The Fairy Tales of Hermann Hesse

by Hermann Hesse, Jack D. Zipes (Introduction)

To read Hermann Hesse's fairy tales is to enter a fabulous world of dreams and visions, philosophy and passion. This landmark collection contains twenty-two of Hesse's finest stories in this genre, most translated into English here for the first time. Full of visionaries and seekers, princesses and wandering poets, his fairy tales speak to the place in our psyche that inspires us with deep spiritual longing; that compels us to leave home, and inevitably to return; and that harbors the greatest joys and most devastating wounds of our heart.

Containing all the themes common in Hesse's great novels Siddhartha, Steppenwolf, and Demian—and mirroring events in his own life, these exquisite short pieces exhibit the same mystical and romantic impulses that contribute to the haunting brilliance of his major works. Several stories, including "The Poet," "The Fairy Tale About the Wicker Chair," and "The Painter," examine the dilemma of the artist, torn between the drive for perfection and the temptations of pleasure and social success. Other tales reflect changes and struggles within society: in "Faldum," a city is irrevocably transformed when each resident is granted his or her fondest wish; in "Strange News from Another Planet," "If the War Continues," and "The European," nightmarish landscapes convey Hesse's devastating critiques of nationalism, barbarism, and war.

Illuminating and inspiring, The Fairy Tales of Hermann Hesse will challenge and enchant readers of all ages. A distinguished and historic publication, this fine translation by Jack Zipes captures their subtlety and elegance for decades nto come.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy, Classics, Fairy Tales, German Literature, Literature

266 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1919

About the author

Many works, including Siddhartha (1922) and Steppenwolf (1927), of German-born Swiss writer Hermann Hesse concern the struggle of the individual to find wholeness and meaning in life; he won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1946.

Other best-known works of this poet, novelist, and painter include The Glass Bead Game , which, also known as Magister Ludi, explore a search of an individual for spirituality outside society.

In his time, Hesse was a popular and influential author in the German-speaking world; worldwide fame only came later. Young Germans desiring a different and more "natural" way of life at the time of great economic and technological progress in the country, received enthusiastically Peter Camenzind , first great novel of Hesse.

Throughout Germany, people named many schools. In 1964, people founded the Calwer Hermann-Hesse-Preis, awarded biennially, alternately to a German-language literary journal or to the translator of work of Hesse to a foreign language. The city of Karlsruhe, Germany, also associates a Hermann Hesse prize.

Reviews

[Mostafa Galal · Rating 3 out of 5]

كتاب قصصي يحوي 22 قصة أو حكتية تمزج بين الواقع والخيال ويغلب عليها الطابع الرمزي وكلها تحمل رسالة ما، بعض الحكايات جميلة وبعضها غامض أو يغلب عليها الاسلوب المباشر فتكاد تشعر أنها عظة أو خطبة

[Susan Budd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve loved the writing of Hermann Hesse ever since I first read Siddhartha in my teens, but until now I had never read any of his short fiction. This collection translated by Jack Zipes includes twenty-two stories dated from 1904 to 1918—before the novels that I associate so fondly with my young adulthood: Demian (1919), Siddhartha (1922), Steppenwolf (1927), and Journey to the East (1932).

Since I enjoyed some of the stories more than others, I’ll rate them separately.

“The Dwarf” (1904) is set in an aristocratic household in Venice. This tale of love and revenge introduces a theme that will be found in several of the stories collected here ~ the persecution of an artistic sensibility. ★★★★★

“Shadow Play” (1906) is a tale of love and murder that also features aristocratic characters. And once again it is a gentle soul who suffers. ★★★★☆

“A Man by the Name of Ziegler” (1908) is a critique of Man. Like a fairy tale, it has magic and talking animals, but the magic is in the form of the pseudoscience of alchemy. (This story also appears in Stories of Five Decades, translated by Ralph Manheim.) ★★★★☆

“The City” (1910) is one of my favorites. It tells of the rise and fall of a city. I like the way Hesse takes a long view of history. (This story also appears in Stories of Five Decades, translated by Ralph Manheim.) ★★★★★

