Demian

I read about Hermann Hesse in the book of Lamentation, and I read about Lamentation in the book of The Second Islamic Universal, thus fate led me to Demian and Sinclair. But why is the novel whose hero is Sinclair named Demian?

Sinclair symbolizes Hesse... the seeker of himself, as he expresses at the beginning of his book: "I only wanted to live according to the true motives that sprang from my inner self. Why was it so difficult?" And this short preface is what touched my spirit more than the novel - and what touched it a lot - I have always wanted to live a natural life, the life for which I was created, the life that springs from my inner self far from any civil or cultural distortion. I wanted to go to a virgin land on the earth so that my spirit could return pure.

Sinclair also wanted that, and Hesse, but Wilson says that he did not find the answer in any of his novels. As for me, I imagine that if he had known Muhammad, he would have found a lot. Indeed, Hesse investigates religion, but he does not find the religion he is seeking in Christianity, because he is seeking what is closest to man, and he expresses this in the words of Demian: "In the same way, they expand God as a father for all life, but they simply reject a single word about our sexual life on which everything is based, and they describe it as a sin whenever they can, on the basis that it is the work of the devil." I find in this sentence a wealth of appreciation for the human essence that the church has despised, and this is what Biejuftsch expresses when he says that Christianity is a religion of the spirit in his book Islam between East and West.

As for the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, he used to encourage people to live according to the nature that God had created them upon, but that call was not in vain or permissive. Rather, Islam regulated the essence of marriage by sanctifying and honoring it from fornication and God prohibited it outside the divine covenant. Indeed, it is the creative combination between the spirit and the body, and Hesse was seeking something like this.

Sinclair found his spiritual salvation in two women. The first is Beatrice, the pure and chaste girl in whom he saw the lost purity of the world personified, and his life changed immediately without him talking to her. He stopped frequenting prostitutes and excessive drinking and a wasteful life. As for the second woman, she is Eva, the mother of Demian. She was his mother, his dream, his messiah, his physical essence, and his spiritual refuge. They separated before they could unite physically, and I don't understand why Hesse chose Eva to be older than Sinclair. There is a mystery in this that is similar to the mystery that made Muhammad marry a woman like Khadija. How I love the philosophy of Hesse regarding the relationship between a man and a woman in this novel.

I also love Demian. I read in the margin of the novel that his name is a corruption of demon, that is, the satanic spirit, or something like that. But Demian was not a devil. He was an extreme human being in his humanity, and often this extremity turns us into devils in the value system of others. We find Demian sanctifying the personality of Cain who killed his brother Abel, and he tries to push Sinclair to think about the story from another angle because humanity means that we make mistakes. He once said to Sinclair: "I don't mean that you kill or rape a girl, but think about what is permissible again."

The music that Pistorius plays in the novel also touched my heart. I wished I could sit on a wooden bench next to him and listen to him and Sinclair without them seeing me. Indeed, Pistorius symbolizes the man who wants to create the future, but he is connected to the past. Therefore, he creates prophets and priests who in turn create the future.

"The bird struggles to get out of the egg. The egg is the world. He who wants to be born must first destroy a world... The bird flies to God."

\n  \n    “I realize today that nothing in the world is more distasteful to a man than to take the path that leads to himself.”\n  \n


Demian is a profound and thought-provoking piece of literature. It delves deep into the human soul and the adolescent mind, presenting a rather depressing exploration. The book creates a sense of detachment and dispossession from reality and the world around. Emil Sincliar stands out as different. We all have our unique qualities, but Emil is truly alone in his solitude. He doesn't fit in with others, doesn't share their interests, and often remains unmoved by things that would deeply affect most people. He is like an outsider looking in, doomed to exist separately from the rest of humanity.

Unlike Harry Haller in Steppenwolf, Emil is not a genius or exceptionally talented. However, he is a seeker of truth. In a world that emphasizes monetary, relationship, and occupational success, Emil desires none of these. Instead, he wants to understand the very core of human nature to better understand himself and his place in the world. He struggles with suicidal thoughts, depression, and exhaustion due to the harsh realities of modern life.

“I have been and still am a seeker, but I have ceased to question stars and books; I have begun to listen to the teaching my blood whispers to me.” Through self-reflection, Emil finds the answers within himself. With the help of a friend's words, he realizes that morality, good and evil, god and the devil, are not always completely opposite but part of a larger whole. His soul becomes less fragmented, and he becomes more solid as a result. Armed with this new knowledge, he is ready to be reborn and expresses himself through art, which echoes the ideas of the surrealists.

