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chris_dech 's review for:
Demian
by Hermann Hesse
As interesting as Hesse's idea may be, Demian ultimately falls short of expectations.
In all fairness, I am mostly comparing this book to Siddhartha, which I think is a great book, but alas, Demian lacks any sense of personal significance and individualism.
Hesse ultimately muddles the message of individual discovery and the necessity of unique, personal experiences with Sinclair's various interactions. Between his three main "teachers," so to speak, none of them feel as though Sinclair is actually learning for himself, as compared to Siddhartha. Siddhartha feels like an individual, one with his own thoughts and goals; this much is very clear in the beginning. In contrast, Sinclair feels secondary to his own story because he never seems to do anything, but simply floating along in the story.
And in some ways, Hesse does point to this, but that does not fix the problem of Sinclair's personal enlightenment in the end.
And while one may appreciate the themes of brotherly love and the need for self-discovery, everything just feels thrown together. The dreams, the Freudian sort of experience in the end, even just the various encounters Sinclair has with Demian, none of it feels like it's driven by Sinclair or carries weight.
Strachan's translation is serviceable; nothing special, but definitely reads naturally and nicely. No complaints here.
In the end, a disappointing read, but not terrible.
In all fairness, I am mostly comparing this book to Siddhartha, which I think is a great book, but alas, Demian lacks any sense of personal significance and individualism.
Hesse ultimately muddles the message of individual discovery and the necessity of unique, personal experiences with Sinclair's various interactions. Between his three main "teachers," so to speak, none of them feel as though Sinclair is actually learning for himself, as compared to Siddhartha. Siddhartha feels like an individual, one with his own thoughts and goals; this much is very clear in the beginning. In contrast, Sinclair feels secondary to his own story because he never seems to do anything, but simply floating along in the story.
And in some ways, Hesse does point to this, but that does not fix the problem of Sinclair's personal enlightenment in the end.
And while one may appreciate the themes of brotherly love and the need for self-discovery, everything just feels thrown together. The dreams, the Freudian sort of experience in the end, even just the various encounters Sinclair has with Demian, none of it feels like it's driven by Sinclair or carries weight.
Strachan's translation is serviceable; nothing special, but definitely reads naturally and nicely. No complaints here.
In the end, a disappointing read, but not terrible.