“Dr. Knoegle’s End” (1910) is about a vegetarian. Like in “The Dwarf” and “Shadow Play,” it is the sensitive man who suffers persecution. ★★★☆☆

“The Beautiful Dream” (1912) is another of my favorites. It’s a dream and I’m fascinated by dreams. I love the otherworldly quality of this story. It reminds me a little of some of George MacDonald’s stories. ★★★★★

“The Three Linden Trees” (1912) is a parable-like fairy tale about the loyalty and love between three brothers. ★★★☆☆

“Augustus” (1913) has a magical grandfather who grants wishes. Some of the stories in this book are more like fairy tales than others and “Augustus” is one of the ones that is most like a traditional fairy tale. ★★★★★

“The Poet” (1913) is an otherworldly tale of a poet. This otherworldly quality is what I most enjoy in Hesse’s work. ★★★★★

“Flute Dream” (1914) is likewise an otherworldly tale of a poet. Between this and “The Poet,” I prefer “The Poet,” but “The Flute” is still a five-star story. ★★★★★

“A Dream About the Gods” (1914) is a dream about science and myth. I like Hesse’s dream stories, but this is not among the best. ★★★☆☆

In “Strange News from Another Planet” (1915), a young man magically travels from his utopian planet to planet Earth. Fortunately for him, after his return he forgets it all as if it had been a dream. ★★★★★

“Faldum” (1916) is another story that uses the fairy tale element of wish-granting. Like “The City,” it also takes the long view of history, this time observed by a mountain who was once a man. ★★★★★

“A Dream Sequence” (1916) is a dream. The dreams in this collection are different from the stories. They are not stories presented as dreams. They are dreams presented as stories. This is not to say that Hesse actually dreamed these dreams. Maybe he did and maybe he didn’t. It’s just that they have the surreal and disconnected quality that dreams have. ★★★★☆

“The Forest Dweller” (1917) presents the mythic minds of prehistory. It seems like a counterpoint to “A Dream About the Gods.” ★★★☆☆

“The Difficult Path” (1917) is a cryptic story. Is it a dream or isn’t it? Is this what it’s like to be born? ★★★☆☆

“If the War Continues” (1917) presents a dystopian future. In such a world, it’s good to have the magical ability to transcend reality. ★★★★★

“The European” (1918) is a parable about war and other races. Set on Noah’s ark, it critiques European culture. ★★★★★

“The Empire” (1918) is the story of the rise and fall of a nation. It is not quite as long of a view as “The City,” but it is similar. ★★★★☆

In “The Painter” (1918), an artist discovers his relationship with the world. This is one of many stories about artists, poets, and other creative people. ★★★★☆

“The Fairy Tale About the Wicker Chair” (1918) deserves to be called a fairy tale. After all, the chair does talk. This is the tale of a painter who is unable to become an artist. ★★★☆☆

“Iris” (1918) is my absolute favorite story in this book. If every other story had been a dud, this collection would be worth owning for “Iris” alone. It’s a ‘blue flower’ story, and anyone who loves Novalis will love this too. Five stars are not enough. It deserves a whole galaxy of stars. ★★★★★

The best of Hermann Hesse can be summed up in this passage from “Iris.”

“All children, as long as they still live in the mystery, are continuously occupied in their souls with the only thing that is important, which is themselves and their enigmatic relationship to the world around them. Seekers and wise people return to these preoccupations as they mature. Most people, however, forget and leave forever this inner world of the truly significant very early in their lives. Like lost souls they wander about for their entire lives in the multicolored maze of worries, wishes, and goals, none of which dwells in their innermost being and none of which leads them to their innermost core and home” (248).

Hesse is one of these wise people. As a seeker of wisdom myself, I consider myself blessed to have him as one of my guides and companions on the journey home.

