Demian: The Story of a Youth

This masterpiece by Herman Hesse is far more than just a coming of age story. In a broad sense, it is a book dealing with the collapsing era of Christianity which preceded the first world war, developing ideas on Nietzsche, Mysticism and the fascination with war, destruction and a New Way. One is left with a sense of grief at the conclusion of this short but powerful story, for it posits so much hope for the future, for new ideas and new paths. However, as we all know, what followed was an even greater war, further confusion and absurdity... Hitler, Stalin, Mao.

Hesse inverts the meaning of several bible stories as he turns morality on its head in his diabolical vision of a Nietzschean world.Demian is Hesse's demonic hero, who's rejection and contempt for Christian morality is portrayed uncritically as something to be admired. Gradually his lessons in evil corrupt his young friend, and - one presumes - Hesse's readers, if they are not wary.This is a very good book, but also a dangerous one. It bears some of the intellectual seeds of the madness that overtook the world in the first half of the twentieth century. Handle with care.

I bought this book because it was recommended by a friend, and I was more than a little shocked when I finished it in less than a day.Not sure if it was the lowkey romance between the two characters, or the intriguing ideas presented in it, or the conciseness of the plot that made me feel most happy after I read it, however I would definitely recommend this to anyone curious about mental wellbeing. The way it's written is extraordinarily beautiful and elegant.And as for the physical book's quality: it's okay. My hands were stained blue after I read it, though that's probably because I held it too often lolAnyways read it!! It's good.

I love reading Hermann Hesse books. This book is very special in the sense that it gives insight to the author's chilhood and youth. It explains a great deal about his books like Steppenwolf and Narcissus and Goldmund. I enjoyed his honest style. I recomend it to anyone who wants to know more about this author.

BTS is known for being inspired by thought-provoking books in their concepts and their album Wings and lead single uses Demian as its backdrop. I've always wanted to decode their concept and I finally can! (I gave this book 4 stars because the font size was small. However, the content is the same as few other publishers.)Highly recommend Demian and their music video Blood, Sweat and Tears!