Demian - (Perennial Classics) by Hermann Hesse (Paperback)

About the Book

Hesse's classic tells of the turmoil of Emil Sinclair, a docile young man who is drawn by his schoolmates into a secret and dangerous world of petty crime and revolt against convention.

Book Synopsis

"Hesse is a writer whose peculiar vision is worth inspecting. His world is shadowy and close to areas of the heart that will probably never see light. But his vision is a rare one, as commendable for its humane solicitude as for its strangeness and unearthly color." -- National Review

An acclaimed, influential, and visionary novel from Hermann Hesse, one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Demian tells the dramatic story of Emil Sinclair. Docile and unquestioning, Emil follows a precious schoolmate--the charismatic Max Demian--on a shocking decent into a secret and dangerous world of petty crime and revolt against convention. And it is there in the shadows that a formerly complacent and uncomplicated young man achieves a miraculous awakening to adulthood.

The novel includes an introduction by Thomas Mann.

From the Back Cover

In Demian, one of the great writers of the twentieth century tells the dramatic story of young, docile Emil Sinclair's descent--led by precocious shoolmate Max Demian--into a secret and dangerous world of petty crime and revolt against convention and eventual awakening to selfhood.

The electrifying influence exercised on a whole generation just after the First World War by Demian...is unforgettable. With uncanny accuracy this poetic work struck the nerve of the times and called forth grateful rapture from a whole youthful generation who believed that an interpreter of their innermost life had risen from their own midst.
-- From the Introduction by Thomas Mann

Review Quotes

"Hesse is a writer whose peculiar vision is worth inspecting. His world is shadowy and close to areas of the heart that will probably never see light. But his vision is a rare one, as commendable for its humane solicitude as for its strangeness and unearthly color." - National Review
"Hesse is not a traditional teller of tales but a novelist of ideas and a moralist of a high order. . . . The autobiographical undercurrent gives Demian an existentialist intensity and a depth of understanding that are rare in contemporary fiction." - Saturday Review
"What Catcher in the Rye has come to mean for America's younger generation, Demian proved to be for Germany's early post-WWI youth. . . . A quite believable, fascinating, moving portrait of youth." - Kirkus Reviews