As with many modernist works, Demian is a rich source of psychoanalytical theory. One might wonder if the events and characters are real or just tools used by the author and narrator (Emil) to convey his mental state and sense of anguish. Despite its relatively short length, the narrative is dense and somewhat obscure. Reading it in conjunction with the works of Jung or Freud and considering the implications of the dreams and emotional expressions would be a fascinating endeavor. There is much to analyze and explore in this book.

This is a very clever book, although it may not be as successful as Steppenwolf in exploring similar themes. Nevertheless, it is definitely worth a read for those with a philosophical inclination.

The short story is small, but it is precious and just like it is usually the case with Herman Hesse... it is not an easy text, nor a smooth egg, nor something that you can read and fully understand it unless you give yourself completely to it. The story is an inner journey that the protagonist, Saul, undertakes within himself, and therefore it is poor in events and dialogues (relatively speaking)... and full of those expressions that shine and dress in the ambiguity of meaning. The story is beautiful, you leave it and you feel that you... hmm... are not the same person?

This small story by Herman Hesse is truly a gem. It may not be a straightforward read, but rather a complex exploration of the human psyche. Saul's inner journey takes the reader on a path that is rich in thought-provoking expressions and ambiguous meanings. Despite its simplicity in terms of events and dialogues, the story manages to leave a profound impact on the reader. It makes you question your own identity and perception of the world.

As you immerse yourself in the pages of this story, you will find yourself drawn into Saul's world, experiencing his emotions and struggles. The language used by Hesse is both beautiful and evocative, painting a vivid picture in the reader's mind. The story challenges you to think deeply and to look within yourself for answers. It is a story that will stay with you long after you have finished reading it, making you reflect on your own life and the choices you have made.

In conclusion, this short story by Herman Hesse is a must-read for anyone who loves literature that challenges and inspires. It is a small but powerful work that will leave you with a new perspective on life and a deeper understanding of the human condition.

"But every man is more than just himself; he also represents the unique, the very special and always significant and remarkable point at which the world's phenomena intersect, only once in this way and never again. That is why every man's story is important, eternal, sacred; that is why every man, as long as he lives and fulfills the will of nature, is wondrous, and worthy of every consideration."



It is quite timely that I read this one shortly after finishing Zweig's tale (Burning Secret) about a young boy leaving childhood. This book follows a similar theme. A boy named Emil embarks on his personal journey of growth. And it indeed delves deeper. Unlike Zweig's book, our protagonist comes of age in the real world, not in an isolated environment. He has a spiritual guide, a curious boy named Demian.



I haven't read Hesse since I was a teenager. I think this book would have had an even greater impact on me back then when I was striving to discover myself and choose my path. Even so, I truly enjoyed this book. I found myself relating so much to this little German boy, something I never anticipated being able to do.



Entering the mind of a child on the journey to find out who he or she is, something I hadn't considered for a long time, was extremely interesting. It's so easy to forget that we all go through this phase. For many, it's a time of pain or angst when we lose our innocence, learn new things, discover new philosophies, and struggle to find meaning.



I felt I could relate more to the younger Emil, which makes sense as he and I chose very different paths.



Hesse is very philosophical. I enjoyed the discussions on spirituality and dualism, although I can't necessarily say I agreed with all of them. I was left with several thought-provoking quotes. Some of them I will include here:



"I have been and still am a seeker, but I have ceased to question stars and books; I have begun to listen to the teachings my blood whispers to me."


"Each man's life represents a road toward himself, an attempt at such a road, the intimation of a path."


"Examine a person closely enough and you know more about him than he does himself."


"I wanted only to try to live in accord with the promptings which came from my true self. Why was that so very difficult?”

Hermann Hesse's Demian has had an indelible impact on me. Even though I haven't read the novel in twenty years, its influence still lingers. In my late teens and early twenties, I was痴迷 with Hesse. I scoured every bookstore, seeking out not only his novels but also rare journals and letters. I even went to a Berlin bookstore on a solo trip, influenced as much by Hesse as by the cheap airfare.

My college years were tumultuous. I attended three institutions in six semesters and ended up depressed and isolated. My parents were hostile and unsupportive, creating a tense and unsafe environment. The future seemed bleak, and I was filled with terror. But Hesse was my refuge. His protagonists, like Sinclair in Demian, reminded me of my own sad and desperate state.