[Murat Dural · Rating 5 out of 5]

Herman Hesse'nin ilk okuduğum kitabı -hâlâ özel, kütüphane haricinde en önemli kitaplarım arasında tutuğum- Afa Yayınları'ndan çıkan "Yabancı Bir Gezegenden Tuhaf Haberler"dir. Bayıldığım 10-12 öykü olan bu baskı kalbimde ve zihnimde çok başka yerlere kapılar açmıştır. Yaklaşık 25 senelik unutulmayan bir okuma hatırasından bahsediyorum. İşte Can Yayınları'dan çıkan, İris Kantemir tarafından çevrilen "Masallar" bu eski kitaptaki eşsiz öyküler, zerafet, derinlik, edebi zenginlik ve daha fazlasını barındıran, herkesin okumasını önerebileceğim bir harika, abide. Yıllar sonra yeniden, yine Herman Hesse okumak bana çok şey hatırlattı, geri getirdi. İyi ki var, iyi ki yazmış...

[Jovan Autonomašević · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It is a thick collection of fairy tales, all told as part of a wider story, in the time-honoured Arabian Nights fashion. But the tales are all penned by Hesse himself. In them he takes the reader on a fantastic journey where nothing is as it seems, but where a new reality exists, tantalisingly within the reach of the reader, a reality where the values that imbue fairy tales thrive. Love, honour and courage, but also betrayal, death and loss. Like all good fairy tales, when the reader returns to his or her everyday reality, it is with the feeling that he or she has experienced something special, a form of enlightenment, but also an ordeal, which is the prerequisite for all learning, and all progression in life. Hesse has succeeded in capturing the essence of traditional European fairy tales, and using it to distill his own elixir. Great stuff.

[Skorofido Skorofido · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ο Έσσε δεν ήταν ο τύπος που είχε εύκολη ζωή… Τα είχε τα «θεματάκια» του και με το παραπάνω, την καταθλιψούλα του, την παγωμάρα με τη γυναίκα του, το γιο του σε κάποιο ψυχιατρείο… έψαχνε κι αυτός ο δύσμοιρος να βρει την εσωτερική του γαλήνη μέσα από ταξίδια στην Ινδία και ανατολίτικες φιλοσοφίες… ίσως αυτό το «πάρε – δώσε» με τα παραμύθια της Χαλιμάς, να τον οδήγησαν να γράψει τα δικά του παραμύθια σ΄ένα βάθος τριάντα και βάλε χρόνων και να μας τα παρουσιάσει…
Παραμύθια ή διηγήματα (όπως το πάρει κανείς), διαβάζονται αργά – αργά και όχι μονορούφι γιατί πέφτουν βαριά στο στομάχι. Ακολουθώντας την παράδοση πως τα παραμύθια δεν απευθύνονται σε παιδιά με αίσιον τέλος όπου «όλοι ζήσαν καλά κι εμείς καλύτερα», οι 22 ιστορίες του Έσσε (τουλάχιστον οι περισσότερες) είναι σκοτεινές, ενίοτε βίαιες, με τέλος όχι και τόσο αλέγκρο, με δράκους και θεριά, με ήρωες πληγωμένους και αποπροσανατολισμένους…
Οι φιλοσοφικές αναζητήσεις του συγγραφέα, ο εσωτερισμός του και γενικώς τα ψυχαναλυτικά ψαξίματά του είναι διάχυτα σχεδόν σε όλες τις ιστορίες του. Ο θάνατος και η μοναξιά, ο χρόνος που περνάει και χάνεται βασική θεματολογία του… Μα όσο μαύρα κι άραχνα κι αν είναι λες και κρατούν μέσα τους ένα ακτινοβόλο φως…
Καθώς τα «παραμύθια» καλύπτουν μία μεγάλη χρονική περίοδο (ήμουν νιος και γέρασα ένα πράγμα), και καθώς μ’αυτό τον τρόπο παρουσιάζονται στο βιβλίο (κατά χρονολογική σειρά), μπορεί κανείς να πιάσει και τις αλλαγές του Έσσε… προς το τέλος γίνεται πιο συνοπτικός, πιο σκαιός, πιο απαισιόδοξος, ίσως και πιο ώριμος… Ωστόσο εγώ λάτρεψα την ‘ανώριμη’ πλευρά του… τα πρώτα κομμάτια είχαν μεγαλύτερο ενδιαφέρον για μένα…
Εν κατακλείδει μου άρεσαν, είπαμε δεν διαβάζονται όλα μαζί, αλλά υπήρχαν στιγμές που κουράστηκα… Το «Σιντάρτα» συνεχίζει να είναι το master piece…
Η μετάφραση bingo! Bellissima!
3.5/5 είναι το δίκαιον, αλλά στην περίπτωση του Έσσε, το μισό πηγαίνει πάντα υπέρ του μαθηατή...

