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How does one commence a review of Hermann Hesse's work? My initial encounter with his books was through "The Glass Bead Game". At that time, its content intrigued me, and I found it effortless to read. However, this book has truly made me contemplate. Although I like it, I question whether the author is toying with the reader? This is a spiritual odyssey of a German choirmaster named H.H. (Could this potentially be the author himself?). He endeavors, yet unsuccessfully, to pen down the "great journey" he undertook when he joined the "League", a religious organization. Nevertheless, he is handicapped due to his previous vow to the League never to disclose anything about it. After a year's probation, he is asked what he hopes to obtain from this journey towards the East into a legendary realm. His heartfelt desire is to behold the Princess Fatima. Without issue, he officially becomes a member of the League and is bestowed a ring signifying his loyalty. I discovered the plot to be somewhat intricate as H.H. sets off with a group bound for "the East". There are numerous groups, and some become lost, never to resurface. There are incidents where those lost members attempt to rejoin the League but are unsuccessful. They can all traverse through time and space, both backward and forward, and encounter real and imaginary individuals along the way, such as Almansor and Parsifal, Witiko or Goldmund, Sancho Oanza, Don Quixote, Hoffman, and the ferryman Vasudeva. Nevertheless, the writing style and descriptions are outstanding. The catalyst in the book, for me, seems to be Leo, the servant of the group. And yet, "Leo knew all kinds of things; that he perhaps knew more than us, who were ostensibly his masters." The group then descends into chaos when, upon arriving at the Morbio Inferiore Gorge on the Italian border, Leo vanishes. Time marches on inexorably, and H.H. decides that he must document his own particular journey. However, he finds it increasingly arduous to recall events. In particular, he ponders about Leo. Through a friend, he discovers, "We already have a Leo. Andreas Leo, 69a, Seilergraben." The outcome is that this is the "proper" Leo, but he apparently does not remember H.H., which frustrates H.H. to such an extent that he writes Leo a lengthy letter. The consequence of this is that he is taken to the League and discovers that Leo is, in fact, the president. This is also a book about missed opportunities, as H.H. soon realizes. And as for the conclusion, well, that was rather unexpected.
