Narcissus and Goldmund
Hailed by The New York Times as “his greatest novel,” this is Hermann Hesse’s masterpiece of morality, freedom, love, and the struggles of being human.
Narcissus and Goldmund tells the story of two medieval men with an unlikely friendship. Narcissus, a monk, is quietly content with his religion and simple life. Goldmund, a restless student, is in fervent search of more worldly salvation.
Encouraged by Narcissus to reconnect with himself and his past, Goldmund sets off on a physical and spiritual journey that leads him to a dangerous love affair; a harrowing encounter with the horrors of the Black Death; and the realization that, above all else, he wants to create art. Eventually, Goldmund returns to the monastery and Narcissus—not as a monk, but as an artist.
This conflict between flesh and spirit, between emotional and contemplative man, was a life study for Hermann Hesse. It is a theme that transcends all time.
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Community Reviews
"All existence seemed to be based on duality, on contrast... No one could breathe in at the same time as he breathed out, be a man as well as a woman, experience freedom as well as order, combine instinct and mind. One always had to pay for one with the loss of the other, and one thing was always just as important and desirable as the other" (247).
I am so happy to say I have finally finished this book. I lost it for years before finding it when I moved in March, among my boyfriend's possessions. He never even knew he had it! This book is a treasure to me. My aunt gifted it to me when I was a freshman in high school, and inside of the cover, there is a beautiful love note written by her husband. Uncle David wrote in 1996 that this book helped him discover the man he is. I find this as profound as the book itself, thinking over Hesse's and my uncle's life.
The imagery from this novel has stuck with me constantly over the years that I read it. I honestly feel that I might learn even more from reading it when I am older. Narcissus and Goldmund is a fascinating exploration of faith, life, and death. The element of this book that I found most lacking was love, as it existed in a very different way than I expected. Disregarding that, I found that this book opened my mind to new concepts that had not existed there before, especially when I had started reading it at 14 years old. This book is the reason why Hesse became my favorite author.
I am so happy to say I have finally finished this book. I lost it for years before finding it when I moved in March, among my boyfriend's possessions. He never even knew he had it! This book is a treasure to me. My aunt gifted it to me when I was a freshman in high school, and inside of the cover, there is a beautiful love note written by her husband. Uncle David wrote in 1996 that this book helped him discover the man he is. I find this as profound as the book itself, thinking over Hesse's and my uncle's life.
The imagery from this novel has stuck with me constantly over the years that I read it. I honestly feel that I might learn even more from reading it when I am older. Narcissus and Goldmund is a fascinating exploration of faith, life, and death. The element of this book that I found most lacking was love, as it existed in a very different way than I expected. Disregarding that, I found that this book opened my mind to new concepts that had not existed there before, especially when I had started reading it at 14 years old. This book is the reason why Hesse became my favorite author.