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fairy Tales of Hermann Hesse [1904-1918/95] - ★★★★1/2

Translated by Jack Zipes, this is a curious collection of fairy tales by Hermann Hesse on many themes, from doomed love, artistic dilemmas and power struggles, to mistaken identities, oppressive social conditions and the futility of war. These are definitely not one’s ordinary tales for children. While some tales follow a traditional route to telling a folklore tale (“The Dwarf”), others are completely sublime, metaphysical and full of otherworldly beauty and insight, mixing magical realism, romantic idealism and sci-fi concepts (there are even inter-planetary journeys); the examples of the latter are “The Beautiful Dream”, “The City” and “Faldum”, where the protagonists often undergo journeys of liberation and self-discovery, gaining forbidden knowledge.

Hesse takes his readers to distant lands, including to Venice and to China, and to completely imaginary cities. As the book progresses, the stories gain in seriousness, depth and imagination. While “If the War Continues” is Kafkaesque and deliciously absurd, “Faldum” (that has a special wish-granting procedure) and “Flute Dream” are both eerie and thought-provoking. Hesse’s curiosity about the human heart and soul is on full display in the stories, and even his anthropological insights (“The Forest Dweller”) are included. Although it is true that not every ending “works” in Hesse’s stories and the author has the tendency to end his stories rather abruptly, he still remains a wonderful story-teller who can easily imbue his stories with a sense of mystery, symbolism and allegories, providing interesting insights into the human nature, collective memory and spirituality, while also demonstrating the incessant longing of all human beings for meaning.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read one story from this collection of fairy tales each night before bed. I keep waiting for them to infiltrate my dreams and maybe they do, but so far I have not remembered. I do think about them though. My favorite tale from the book is about wishes. A stranger offers the people of a village each one wish. How do you think that tale develops? You kind of know because it's a story that we've all heard, right? It has become part of our collective consciousness. I learn by reading these tales, but I still don't know what I would wish for.

[Zahra Mohammadi · Rating 3 out of 5]

مجموعه افسانه های هرمان هسه بود که به نظرم واقعا بعضی از آنها رویایی و دوست داشتنی و بعضی با وجود ترجمه های خوب سروش حبیبی ثقیل . در مجموع سیدارتها رو بیشتر دوست داشتم من

[Rinda Elwakil · Rating 4 out of 5]

بديع، بديع..

To be reviewed .

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much can be learned from the ruminations of mountains....and everyone should write fairy tales for their time.

[Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whenever I’m feeling at my most lonesome, Hermann Hesse is there to stretch his open hand, muscles relaxed, out to me.

[ceyda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hesse can do no wrong

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like I would be better qualified to review this book if I had more of an understanding of the literary history of the fairy tale. As it stands, however, I know only enough about the genre to say that Hesse's collection is traditional in the sense that they are not really written with Disney-fed children in mind, as these tales are mostly serious in theme and happy endings are often wanting.

Like any collection of stories, I found some more powerful than others. "Faldum" was by far my favorite, a meditative musing on the impermanence of humanity and its desires as told through the story of a town visited by a magical wish-granter. Others that stuck with me include "Augustus," about a boy who experiences the curse of being loved by everyone, "Dr. Knoegle’s End," a wry cautionary tale about militant vegetarians, and "The Three Linden Trees," about the unshakable loyalty of a set of close brothers.

Anyone familiar with Hesse's broader body work will recognize his more dystopian concerns in tales that look at the evils of technology and war as well as the ways in which the demands of oppressive society cut men off from their spiritual roots. Being less idealistic than I was when I first discovered his work as a teenager, I found these stories didn't impact me as much as some of the more subtle pieces, with the exception of the strangely moving "If The War Continues." In this surreal piece, a man bearing the same name as Hesse's main character from the novel Demian responds to the reduction of his society to a perpetual war state in the most sane and rational way one could possibly imagine.

