Narcissus and Goldmund

Hesse's novel of two medieval men, one quietlycontent with his religion and monastic life, theother in fervent search of more worldly salvation.This conflict between flesh and spirit, betweenemotional and contemplative man, was a life study forHesse. It is a theme that transcends all time.The Hesse Phenomenon "has turned into a vogue,the vogue into a torrent. . .He has appealed...

Hesse's novel of two medieval men, one quietlycontent with his religion and monastic life, theother in fervent search of more worldly salvation.This conflict between flesh and spirit, betweenemotional and contemplative man, was a life study forHesse. It is a theme that transcends all time.The Hesse Phenomenon "has turned into a vogue,the vogue into a torrent. . .He has appealed bothto. . . an underground and to an establishment. ..and to the disenchanted young sharing his contemptfor our industrialcivilization."-- The New York Times Book Review

赫尔曼·黑塞（Hesse Hermann，1877-1962），原籍德国，1923年入瑞士籍,以后长期在瑞士隐居乡间。他被称为德国浪漫派最后一位骑士，其代表作《荒原狼》（1927）曾轰动欧美，被托马斯·曼誉为德国的《尤利西斯》。1946年，“由于他的富于灵感的作品具有遒劲的气势和洞察力，也为崇高的人道主义理想和高尚风格提供了一个范例”，获诺贝尔文学奖。