The Fairy Tales Of Hermann Hesse (1995) - Plot & Excerpts
Hermann Hesse can not fail me! This was the case with his novels, and this also applies to the collection of fairy-tales.In the original German edition, which I have read, there are a total of only 20 stories. I say "only" because the English edition apparently contains 22 stories. I'm inclined to ask: Where do the missing two templates for the translation come from? I guess, in the book publishing business there are many oddities, an ordinary human being doesn't necessarily has to understand.The tales were originally published in the years between 1903 and 1933. Another story, The Two Brothers, dated 1887, is added, that Hesse - who, at that time, was only called Hermann - wrote at the tender age of 10. I'm not sure whether the author would have agreed to a publication in this form. The story is not bad (for a ten year old) but to derive the talent for a great writer from it, seems a little far fetched I think. Apart from that, I think Hermann Hesse's excellent prose fits very well in the land of legends and fairy-tales.I like to highlight three stories allegorically dealing with the First World War (before, during and after), and which I find both im- as well as oppressive, especially in view of the present-day conflicts: A Dream About the Gods (1914), Strange News from Another Planet (1915), and The European (1918). But not all stories deal with such dark themes. We find quite humorous/satirical, autobiographical, and just plain beautiful things to read. My two favorite stories are, fortunately, also the longest in the book: The Dwarf (a fairy-tale with a touch of 1001, but set in Venice) and especially Augustus, which reminded me of Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray, and once again shows that one must be careful what to wish for. The only one slightly less appealing was The Mysterious Mountain, because it was too romantic for my taste, and didn't gave me much.Anyone, who is a bit familiar with the works of Hermann Hesse, should not hesitate and give this collection fairy-tales a chance. Hesse newbies should rather start with one of his novels in my opinion, Steppenwolf for example, which happens to be my favorite one.Average rating (excluding The Two Brothers): 3.68 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
"De zuster van zijn vriend beviel hem uitstekend, en vaak meende hij te weten dat hij werkelijk van haar hield. Maar het was een bijzonder meisje, elke stap en ieder woord van haar had een eigen kleur, een eigen waarmerk, en het was niet altijd gemakkelijk met haar mee te gaan en gelijke tred met haar te houden. Wanneer Johannes soms 's avonds in zijn eenzame woning op en neer liep en peinzend luisterde hoe zijn eigen voetstappen door de lege vertrekken klonken, dan leverde hij vanwege zijn vriendin talrijke gevechten met zichzelf. Zij was ouder dan hij zijn vrouw gewenst had. Zij was uiterst zelfbewust, en het zou moeilijk zijn aan haar zijde door het leven te gaan en toch zijn geleerde ambities na te jagen, want daar wilde zij niet van horen. Verder was zij niet erg sterk en gezond, met name gezelschap en feesten kon zij slecht verdragen. Het liefst leefde zij met bloemen, muziek en eventueel een boek om zich heen in stilte en afzondering, in afwachting of er iemand haar kwam opzoeken, en liet zij de wereld begaan. Soms was zij zo teergevoelig dat alle vreemde dingen haar kwetsten en haar al gauw tot tranen bewogen. Maar dan straalde zij weer stil en verfijnd van een eenzaam geluk, en wie hiervan getuige was, voelde hoe moeilijk het zou zijn deze mooie, uitzonderlijke vrouw iets te geven en iets voor haar te betekenen. Vaak meende Johannes dat zij hem lief had, maar vaak ook had hij de indruk dat zij niemand lief had, maar enkel voor iedereen teder en vriendelijk was en van de wereld niets anders verlangde dan met rust gelaten te worden. Maar hij verlangde andere dingen van het leven, en als hij een vrouw zou kiezen, dan moest dat leven, bedrijvigheid en gastvrijheid in zijn huis brengen."
What do You think about The Fairy Tales Of Hermann Hesse (1995)?
I have so many amazing things to say about these stories, but they would all be unsuitable for a review. To make it short, many of them were mirrors reflecting my suppressed memories, fears and desires and they showed to me the beauty of life in all it's tragedy and suffering. He is a true romanticist, but is not afraid to comment through allegorical symbols what is wrong with western society- but really, with all of us. And by showing what's wrong with all of us, he shows what is wonderful and sublime about being a lonely human being, starring off at the abysmal void from which The Will of life thrusts its self out of, animating this illusory yet beautiful world. He left a permanent mark on me- or better yet: he blown off the dust from the mark that was there from the beginning. Read these tales and be alive.
—Alex Kartelias
I can feel Hesse's personal struggles through his writing. That almost all of these tales are about "coming home" clearly shows how eagerly he himself was seeking after that elusive destination. I did however struggle to appreciate the style or layout and direction. The stories felt like first drafts that he never meant to be published, like notebook doodling. It has to do with how he chose to tell the story in such a haphazard way, and I am not sure if that was his original intention or if he was merely trying to reflect the chaos and sense of meaninglessness of what he felt life is like. Either way, I got where he was going with it, I just didn't think he did it in an especially moving or telling way. I will say that most of these were written before any of his major works, so these could be looked at in light of being his "coming of age" writing
—Hans
Hesse's brilliance in conveying timeless truths though simple prose apparently also works in short story form. I wonder about the "fairy tales" aspect of the title, I think this is actually just a collection of short stories. Some do have elements of fairly tales, but the form is unique. It's a blend of the classic fairy tale format, more modern adaptations (think Gabriel Garcia Marquez), and Hesse's own philosophies.The book is filled with incredible stories, among my favorites are "The Dwarf" "The City""Agustus" "The Poet" and "The Forest Dweller." Some stories look at society as a whole, and others focus on the individual, showing Hesse's ability to examine both carefully.This is a fantastic collection of stories that showcase Hesse's deep quest for the truth and his ability to convey being "enraptured by all this beauty" in small, yet eloquent and brilliant doses.
—TeacherMrLoria
