Anillustrated biography drawing on Hesse's own
work and on the recollections of his family and friendsBernhard
Zellerdepicts Herman Hesse's ancestry and childhood, spent in the small
German town where Hesse was born in 1877, and traces his adolescence and
early manhood. He describes his relationship with his first wife, his
emigration to Switzerland in protest against German militarism, his
Jungian psychoanalysis, the visit to India which inspired his narrative
masterpieces "Siddhartha" and" Journey to the East," and the breakup of
his marriage. Hesse's growing Iiterary reputation coincided with his
brief second marriage, and with his peaceful later years in Montagnola
spent in the company of his third wife, Ninon, whom he married in 1931.
His stature was not fully recognized outside German-speaking countries
until after his death in 1962. Zeller also recalls Hesse's circle of
friends, including his famous contemporaries such as Thomas Mann and
Andre Gide. This valuable documentary portrait is illustrated with
photographs from Hermann Hesse's private collection. In addition, it
includes a bibliography and chronology."
