I vote for the Magister, Joseph K, because he underwent the most changes of all the other novel-characters. He was the most intelligent and he was smart enough to know when it was time for him to move on to something different, even when no one around understood it. And I guess I also like him a lot because he had found his calling, something that he was good at, but then even that was not the end of all ends.

Best,
Duke

In addition he was willing to give up the security of his position as Magister Ludi in the somewhat elitist realm of Castalia to do something in the practical world, even if it was the unassuming task of setting an example for only one student instead of celebrating the recurrent public festivities of the Glass Bead Game. He truly attempted to integrate the "world" with the accomplishments and ideas of Castalia, or bend the two ends of the pole together.
Gunther

I NEVER UNDERSTOOD THAT NOVEL. MY FAVORITE CHARACTER IS HARRY HALLER, I WAS HIM AT SOME TIME, THAT CARRACTER IS SO COMPLEX, SO HUMAN, I ACTUALLY ONCE WROTE A PLAY ABOUT HIM.

My favorite hesse Character is at this time after reading only two of hesse books , siddartha , maybe because it resembles to me sometimes, it might resemble to you as well , thats why hesse works are so acclaimed , but yes it does to me like none of the authors i ' ve read before . i identify with siddartha maybe because he doest reach for anything in particular is like something just waiting for the wind to be taken to nowere, without rushing or slowing down , it goes like something without life though full of it but yes he does have a goal but he knows wherever he goes he may find it there because he knows that the whole is everywere and he knows that none of his friends will find it going after something or after someone or at least thats not what he feels , and that reminds me a lot to me and im thankful to hesse to create this peace of art that one day enlightened me so much.

My favorite character is Knecht for his humistic nature, capacity for rhetoric and, mostly, his candor with respect to his friends - especially Tegularis, whose many talents resemble those of Nietsczhe. I really enjoy the narrator's acct of Tegularis as well.

my favorite hesse character is Demian, coss he look like me but much stronger. I wound the book "accidentaly" or destiny brought me to it coss i was in big depression. i found it because all wanted by me was away. before that i was anaware of Hesse and his style

and thats the beggining my friend , those who start reading hesse by demian are very lucky they identify instantly with the caracther at a point that they want more even a sequel to the great novel and start looking for more works and find that hesse is not only demian it is much and much more perhaps you would like to try now sttepenwolf ? just a suggestion but wherever is your next book dont stop there , readind hesse is more than just a hobbie is state of mind

The novel Narcissus and Goldmund is by far my favorite. It is such a simple, but universal story. Goldmund aspires to be like his teacher and friend Narcissus. Goldmund's spends his life wishing to be like Narcissus. But leads a very different life. Goldmund's struggles hit very close to home for myself. I admire Narcissus. But found myself more like Goldmund. Goldmund didn't find peace with himself until the end of his life. Hopefully, it won't take me that long.

My favorite Hesse character is Demian. Why? The novel 'Demian' (in its second half) tells the story of Hesse's friendship and discipleship to his "guru" Gusto Graeser from Monte Verit¦: model for Demian. For more information read 'Mountain of Truth' (1986) by Martin Green or mail to me: Gustomueller@web.de

Best wishes, Hermann

Hello Gunther and Duke (I miss hearing from you two on the Hesse list, does it still exist?),

I realize this is a dated thread, but I would have to say my favorite character is Leo from Journey to the East. His ability to remain serene (especially his way with animals), while simultaneously acting as servant and guide for the League travellers perfectly illustrated to me the essence of Buddha nature. He also had a quiet simplicity that many of Hesse's other main characters seem to lack.

Kind Regards,
Justin

Hi, Justin,
Good to hear from you. Regarding the list (and here, too), people are afraid or are unwilling to share ideas and thoughts so it makes discussions impossible... Anyway.

Regarding _Journey to the East_, I can't really remember much from it. It has been a long time since I read it, sorry. I would like to read it again in the future.

Best,
Duke

Hey, Duke, I would love to see you at Timo's Hermann Hesse site at www.hhesse.de.

Most of the site is in German but there's one section in the forum specifically for English, and unfortunately I'm the only one who's posted there.

There's also a chat and most of the people there know at least some English. And I'm on the site much of the time...

