A young man awakens to selfhood and to a world of possibilities beyond the conventions of his upbringing in Nobel Prize winner Hermann Hesse’s beloved novel Demian. Emil Sinclair is a quiet boy drawn into a forbidden yet seductive realm of petty crime and defiance. His guide is his precocious, mysterious classmate Max Demian, who provokes in Emil a search for self-discovery and spiritual fulfillment. A brilliant psychological portrait, Demian is given new life in this translation, which together with James Franco’s personal and inspiring foreword will bring a new generation to Hesse’s widely influential coming-of-age novel.
*Tú sólo no puedes. Con amigos si*. Que dicía isto? Os teleñecos?
4 stars
Aínda que por veces me perdía nesa viaxe de descubrimento persoal, de coñecemento de si mesmo, creo que o libro ten unha resolución moi bonita e poética que paga a pena por si soa.
O relato apela a seguir a forza interior que nos move, a coñecela e a diferenciala sen prexuizos alonxándose da comodidade de pertencer á masa, de diluírnos (espiritualmente) nela. O protagonista, con moitas vicisitudes e a guía de sensibilidades afíns logra percorrer o camiño.
It's been two and a half years since my first Hesse book (Rosshalde in September 2016) and I've been meaning to read more of his works since. Now I've finally got around to it thanks to featuring Demian as one of my Books From The Backlog. Unfortunately I felt this one was nowhere near as good as Rosshalde. It's a fairly standard coming of age story where young Emil Sinclair first discovers lying to his parents, then getting drunk at boarding school, then has a massive crush on an older boy, the eponymous Demian, before realising it's actually Demian's mother who is the real target of his affections. As you do!
Emil's personal disasters and consequent emotional growth do make for a pretty interesting story, but this is hidden in pages and pages of religious philosophy, plus our Emil is possibly the most pompous precocious egotistical little oik I have …
It's been two and a half years since my first Hesse book (Rosshalde in September 2016) and I've been meaning to read more of his works since. Now I've finally got around to it thanks to featuring Demian as one of my Books From The Backlog. Unfortunately I felt this one was nowhere near as good as Rosshalde. It's a fairly standard coming of age story where young Emil Sinclair first discovers lying to his parents, then getting drunk at boarding school, then has a massive crush on an older boy, the eponymous Demian, before realising it's actually Demian's mother who is the real target of his affections. As you do!
Emil's personal disasters and consequent emotional growth do make for a pretty interesting story, but this is hidden in pages and pages of religious philosophy, plus our Emil is possibly the most pompous precocious egotistical little oik I have ever 'met'! Now, I don't mind an unlikeable protagonist (Fatboy Fall Down being a recent example), but Emil is, frankly, insufferable and I spent most of his story cheering his misfortunes. Oh, and his view of women is decidedly bizarre too. At times I wondered if Hesse had ever actually spoken to a real woman. However you probably shouldn't take my complaints too seriously if you're deciding whether to read Demian for yourself. I saw a lot of Goodreads reviewers raving about this being a life-changing philosophical novel for them so I'm wondering if this is a book which should be read at a certain age in order to truly appreciate it?
I’m not doing to rate or review this work for now… I adored it but I feel like I must reread since the edition I read was a Portuguese translation (I despise Portuguese translations).
A Spiritual Journey with Hesse — Timeless, Transformative, and Profound - Read it many times
Reading Demian was more than just reading a novel—it was stepping onto a spiritual path. Hesse takes us on an unforgettable inner journey through Demian’s childhood, youth, and adolescence, guiding us gently but powerfully toward the mysteries of the self and the soul.
Hesse’s wisdom feels endless. His prose is both beautiful and profound, and every sentence carries layers of meaning that unfold the more you reflect on them. I first discovered Hesse when I was 16, and it was a turning point in my life. His books cracked something open in me—a curiosity about the spiritual, a longing for deeper truth, and a hunger to understand God in a personal and honest way.
Demian wasn’t just a book — it was a divine discovery. Hesse became my first Guru, and his words my earliest …
A Spiritual Journey with Hesse — Timeless, Transformative, and Profound - Read it many times
Reading Demian was more than just reading a novel—it was stepping onto a spiritual path. Hesse takes us on an unforgettable inner journey through Demian’s childhood, youth, and adolescence, guiding us gently but powerfully toward the mysteries of the self and the soul.
Hesse’s wisdom feels endless. His prose is both beautiful and profound, and every sentence carries layers of meaning that unfold the more you reflect on them. I first discovered Hesse when I was 16, and it was a turning point in my life. His books cracked something open in me—a curiosity about the spiritual, a longing for deeper truth, and a hunger to understand God in a personal and honest way.
Demian wasn’t just a book — it was a divine discovery. Hesse became my first Guru, and his words my earliest teachings on the sacredness of the inner world. I’ve continued on my spiritual path ever since, and I always trace it back to those first pages.
This book, like many of Hesse’s, is a light in the darkness. A guide. A friend. A treasure.
