Klingsor's Last Summer

Klingsors letzter sommer

The book consists of two parts. "Klingsor's Last Summer" is a novella written by Hesse in 1919. The First World War had just ended, and the world was still recovering from the chaos. Millions of soldiers, prisoners of war, and civilians, emerging from years of rigid, uniformed obedience, returned to a freedom they both longed for and feared. Some young people, torn away by the war in their childhood, now "returned" to face a completely unfamiliar reality. For an "old man" like Hesse, the worldviews he once held in high regard had become ridiculous and outdated. Everything became questionable, unsettling and dreadful. In such a summer, a summer of farewell, filled with power and brilliance, allure and charm, and suffused with the aroma of southern sunshine and wine, the painter Klingsor, embodying the image of Li Bai, wandered, drank, and debated with his friends Du Fu, Louis, and an Armenian astrologer. Finally, at the end of summer, exhausting all his life's fuel, he completed his final painting.
The second part, "Wanderings", is a collection of essays and poems written by Hesse.
This is the first collection of autobiographical works by Nobel Prize winner Hesse in China. Following "Siddhartha" and "The Joy of Garden", this is a masterpiece you cannot miss.
This book is about summer, colors, dreams, as well as wine, poetry and art; it is perhaps Hesse's most imaginative work, with the text intertwined and blurred like a palette.
In this book, you can meet not only Hesse himself, but also Li Bai, Du Fu, and an Armenian astrologer. Whether you are an ignorant teenager or a calm old man, you can find your own self-portrait in this book.

2019-01-01

天津人民出版社

Guomai Culture

168

9787201142708