German novelist and publicist Hermann Hesse is one of the most important authors of the last century. He is sometimes called a genius introvert. And his novel "Steppenwolf", dedicated to the search for oneself, is figuratively called "the biography of the soul." The books of this author are close to those readers who do not spare time for introspection.
From the biography of Hermann Hesse
German writer Hermann Hesse was born on July 2, 1877 in Germany. His ancestors were priests, they were engaged in missionary work in the 18th century. Herman's father also devoted a lot of time and effort to Christian enlightenment. The mother of the future writer was a philologist by education. She spent several years in exotic India, where she carried out an educational mission. When she met Herman's father, she was already a widow and raised two sons.
The Hesse family had six children, but only four of them survived. Herman was brought up with his brother and two sisters.
Parents believed that Herman would become the successor of family traditions. Therefore, they sent the boy to a missionary school, and then to a Christian boarding house. School sciences were given to Herman without difficulty. The boy especially liked Latin. It was at school, the writer later admitted, that he learned the art of diplomacy. Already in his school years, he believed that he was destined for the role of a poet.
Subsequently, Herman escaped from the theological seminary. The young man began to earn money in a mechanical workshop and in a printing house. At the same time, he helped his father in his work on the publication of theological books. In his free time, the boy read a lot, was engaged in self-education. There were many books in the family - a large library remained from my grandfather.
The work of Hermann Hesse
The first independent literary composition of Hesse was the fairy tale "Two Brothers". He wrote it at the age of 10 to please his sister.
A truly serious work by Hermann Hesse came out in 1901. These were "Posthumous Works and Poems of Hermann Lauscher". But the author received the recognition of readers and approval of critics after the publication of the novel "Peter Kamenzind". The novel was awarded a prize. Hesse began to receive offers from major publishers for the publication of the following works.
Subsequently, Hesse also acted as a reviewer and critic. He tried his hand at publishing a literary magazine.
In 1910, Hermann Hesse published the novel "Gertrude". A year later, the writer toured India. As a result, a collection of poems and stories about these exotic lands appeared. A few years later, Hesse's interest in Eastern culture found expression in the novel Siddhartha. The main idea of this parable: a person can find the truth only through his own life experience.
During the imperialist war, Hesse raised funds to open libraries for prisoners of war, and presented essays and articles of a pronounced anti-war orientation. He collaborated with both warring parties, for which he was accused of betraying the interests of Germany.
Hesse began to protest: he moved to Switzerland and renounced German citizenship. Gradually, he became close to another active supporter of pacifism - Romain Rolland.
Researchers consider the novel "Steppenwolf" to be the most important stage in the writer's career. This essay marked the beginning of an intellectual movement in German literature. The culmination of the writer's creativity was the novel "The Glass Bead Game". Utopian motives and a sharp social orientation of the book generated a wave of criticism and sparked heated discussions in literary circles.
Hesse was married three times. He found the ideal of a life partner and his friend only in his third wife. She was Ninon Auslander, who for many years was a fan of Hesse's work. The future spouses were in correspondence for a long time and were able to create a strong family only after the completion of their previous marriages.
In 1962, the writer was given a disappointing diagnosis - he was sick with leukemia. On August 9 of the same year, Hesse passed away after a cerebral hemorrhage.