Recommended for fans of Hesse and the traditional fairy tale genre.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is really an abridgment of the main collection translated by Jack Zipes. This is a two cassette audio edition of narration with incidental guitar by Donovan. In order, the tales presented are "A Man By The Name Of Ziegler" (1908), "A Dream About The Gods" (1914), "Faldum" (1916), "The Poet" (1913) and "Flute Dream" (1914). This is the first time I ever dived into this material and I must say I much prefer the novels from Hesse, such as Steppenwolf, and Siddhartha. These just don't work for me, they seem somehow pained in their efforts to be poignant, poetic, and moralistic. The rather deep plots of an alchemist's seed, regretted wishes, and the urge to craft a perfect poem (shades of Goldmund here), are all for rather mature minds and not as plain as the category "fairy tale" suggests. These are more like long parables.

It almost feels - as much as I like an admire Donovan's vocal gifts - that is cooing, monotone deliver may have negatively affected these stories. I feel as I should read them or at least some of them myself some time.

[Bob Schnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went through a pretty serious Hermann Hesse stage in my late teens and twenties so my curiosity was piqued when I saw this on the library shelf as I was browsing. Now in my 50's, I wasn't sure if Hesse's "fairy tales" would appeal to me but I took a chance.

First, only two of the stories have anything close to fairies and Hans Christian Anderson or the Brothers Grimm might object to the title. The short stories range from meditations on civilization to longer tales of lives spent in search of perfection in an art, be it poetry, songs or painting. There are, of course, some morality tales with a definite Hesse flavor. And, in the grand tradition of European fairy tales, plenty of death, disfigurement and wishes gone awry. Some are short takes on Siddhartha and other Hesse novels.

I'm glad I picked it up but I doubt much of it will linger in my mind like the Hesse I read 30 years ago. Then, it was the right material at the right time for me. Now, these short stories are but a brief reminder of who I was and my exploration of philosophies outside of my Methodist upbringing.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had only read a few short stories by Hesse before picking up this book. Some of the stories are shocking. I want to know, for instance, what Hesse has aganist women and veganitarians. Honestly, really, what did vegans every do to him?

Most of the stories are excellent. My only complaint is the ordering of the stories. Zipes put them in publication/written order, which makes sense. The drawback, however, is that you are reading one too many anti-war stories in a row. There are not bad, but it is a surfiet of riches.

The best story, I think, was "The City".

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice collection of tales, but not for children. They all have hidden meanings, some are ironical, some are bitter, others are nostalgic and so on.

[Anand Ganapathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent set of stories by Herman Hesse. Very different from the conventional fairy tales ; liked the sudden twists in the plots and quirky ends ( some almost macabre like Roald Dahl )

[Ioana · Rating 5 out of 5]

1933, Nature as a religion

Nature, dreams, death. Here are at least three indispensable elements for the making of a Man.

As far as we know for now, nature is the Universe’s heartbeat. We live in it.

Erich Fromm, the German psychologist and writer, might have captured in writing an important function of dreams: ‘A dream is a microscope through which we look at the hidden occurrences in our soul.’ What he is trying to say, I think, is that dreams allow the hidden to emerge. We need to look into our dreams in order to let the pairing or succession of replayed events reveal a whirl of ideas never before imagined. Even modern research (https://www.pnas.org/content/104/18/7723) shows dreaming is the main culprit for boosting the power of associative mechanisms during a time span of only a few hours. In other words, to dream is to learn (about your soul).

Learning is akin to climbing a mountain, and those who stride to know themselves know nature: ”They knew all about the endless dark caves, about waterfalls without light in hidden chasms, about glaciers that split the land in two. They became familiar with the paths of the avalanches, and the unpredictable shifts in the weather, and what the country might expect in the way of heat and frost, water and growth, weather and wind — all this came from the mountain” (Faldum). The mountain is, of course, flawed. In the end, it slips away from the embrace of the clouds and collapses into the sea, under the witnessing gaze of an equally temporary sun. Which gaze is immortal?

