author did a great job to present his character's thinking and feelings, and even the transition from a boy to a man. Okay, so Demian is a book about growing up, finding oneself and one's place and role in the society. The young boy of the book combines only to his family's world, though he feels the need to rebel and reach the world of darkness, the one that exhisted outside his house and his family's morals. He gets the opportunity from Demian, an older schoolmate, who guides his through life and help's him understand the dreams that he is having, which result to his true destiny.
Apart from the meanings this book passes through, the story is very good, with a fast pace plot and relatable characters. You can easily identify with Sinclair, as he expresses everyone's anxieties and confusion while growing up and passing from childhood to adulthood. The writing is very good as well, understandable and doesn't tire the reader. Overall, a great book, so 4 out of 5.
P.S.
Okay, I confess I've read this one to help me figure out BTS's MVs. I mean look at this:

Now I'm more confused...
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