Years later, I rediscovered Demian at a Borders closing sale. I read it over seven illness-ridden days, and while my perception of the novel had changed with age, Hesse's vision still earned my appreciation. Sinclair's journey from childhood to adulthood, his struggle to find meaning beyond the status quo, and his search for identity all resonated with me.

Demian is not without its flaws. Some passages are overly vague and rely on mythic language, and the telepathic connection between Sinclair and Demian seems a bit far-fetched. But these flaws didn't matter to me when I was younger. Hesse's portrayal of young men on the边缘 of mainstream society, struggling with identity and hoping for something more, spoke to my deepest emotions.

Today, as a forty-one-year-old, I can see the romanticism and pseudo-spiritualism in Demian more clearly. But I still feel the pull of Hesse's work. It provided a framework for me to understand my own emotions and see potential self-value at a time when I felt worthless. Demian is an intrinsic part of my narrative vocabulary, and I will always be grateful to Hermann Hesse for being there when I needed him most.

Friends who are in pursuit of the storyline and the soaring and fate of storytelling should not head towards this book.

This book has a more philosophical aspect rather than the aspect of entertainment and story.

It was the first book that I read from Hosseini, and it was excellent :).

This book, although not focused on a thrilling storyline, offers deep insights into various philosophical concepts. It makes the reader think and reflect on different aspects of life. The writing style of the author is engaging and captivating, even without a traditional narrative structure.

For those who are interested in exploring philosophical ideas and are not solely driven by the need for an exciting story, this book can be a great choice. It challenges the reader's mind and broadens their perspective.

Overall, despite its departure from the typical expectations of a story-driven book, it has its own charm and value in the literary world.

I am truly overjoyed that I gave the authors three books to make me fall in love with them. This was Hesse's final opportunity to win me over, and he really came so close to receiving a five-star valentine from me. However, we'll settle for a four and a half - after all, one must be a little bit coy.

This is a book that I would absolutely love to travel back in time and present to myself upon graduating from high school. I'm eager to know whether it would have made me more or less insufferable than I am currently. Because at seventeen, I can envision it going either way. I could see myself regarding this as a cautionary tale in a sense, or I could picture myself fully immersing into some sort of mystical, quasi-intellectual, liter-orgical spree and alienating everyone around me. I can imagine myself smoking a pipe and holding court with my philosophies and my revelations - ohhhh my revelations.

As it stands, I didn't hold any court. I simply finished it on the subway, took Moll Flanders out of my bag, and began reading that, in some quiet, bookish equivalent to chain-smoking. But oh, what could have been...

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In a profound and thoughtful tone, Hermann Hesse writes the novel "Demian," a story that delves into the complex journey of self-discovery. Emil Sinclair, the protagonist, undergoes a series of experiences that shape his second birth, choosing his path after stages of oblivion, injury, punishment, rebellion, reflection, and extraction of what resembles an image that satisfies his senses from the teachings of his deeper school, reality, and dreams.

However, the reader is not convinced that Emil Sinclair has truly found himself at the end of the novel. It seems as if he has become one of the pure ones, but seeing people marching towards a world war with a smile, longing for a lost brotherhood, does not make one feel sympathy for the harsh world.

Emil Sinclair, the adopted Emil from Rousseau, has relaxed into a pragmatic solution that combines good and evil, as if this is something new, or as if he is a hero who will not live in his father's cloak, who led us with him before settling in a grocer's shop next to his father and completing his path. Perhaps the noble model preserved in the heart of the night is more capable of helping us understand the soul's ambition to reach a truth that speaks and finds an echo in the human context.

Whatever the case may be - as our teacher Abdullah Khurshid used to say - the narrative was able to take you through an area where the adventure of life intersects with the nakedness of thought, but it is a story of a formation that suits the identity of a confused young man between guidance and error, dominated by an Oedipal impulse that rejects the father and desires a mother who represents humanity.

That writing that persists in a forest of thick memories, where the branches are intertwined within the roots, with it a sharp and precise consciousness that penetrates the thickness of the darkness.

A narrative of self-knowledge that dislodges the pebbles from its serene face in the sounds of silence.

The translation is a budding, coherent, and capable poem, carried by a refined formulation of parallel sentences that realizes the poetry of the experience of a young man who embarks on his spiritual adventure. The style does not follow the strict norms, as it exploits the possibilities of the language, especially in presentation and delay, while maintaining the textual rhythm, giving the reader a beautiful voice that befits a novel that has its place in the history of the formation novel.