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Die Gedichte
Als Lyriker war Hesse um die Jahrhundertwende angetreten, und Gedichte sind es auch, mit denen sein Lebenswerk im Sommer 1962 ausklingt. Mehr als tausend Gedichte hat er in diesen sechs Jahrzehnten geschrieben und etwa zwei Drittel davon in seine 14 verschiedenen Gedichtsammlungen aufgenommen. All diesen Versen gemeinsam ist ein unbeirrbares Bedürfnis, die hinter den Dissonanzen des Alltags verborgenen Ordnungen und Muster aufzuspüren, sie festzuhalten und ihre immanenten Rhythmen zum Erklingen zu bringen.
847 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2001
About the author
Hermann Hesse
1,855 books20.8k followersMany 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 14, 2023
Alle Bücher dieser Welt
Bringen dir kein Glück,
Doch sie weisen dich geheim
In dich selbst zurück.
Bringen dir kein Glück,
Doch sie weisen dich geheim
In dich selbst zurück.
September 12, 2015
Starting with the disclaimer that I have absolutely no interest in dissecting poems with respect to rhyme, structure, symbolism, whether the author was suffering from a headache when he/she wrote it, and what-not. A poem either speaks to me (on whatever level) or it doesn't.
With Hesse, I was curious to see how his poetry compared to his novels and how his poetry reflected the themes of his novels, because to my mind Hesse's novels are works of beauty but they are also very complex. I've been trying to write a review of Steppenwolf for several months now and just don't know where to start...
Anyway, the great thing about this collection is that it is a complete collection of all of the poems that Hesse wanted to publish. I have not counted but there seem to be 700+ of them and they are in chronological order. The order helps to relate the poems to different events in Hesse's life (if you want to do that) and to his novels.
What is stark with Hesse is there is not just the expected change in the themes and complexity of his work if you compare the early works with the later ones, but there is a marked differentiation of his approach to dealing with themes of darkness and isolation which interchange with other themes. The poems that tend to be on the "existential" side are the ones that draw me in most, simply because it seems Hesse doesn't need to try to compose them, they just seem to flow. It is this seemingly effortless expression of doubt, anger, frustration, anxiety and the simplicity in which he expresses them that are captivating.
By comparison, his love poetry (especially the early ones) kinda fail to persuade me that they were anything but writing exercises.
3.5*
With Hesse, I was curious to see how his poetry compared to his novels and how his poetry reflected the themes of his novels, because to my mind Hesse's novels are works of beauty but they are also very complex. I've been trying to write a review of Steppenwolf for several months now and just don't know where to start...
Anyway, the great thing about this collection is that it is a complete collection of all of the poems that Hesse wanted to publish. I have not counted but there seem to be 700+ of them and they are in chronological order. The order helps to relate the poems to different events in Hesse's life (if you want to do that) and to his novels.
What is stark with Hesse is there is not just the expected change in the themes and complexity of his work if you compare the early works with the later ones, but there is a marked differentiation of his approach to dealing with themes of darkness and isolation which interchange with other themes. The poems that tend to be on the "existential" side are the ones that draw me in most, simply because it seems Hesse doesn't need to try to compose them, they just seem to flow. It is this seemingly effortless expression of doubt, anger, frustration, anxiety and the simplicity in which he expresses them that are captivating.
By comparison, his love poetry (especially the early ones) kinda fail to persuade me that they were anything but writing exercises.
3.5*
January 1, 2024
Viele von Hesses Gedichte scheinen mir einfach flach und sprachlich eindimensional zu sein, aber dann gibt es die 3, 4, 5 Gedichte, die wirklich atemberaubend sind. Es kann sein, dass die Themen (Sehnsucht, Tod, Einsamkeit, Lust) viel zu repetitiv sind oder dass die Gedichte eher als ein Auffangbehälter für zu intensive Gefühle als Sprachschlösser wirken. Es kann auch sein, dass ich gefühlsmässig im Moment zu defensiv bin, um Hesse auf Augenhöhe in seiner Lyrikwelt treffen zu können.