However, reason (understanding of nature) is not enough. Memory of creation turns into myth, now with the density of dreams. And myth, Hesse propounds, lives not only in the people of Faldum, but also in the Mountain: “When he thought about the people, he felt the pain of a faint echo from past ages of the world. It was as if something had moved and love had not been understood, a dark, floating dream, as if he had also once been human or similar to a human, had sung and had listened to singing, as if the thought of mortality had once ignited his heart when he was very young.” The portrait of the dying mountain dreaming of humans is high praise to an ephemeral dream sequences cooking under the pressure of time. If the mountain dreams about humans and he was once a human, then the mountain is awake, for he dreams about himself.

Wishing is also dangerous business -after all, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

These extraordinary tales elevate Hesse not to a simple modern-day Perrault, but to a maven whose sensibilities are harmonized with the deepest secrets of Nature.

[Ayda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hermann Hesse, Demian kitabı ile hayatıma giren ve anında “çamur hakkında yazsaydı onu da okurdum” kategorimde yerini alan bir yazar. Bu kitap Hesse’nin farklı farklı dönemlerde yazmış olduğu, kronolojik olarak düzenlenmiş 25 adet masal var. Öncelikle şunu belirtmeliyim; kitabın adı Masallar olsa da ben bütün öykülerin masal niteliğinde olduğunu düşünmüyorum. Bazıları deneme gibi, bazıları kısa öykü gibi, bazıları da gerçekten masal gibiydi bana göre ve bütün kitaptan Grimm tadında masallar beklentisiyle başlarsanız hayal kırıklığı yaşayabilirsiniz. Bu farklılıklar her birinin farklı dönemde yazılmış olmasından kaynaklanıyor diye düşünüyorum. Hermann Hesse yazdıklarına kendi hayatından parçalar kattığından öykülerinde de ruh halinin, ilgi alanlarının, felsefik düşüncelerinin yansımalarını görmek mümkün.

Öykülerin veya masalların en beğendiğim özelliği insanlığa inceden hiciv niteliğinde olmaları oldu. Kent öyküsünün en beğendiklerimden biri olmasının sebebi de bu sanırım. Kitaptan diğer favorilerim ise Cüce, Ziegler Adında Biri ve Augustus, Kral Yu oldu. Demian yorumumda da söylemiştim, Hesse buhranlı, depresif bir yazardı ve eserlerinde bunu buram buram hissedebiliyorsunuz. Bunun sebebinin ise savaş olduğunu, hümanist düşünceleri yüzünden ülkesinden ayrı, sürgünde yaşaması olduğunu biliyoruz. Kısa kısa bu öykülerinde ve masallarında da savaş hakkındaki düşüncelerini, doğu kültürlerine ve mistisizmine olan ilgisini görebiliyorsunuz. Hermann Hesse, Kafka gibi yazarların kitaplarında eğer yazarın hayatına da hakim olursanız eserlerini çok daha iyi kavrayıp, çok daha iyi tahlillerde bulunabiliyorsunuz. Bu yüzden Hesse okuma gayeniz varsa yazarın hayatına da bir göz atmanızı önereceğim. Hesse’den okuyacağım bir sonraki kitap Siddhartha olacak ve şimdiden inanılmaz heyecanlı olduğumu söylemeden geçemeyeceğim.

[محمد · Rating 4 out of 5]

هل تعرف العازف الذي يمضي بين النغمات لاعالية والمنخفضة لاعبا بها بمهارة وقتما شاء؟ الرسام ��لذي يجمع بين الاشكال والالوان البسيطة والمعقدة لا يهمه ما يقوله النماس عن كل شكل على حدة انه ساذج او سخيف وانما يصنع لوحته بتناغم يصعد به ويهبط متلاعبا بمشاعر المتذوقين
كذلك هيرمان هسه في حكاياته. بين البساطة الواضحة ذات النبرة الوعظية المباشرة وبين الرمزية المعقدة شديدة الغموض حتى لا تكاد تفهم بين الاغراق في الوصف حتى يتحول النص للوحة مكتوبة مسطحة وبين التقرير في الصفة كفرض يعرفه القارئ لا يتذوقه هي عند الآخرين قد تكون عيوبا او عادات مذمومة في الكتابة
لكنها لدى هيرمان هسه هي اوتار يعزف عليها ضمن مقطوعاته كيفما شاء وحيثما شاء صانعا من النغمة التي تبدو وحدها نشازا جزءا من سيمفونيته الخاصة

