- Mass Market Paperback: 312 pages
- Publisher: Bantam USA; Reprint edition (31 Mar 1984)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0553275860
- ISBN-13: 978-0553275865
- Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 2.2 x 17.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 63,782 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
Hesse's novel of two medieval men, one quietly content with his religion and monastic life, the other in fervent search of more worldly salvation. This conflict between flesh and spirit, between emotional and contemplative man, was a life study for Hesse. It is a theme that transcends all time. The Hesse Phenomenon "has turned into a vogue, the vogue into a torrent. . .He has appealed both to. . . an underground and to an establishment. . .and to the disenchanted young sharing his contempt for our industrial civilization."--The New York Times Book Review
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Hesse was a popular favorite of the youth generation in the 60's and 70's. I myself loved him back then, but had never read "Narcissus and Goldmund". Actually, I am glad that I saved this until later in life because I don't think at 17 I had the emotional depth to appreciate the expansiveness and sheer stylistic elegance of this beautiful classic. Echoes of the philosophy of Carl Jung, which pervade most of Hesse's novels, show us that the two main characters may be viewed as archetypal aspects that co-exist within each one of us---Narcissus being the embodiment of spirituality, discipline and ascetism, and Goldmund being the embodiment of emotion, sensuality and aesthetic delight. While the two may appear to be diametrically opposed at first, Hesse shows us that they are actually intrinsically a part of each other and neither cannot flourish without the influence of the other. Ostensibly a sweet, touching and exciting story about the lives and inner development of two dear friends in medieval Germany (itself a very interesting time in history), "Narcissus and Goldmund" is actually a metaphor for the joyful union of seeming opposites within the human heart. Even though most of Hesse's works deliver a captivatingly beautiful descriptive writing style (kept beautiful by Molinaro's delicious translation), I think "Narcissus and Goldmund" stands out as one of the best of Hesse's novels.
15 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Set in medieval Germany, the book is about two men who both have a kind of greatness though in very different ways. The love between Narziss and Goldmund lasts from beginning to end of the book. This book will make you want to be a wandering vagabond. (Well, maybe not if you are a cautious type). I went wandering round the cliffs, bays and marshes where I live (Thanet) to taste freedom. I tried chatting up local peasant's daughters but that seemed somewhow wrong here in South East England. (I think you'd get chased off pretty fast). Narziss is totally square and Goldmund is totally, like, hip. Narziss dreams only of boys but Goldmund dreams of girls. (which also carries a different implication in modern times !) That seems to mean that Narziss is intellectual, where Goldmund is a man of the emotions. Its more complex than that, Narziss is a platonist, Goldmund is probably more of a pantheist or goddess worshipper.
Herman Hesse was read widely in the hippie era, due to a kind of a personal discovery, self fulfilment, anti establishment, anti bourgeois thing. I met a guy in a pub once who said that N and G was Hesse's best book. I now agree with him, because it's got more meat in it than "The Glass Bead Game". (Steppenwolf is right up there too of course).
Reading about Goldmund's wandering through the world has given me more of an attunement with the lives of the long term homeless people I see locally, the hobos and wanderers. My friend Martin completely romanticised being homeless, mainly becasue he loves cracking a can of beer with some dude on a park bench. This book is a bit rosy spectacled about being homeless too. It also made me think about art in a new, refreshed kind of way, pulling me away from abstract towards figurative stuff, finally it made me more interested in the middle ages and the lives and worldviews from then.
It's about experience, sin and soul and the way they write themselves on us, leaving us worn and closer to death. It's about spiritual archetypes (Hesse was into Jung) and the freedom of trekking. Reading it is like absorbing some kind of condensed essence of life - you'll be wiser. (Another essence like that is malt whisky, help me resist !)
Format:Paperback
I first 'heard' about this book when I saw a beautiful illustration of a young man called 'Boccadoro' on Deviantart. Drawn to the description of the book by the artist, I bought it, read it, and was not disappointed. This book is a philosophical one, and appeals to both the senses and the mind. The relationship between Narcissus and Goldmund is complex yet incredibly deep. Neither of these characters are perfectly likeable, but that is what makes them three-dimensional. They have their flaws and their merits, and Hesse was not afraid to make the reader want to hate them at times. Initially my attention was given to Goldmund, since the book is largely about him and his adventures, but after a while I began to ask myself, "Why is there so little of Narcissus?" It is interesting to note that, in the title, Narcissus' name comes first, and yet we barely know anything about his background. Of course, his presence pervades the entire length of the book; Goldmund frequently thinks about him, and later even says that half his life had been a courtship of Narcissus.
The only reasons I gave this book four stars and not five are a) I wished to know more about Narcissus and b) I felt the ending was rather abrupt. The book itself is stunning in its prose and story, but the ending does not do it justice. Of course, Hesse clearly liked mystery, remarking once in the book that truly great works of art had an air of mystery about them, but this ending only left me a little unsatisfied. We get to know that Goldmund guesses that Narcissus does not have a mother, and it only serves to make us more curious about the latter: a curiosity that cannot be satiated.
But, in the end, this book is well worth a read. It is simple and lyrical in its prose, profound in its philosophy, and masterful in its characterisation. In fact, I would recommend it to pretty much everyone. The few who might not like it are those who are prudish about sex and/or who have little to no interest in spirituality and philosophy. Even so, I would ask them to be open-minded and just give this book a try.
On an entirely different note, I would not recommend this edition of the book. There are no notes about either the story or Hesse, and I felt childishly disappointed when I saw this.
The only reasons I gave this book four stars and not five are a) I wished to know more about Narcissus and b) I felt the ending was rather abrupt. The book itself is stunning in its prose and story, but the ending does not do it justice. Of course, Hesse clearly liked mystery, remarking once in the book that truly great works of art had an air of mystery about them, but this ending only left me a little unsatisfied. We get to know that Goldmund guesses that Narcissus does not have a mother, and it only serves to make us more curious about the latter: a curiosity that cannot be satiated.
But, in the end, this book is well worth a read. It is simple and lyrical in its prose, profound in its philosophy, and masterful in its characterisation. In fact, I would recommend it to pretty much everyone. The few who might not like it are those who are prudish about sex and/or who have little to no interest in spirituality and philosophy. Even so, I would ask them to be open-minded and just give this book a try.
On an entirely different note, I would not recommend this edition of the book. There are no notes about either the story or Hesse, and I felt childishly disappointed when I saw this.
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