Hesse ist kein Rilke, aber er hat ja auch keine Pflicht ein Rilke zu sein. Was ich aber wirklich schade finde, ist dass es ihm trotz des Gefühlsüberschwangs nicht gelingt viel in einem zu bewegen. Es scheint, dass Hesse seine Lyrik eher als ein privater Raum für seinen Schmerz/seine Gedanken erschaffen und nicht unbedingt als ein Werkzeug zur sprachlichen Erkundung und Erweiterung der Welt verstanden hat. Was absolut legitim ist, man kann sich wahrscheinlich als Leser gut darin widerspiegeln und teilweise auch Bestätigung finden, bloss ich kann ihm wenig und relativ ungern jetzt auf diesem Weg des Jammerns folgen, vor allem wenn ich darüber nachdenke, dass Rilke, Rimbaud, Celan, Amichai, Bishop und Lorde aus dem Bücherstapel emporschauen.
"Im Nebel" bleibt trotz alledem ein absolutes Lieblingsgedicht, am besten von Otto Sander vorgelesen. Das höre ich mir auch jetzt mehrmals am Tag an. Absoluter Hammer.
Mal schauen wie es nun mit den Gedichten weitergeht, ob der Funke doch überspringt?
Hesse ist kein Rilke, aber er hat ja auch keine Pflicht ein Rilke zu sein. Was ich aber wirklich schade finde, ist dass es ihm trotz des Gefühlsüberschwangs nicht gelingt viel in einem zu bewegen. Es scheint, dass Hesse seine Lyrik eher als ein privater Raum für seinen Schmerz/seine Gedanken erschaffen und nicht unbedingt als ein Werkzeug zur sprachlichen Erkundung und Erweiterung der Welt verstanden hat. Was absolut legitim ist, man kann sich wahrscheinlich als Leser gut darin widerspiegeln und teilweise auch Bestätigung finden, bloss ich kann ihm wenig und relativ ungern jetzt auf diesem Weg des Jammerns folgen, vor allem wenn ich darüber nachdenke, dass Rilke, Rimbaud, Celan, Amichai, Bishop und Lorde aus dem Bücherstapel emporschauen.
"Im Nebel" bleibt trotz alledem ein absolutes Lieblingsgedicht, am besten von Otto Sander vorgelesen. Das höre ich mir auch jetzt mehrmals am Tag an. Absoluter Hammer.
Mal schauen wie es nun mit den Gedichten weitergeht, ob der Funke doch überspringt?
July 24, 2020
Gedichte, Mensch und viel Liebe...
August 16, 2017
I felt like reading poetry today so I picked this tome up from my bookshelf - I don't know. I prefer his prose over his poems. I really like his way to depict nature and the seasons though and sometimes his most random poems seemed to appeal the most to me. My favorites are probably the one about the oak tree that stands tall and proud although it has been cut short so many times in its life (it reminds me of my dad because it applies to his personality and he identifies oak trees with our family because he says they are strong) and the other poem where he talks about how everything, the trees and stones and people, stand in loneliness when it's foggy outside and you can't see what is next to you.
As usual with male poets, I kind of cringe at the poems about women, but only because I have a hard time to put myself in their shoes. So it is totally subjective (as always with poetry). But still. They are kitschy as hell.
He has a lot of poems where he describes illness and his fear of death and seems really depressed and I didn't read all of those.
As usual with male poets, I kind of cringe at the poems about women, but only because I have a hard time to put myself in their shoes. So it is totally subjective (as always with poetry). But still. They are kitschy as hell.
He has a lot of poems where he describes illness and his fear of death and seems really depressed and I didn't read all of those.
February 2, 2014
Jeder, der einen Roman von Hermann Hesse gelesen hat, weiß dass einer seiner Lieblingsthemen die Einsamkeit ist und diese Sammlung durch James Wright von einige Gedichte von Hesse zeigt das. Es ist oft gesagt, dass ein Gedicht ist der kürzeste Roman und das ist sicherlich richtig über einige von Hesse Gedichte. Er erreicht der Seele des Leser in weniger als zwanzig Verse und liefert eine kraftvolle Botschaft. Ich empfehlen es.
October 28, 2014
Ein paar ganz nette Gedichte. Dann ein paar sehr schöne Gedichte aber leider sonst eher weniger tolle Gedichte. Hesse schreibt sehr depressiv und Vieles wiederholt sich bei ihm. Naja. Nicht mein Fall.
September 7, 2008
Hesses Gedichte in einem sehr umfassenden, aber kompakten Band. Neben vielen unbekannten auch die berühmten "Stufen" oder "Im Nebel"
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews