How to Ease into Hermann Hesse

 Herman Hesse is one of the greats in terms of all fiction for all time. 

When thinking of classical German literature in general, I think it's safe to say that the Germans are up there with Shakespeare without being as tough or as antiquated as Shakespeare. 

Part of that is a direct result of a fluke of translation: The translators spent a lot of time turning the old German tongue into modern English so that you don't have to! 

The Germans are ideas people. Shakespeare was a language-oriented writer. His ideas don't sound adequate without his elaborate use of English. The German greats, on the other hand, can stand on their ideas alone. 

The upshot is that these writers will be impressive for as long as humans exist, without the difficult process of carefully decoding them. 

I for one am not patient enough to sit and read Shakespeare, but I'm open to Kafka, Hesse and even Goethe, not to mention Raine Maria Rilke; all because they're so damn eternal and at the same time, earth-shaking. 

But listen closely! I'm about to let you in on a little secret. I have a shortcut for getting turned on to German literature. If it works for you,  then all the better, if it doesn't then that's fine too.

But here it is: 

Listento an audiobook read by Peter Weller titled "Steppenwolf" of the book's namesake. It's available on YouTube and because it's so multilayered, each page - or in the case of the audiobook - each new minute,  represents a new world. You will never grow bored with it. I often leave it on as I go to sleep.. 

You can avail yourself of the passive process of listen to it at your leisure and never grow tired of it if you're anything like me. It's a statement on modern life! It's an enduring statement on life in general! And it's so much easier to listen than it is to read. 

I hope this turns you into an enthusiast for classical German literature as it did for me!