Demian

Author: Herman Hesse

Year: 1919

I first read Demian in college and was blown away by it. The novel is a classic example of the bildungsroman or coming of age story, that usually has as much to say about it's central character as it does about society as a whole. Hesse seems to specalize in this type of novel, since every other book I've read of his (Steppenwolf, Siddartha, Peter Camenzind) seems to follow this pattern. To his credit, however, all of these novels say radically different things and work with a nice variety of characters and settings.

Demian is not as widely known as a few of the others I mention, and I think I now understand why. A deep understanding of Jungian psychology is practically required to understand all the undercurrents of protagonist Emil Sinclair's journey from meek, put-upon youth to iconoclast mystic. While I enjoyed the early threads of Sinclair's struggles with discovering his true self and place in the world, later episodes of magical realism fell flat to me. The mystery of Demian's power and influence is never properly accounted for, and the book seems to sputter out rather than reach a grand conclsion (a la Siddartha).

With that said, though, Hesse's novel is stuffed with psychological dilemnas to ponder over. And for about 2/3 of the book, he also recounts some compelling events. Though the ending left me cold from a dramatic standpoint, Hesse's prediction of the birth of the modern mind with the beginning of World War I seems relevant and prescient today.

Rating: Brass