This volume offers a substantial portion of Hesse's copious writings and is representative of his fundamental themes and interests. Includes Siddhartha, Hesse's most celebrated work, which reflects his lifelong studies of Oriental myth and religion, Demian, an inner journey which had an unprecedented impact on the youth of its day, plus other writings which show Hesse as a master of self-irony and the short-story form.

The stories Hesse tells appeal to young people, because they keep faith with the powerful emotions of adolescence, which most adults forget or outgrow. As a young middle class boy Emil Sinclair has trouble knowing what is or what should be. Throughout this novel he is constantly seeking validation as well as mentorship. As Emil struggles a childhood friend begins to mentor him and is said to be his daimon. In ancient greek daimon is is a person's deity or guiding spirit. In his story Emil's parents are a symbol of safety and fallback as his friend helps lead him to self realization.

Story of a famous artist whose creativity is stifled by an empty marriage to which he is bound until freed by the death of his adored son.

Herman Hesse's classic novel has delighted, inspired, and influenced generations of readers, writers, and thinkers. In this story of a wealthy Indian Brahmin who casts off a life of privilege to seek spiritual fulfillment. Hesse synthesizes disparate philosophies--Eastern religions, Jungian archetypes, Western individualism--into a unique vision of life as expressed through one man's search for true meaning.

Narcissus and Goldmund is the story of a passionate yet uneasy friendship between two men of opposite character. Narcissus, an ascetic instructor at a cloister school, has devoted himself solely to scholarly and spiritual pursuits. One of his students is the sensual, restless Goldmund, who is immediately drawn to his teacher's fierce intellect and sense of discipline. When Narcissus persuades the young student that he is not meant for a life of self-denial, Goldmund sets off in pursuit of aesthetic and physical pleasures, a path that leads him to a final, unexpected reunion with Narcissus.

First published in 1915, Knulp was Hesse's most popular book in the years before Demian. This is the first edition in English. Knulp is an amiable vagabond who wanders from town to town, staying with friends who feed and shelter him. Consistently refusing to tie himself down to any trade, place, or person, he even deserts the companion who might be considered Hermann Hesse himself the summer they go tramping together. Knulp's exile is blissful, gentle, self-absorbed. But hidden beneath the light surface of these "Tales from the Life of Knulp" is the conscience of an artist who suspects that his liberation is worthless, even immoral. As he lies dying in a snowstorm, Knulp has an interview with God in which he reproaches himself for his wasted life. But it is revealed to Knulp that the whole purpose of his life has been to bring "a little homseickness for freedom" into the lives of ordinary men.

The hero recalls an unfruitful pilgrimage to the East during his youth and begins to realize its hidden spiritual meanings