Soul of the Age: Selected Letters of Herman Hesse, 1891-1962

Rating:
Summary: A good book for understanding Hesse
Review: Soul of Age contains a good selection of Hesse's letters that provide a very usefull introduction to Hesse. The translations are very good, and the introduction is informative and intresting. Some letters between Jung and Hesse are missing, but you can find them in Michael Serrano's book.

Rating:
Summary: Better than a biography
Review: This is an important book to have if you're a fan of Hesse. There are many personal letters collected here by a reknown Hesse scholar which shed light on Hermann Hesse the man, artist, and writer. These are also the sources for many biographers and it's good to have them available for those of us who like to form their own opinions and thoughts about Hesse's life and works from the man himself. Ziolkowski provides a nice, brief introduction, and reading these personal (often private) letters whether chronologically or at random, is like eavesdropping in on the life of a kindred soul and good friend. Together they create a well rounded, kaleidoscopic view of one of the Twentieth-Century's greatest and most respected writers.