الكتاب تجميع لمجموعة من الحكايات
(tales)
ليست كلها خرافية لكنها جميعا مكتوبة في صورة الحدوتة
بعضها ذو نبرة وعظية مباشرة كالامبراطورية التي يلخص فيها تاريخ المانيا قبيل الحرب العالمية الاولى
والبعض معقد لا استطيع الزعم انني فهمته اصلا
اسلوب عذب في جميع الاحوال. كراهية واضحة للحروب التي عاصر هذا الاديب اصعبهاسمو بالمشاعر الانسانية لافاق عالية. التقاط لابسط الاشياء كالكراسي
الترجمة رائعة بالمناسبة

[SJ L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hesse's brilliance in conveying timeless truths though simple prose apparently also works in short story form. I wonder about the "fairy tales" aspect of the title, I think this is actually just a collection of short stories. Some do have elements of fairly tales, but the form is unique. It's a blend of the classic fairy tale format, more modern adaptations (think Gabriel Garcia Marquez), and Hesse's own philosophies.
The book is filled with incredible stories, among my favorites are "The Dwarf" "The City""Agustus" "The Poet" and "The Forest Dweller." Some stories look at society as a whole, and others focus on the individual, showing Hesse's ability to examine both carefully.
This is a fantastic collection of stories that showcase Hesse's deep quest for the truth and his ability to convey being "enraptured by all this beauty" in small, yet eloquent and brilliant doses.

[Ash88 · Rating 5 out of 5]

وجدت وطني بين دفتي هذا الكتاب.

[مما قرأت · Rating 4 out of 5]

تحميل رواية الحكايات الخرافية لـ هرمان هيسه من هذا الرابط
http://goo.gl/XO2Dfp

[Malooda · Rating 3 out of 5]

كتاب جميل وغريب وقصص اغرب
فيها من تستوعب المعنى والمغزى وفيها رغم متعتك تبقة حائرا
ماذا يعني هنا او هناك
احببت الاغلب وبعضها لم احبها لانها...خلفت في نفسي طاقة سلبية
متشوقة لاقرأ له سد هارتا

[Nick Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, anthologies tend to be more miss than hit for me. But, when it incomes to one of my favorite authors, Hermann Hesse manages to hit directly and miss only by inches.

This collection of Fairy Tales is less traditional than it is adjacent to the style, but the overall themes stand true and Hesse manages to deliver a small treasure chest of thoughtful and impactful stories in the Fairy Tale realm.

The collection was back-heavy, but the first story, The Dwarf, hits the ground running and is a glimpse of what Hesse is capable of putting together. Unfortunately, the anthology takes a bit of time to gain traction. But, when it does, Hesse’ ability to navigate a fever dream plays well with the Fairy Tale ethos, and the depth at which he explores the self should be a welcome familiarity for fans.

My loose ratings are below, batched and sorted only by enjoyment and the order in which they appear in the book:

***
Augustus
Strange News From a Strange Planet
Faldum
If the War Continues
The Painter
Iris

**
The Dwarf
The Three Linden Trees
The Poet
Flute Dream
The Forest Dweller
The Difficult Path
The European
The Empire

*
Shadow Play
A Man by the Name of Ziegler
The City
Dr. Knoegle’s End
The Beautiful Dream
A Dream About the Gods
A Dream Sequence
The Fairy Tale About the Wicker Chair

In retrospect, it’s funny to see that almost all the titles with the word, ‘dream,’ in them were panned. It just so happens that the dreamlike moments in my three-star choices were highlights overall.

If you like Demian and Steppenwolf, make sure to read Augustus and Strange News From a Strange Planet. If you love Siddhartha or Narcissus and Goldmund, flip to Faldum, The Painter, and Iris. If you ever found yourself wishing there was some weird timeline where Hesse wrote a tribute to Kurt Vonnegut, head straight to If the War Continues and enjoy a hypothetical mashup of absurdity like no other.

I would not consider this an essential work of the author, but fans should find something to love. Definitely skip the intro if you haven’t read all of Hesse’ novels.

