brainworm reviewed Narziß und Goldmund by Hermann Hesse
A tale of mystical adventure
4 stars
It's an adventure book, and a good one at that. It follow the life of two young men, boys, who meet at a monastery. One dedicates himself to the monastic order and convinces the other his calling is elsewhere. It's about art, self-discovery, the value of authenticity, and many other things. I read it in the original German, which was a bit tricky, but it has some beautiful words that don't get used so much (e.g. "Nichtloskommenkönnen".
I read Hesse's "Siddartha" about a year before this. This is a different book, but has some nice parallels. I can imagine I'd give it 4+ stars if I'd read it before I was 20 or lead a more normal life. It is beautiful and well worth a read.
It's an adventure book, and a good one at that. It follow the life of two young men, boys, who meet at a monastery. One dedicates himself to the monastic order and convinces the other his calling is elsewhere. It's about art, self-discovery, the value of authenticity, and many other things. I read it in the original German, which was a bit tricky, but it has some beautiful words that don't get used so much (e.g. "Nichtloskommenkönnen".
I read Hesse's "Siddartha" about a year before this. This is a different book, but has some nice parallels. I can imagine I'd give it 4+ stars if I'd read it before I was 20 or lead a more normal life. It is beautiful and well worth a read.