Harry Haller is sad and lonely figure, a reclusive intellectual for whom life holds no joy. He estruggles to reconcile the wild primeval wolf and the rational man within himself without surrending to the bourgeois values he despises. His life changes dramatically when he meets a woman who is his opposite, the carefree and elusive Hermine.The tale of the Steppenwolf culminates in the surreal Magic Theater For Madmen Only!. You are willing to die, you coward, but not to live

I really like Demian at all, the novel and the character. I think he (it) really reflex the spiritual searching that every human must do in is life....Or not? Are you human? Do you believe in something? In what? Is that the truth? and what if not? I really think Demian is the source of phylosophical meditation....thanx

H.H. is by far my favorite of any Hesse character. The narrator in Journey to the East, H.H. is lost, curious, and extremely naive in a very forgivable and empathetic way. I must say I can relate to him in every way; although Hesse makes any character easy to relate to, it would go without saying there must be one specific character for every person. Mine is H.H.

Siddartha is the Buddha

Dear Ramiro,
Knecht is dead. He didn't make it. He represents the failure of academics to translate to real life.

Please Nemanja, the main characteristic of Demian is weakness. I hope he is not stronger than you.

Narziss und Goldmund simple? Hesse would appreciate that tremendously. I think.

Evidently Gusto Graeser never really caught on. Who is he?

Harry may indeed have been sad at one point, and contemplating suicide, but that's not how the book ends. Read it, please. In the end he figures it all out for a finale that is very uplifting and positive.

Harry is forever doomed to fail.How can he lose his introspection and become as natural and simplistic as Pablo-who at the end of the novel is the wisest character of all.Harry's feelings of joy are transitory.I imagine he is doomed to repeat his cycle of misanthopism,and we are likely to find his type travelling from guest house to bedsit for eternity

I didnt understand Harry that way Pablo.I think he lost his human (irational,passional?) side when he killed Herminia , but I think she can live again.As the character Pablo said, Harry took all too seriously, but it was just a game, and in the end I think Harry understood that.He saw the "pieces" of his personality before him (like Nietzsche saw the" table of values").This could bring him a new life based on learning how to play this game called "life"...

Course, it's only my interpretation...anyway I dont know if it appears in your verison but Hermann said in a epilogue for Steppenwolf,grosso modo, that he left a message of life, not of despair in the end of the book...

Still in the desagreement section: I don't agree that Demian is weak.I guess the type of weakness that the people with the sign of Cain have is the weakness of the strong.I mean, the weakness that came out when you start to think for yourself, to look against all comon sense through values behind the surface (Nietzsche again :).So if Demian is "weak" its because he's actually strong (lol), he faces the darkness...By the way, how many people we met in our lives that appears to be strong, with their dogmatic, prejudicial opinions, but inside (when the crack appears) he just a little kid..The strong has to suffer(?)

I didnt forget my fave Characcter:One of my fav Hesse's character is the main character of the book Rosshalde (god,I forgot his name lol) beacause he's very human and almost seems to jump from the pages (lol), you know he's not specifically the wisest or the deppest guy in the (Hesse's) world but his will to face his problems and to find "somehting to cling to" even in a psychological hell, really got me.

By the way, Rosshalde is a romance written in the ,lets say, "romantic" part of the Hermann's books (before Demian) but I think, there is is something peculiar in it, it's not romantical like Knulp or Under The Wheels (that is the english name?) theres not death or something that reminds too much Goethe.So I guess it could be included in some way in the latest phase of the Hermann's work...what do you think?

gotama

Hi~ My favorite character of Hesse's novel is Givenrate .. Narziss., Demian..

All person has the their unique dream and self idea.
We can become a extraordinary Bird... I so blieve.. :)
The dream feels like milkiway frogrance to me...




Shoot for the star, even if you miss, you will land among the stars. :)

You can become a ExtraOrdiany Bird~
My web ID is Falcon330..
Falcon means a special bird, or fly me to the Dream space..

and 330 means, my friends's birthday.. = March, 30. :)
he named me the "falcon".. I and He like the hesse's Demian..

when I was a 10years old, I met the hesse first through Demian, at the public Library..
I was very joyful.. And I like hesse very much...
I read almost his books....

So Happy...

Shoot for the star, even if you miss, you will land among the stars. :)

Edited by SangYeonKim on 05/19/04 12:13 AM.

I love the character and book Knulp. Has anyone got an extra copy? I've seen and read it once. Now I can't find it! Why did I ever let it go? Knulp is a wanderer, like Goldmund, sort of, but he is older, perhaps what Goldmund was to become...??

to the poster who said Demian is weak.. I'm just wondering what are your arguments on that?

My favorite Hesse character is absolutly Peter Camenzind. When I read that book for the first time it was like I was reading about myself. I just love Hesse's books, he's such a great and talented writer!