[Nada Nettour · Rating 5 out of 5]

"إن جميع الظواهر على الأرض هي رموز ، و جميع الرموز بوابات مفتوحة تستطيع أن تدخل منها الروح ، إذا كانت مستعدة إلى أعماق العالم ، حيث أنا و أنت واحد ليلا و نهارا . يصادف الجميع الباب المفتوح في أمكنة متفرقة في مجرى الحياة ، و يرى الجميع ، في وقت او آخر ، أن كل ما هو مرئي رمزي ، و أن الروح و الحياة الأبدية تعيشان خلف الرمز . و بالطبع ، قلة من الناس تدخل البوابة و تهجر الظاهرة الجميلة للعالم الخارجي إلى الواقع الداخلي الذي يحدسونه ."

[Marijana☕✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ocena dosta zavisi od raspoloženja koje mi je knjiga prenela, tako da je sentiment preovladao nad kvalitetom. I bajke braće Grim su mračne, ali su i bizarne, zabavne, daju neku nadu, dok se Heseove previše vrte oko smrti, ubistva, melanholije i bezizlaznih situacija.

[Marina the Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved Demian, The beads game, Siddharta. These tales did not spark for me.

[Abeer · Rating 5 out of 5]

هي حقا حكايات خرافية .. قصص تدور في معظمها في أجواء أسطورية .. ، وهناك قصص ربطت بين الخيال والواقع مثل "إذا استمرت الحرب" وهي تلك التي أعجتني جدا عن حال مواطن يعود لوطنه بعد انتهاء الحرب العالمية الأولى "1920" ليجد نفسه اعتقل بتهمة التنزه دون إذن ، ثم تقرر السلطات معاقبته بتجريده من إذن وجوده!
معظمها يغلفه الحزن ، وتطغى عليها مشاعر الألم والمعاناة الإنسانية ، والتي تتطلب من الإنسان الشجاعة والإقدام للتحرر من العذاب، عذاب الخضوع والمهانة .. وأقوى حكاية عبرت عن فضيلة الشجاعة وعدم الخوف من دخول التجربة والتطلع للمعرفة وعدم الاستسلام للأوهام التي يروج لها من يطلقون على أنفسهم كهنة ليخضعوا عقول الناس لسلطتهم ، وليحتفظوا لأنفسهم بسلطة الأمر والنهي ، والتربح من وراء ضعف البشرية ومن ثم استسلامها للجهل وضيق الأفق وفقر الخيال .. لنرى بطلاً فضل التمرد على سلطة من ادعى الكهنوت ، وبرغم كل ما تعرض له من أهل البلدة من هجوم وإعراض ، لدرجة النبذ ، فدفعه ذلك على الإصرار لاستكمال طريقه نحو هدفه " الشمس الساطعة التي لفحته ، والتي تعني هنا شمس الحقيقة التي رفض الجميع استكشافها والسعي إليها بسبب الخوف والجبن ، والإذعان لسلطة العجوز الماكر " الكاهن "
أدهشني في هيرمان هسه أنه ذكرني بمحفوظ ، في أسلوب التعبير عن الواقع بالخيال ، لتجنب الاشتباك مع السلطة الحاكمة ، وأيضا في نهاياته العبثية .. مثل لعب الظلال ، رجل اسمه زيغلر ،نهاية دكتور نويجل ،الشاعر
"شجرات الزيزفون الثلاثة"
"حلم عن الآلهة"
"أنباء غريبة من كوكب آخر"والممر الوعر
هؤلاء الثلاث قصص في داخلهم دعوة للتمسك بالقيم الإنسانية النبيلة
هناك قصتان رأيت أنهما تمثلان معنى المجموعة كلها وهما أغسطس ،والرسام والسوسن
الأبطال عند هيرمان هسه ليسوا دائما أشخاصا ،ة إنما اختار في " المدينة " وفالديوم " الأماكن لتعبر عن الرسالة التي يريد تبليغها للقاريء
هي من أروع ما قرأت .. استمتعت بها جدا ، والترجمة رائعة ونجحت في نقل المعنى دون مساس بتماسك النص وقوة بنيانه.