Peter Camenzind: A Novel

And forever one of my Favorites. Like Peter I spent my early years on a small farm near a small town in a small state called Ohio (which means "Good Morning" in Japanese and my father fought against the Japanese in the Pacific in WWII make of that what you will, Synchronicity Buffs.Unfortunately I was born in 1950 and Societal Change has left me with no home to go home to now that I grow old.I envy Peter his Ouroboric Odyssey and so wil YOU!

Hesse's first book is an enjoyable novel about youth in search of the ideal and touched by the romantic. Written by Hesse in 1904 when he was 26, it is a precursor to his famous works. In Peter Camenzind, Hesse reveals a naivety, innocence and humor that is rarely found in his later writings.Here is an excerpt that relects the lyrical quality of young Hesse: "These thoughtless words made me realize that the helpless cripple, beseeching, suffering Boppi, whom we did not love, whom we wanted to get rid of, sat sad and alone, locked in one room....And then I remembered that I had told the neighbors in Assisi about St. Francis and had boasted that he had taught me to love all mankind. Why had I studied the saint's life and learned by heart his hymn to love and tried to retrace his footsteps in the Umbrian hills, when I allowed a poor and helpless creature to lay there suffering though I could help him? The weight of an invisible, mighty hand fell on my heart, crushing it with shame and hurt, and I began to tremble. I know that God wanted a word with me."

Like many of Hesse’s novels, “Peter Camenzind” is a Bildungsroman, literally a “novel of education” wherein we witness the coming-of-age of the eponymous protagonist. As seems to be the case with Hesse, the protagonist develops while other characters tend not to; rather, they serve the purpose of driving the maturation of Peter Camenzind, particularly his friendship with Boppi. Hesse spares details when they do not contribute directly to this growth; the most fleshed-out portions deal with the thoughts and emotions of Peter Camenzind himself as he goes from the rural mountain village to one city after another before realizing the village is where he truly belongs.Overall, “Peter Camenzind”” is a good but not great Hesse novel. A lot of the themes expressed here are developed more thoroughly in later novels. If you are new to Hesse, I recommend reading “Siddhartha” and/or “Narcissus and Goldmund” first. If you are already a Hesse fan, by all means read this book.

If you are just getting into Hesse; I would not read this book first...or 2nd. I guess it was his first novel. Gets slow at times and I almost put it down. But I really enjoyed the end.

I am a huge fan of Hesse. However, this book was a little dry and I didn't find it as philosophical as many of his other works. Granted he has written a great many excellent books in my opinion so maybe I had to high expectations. If you haven't read Siddhartha yet read it first. But, Camenzind's journey while interesting is not a page turner per say. Three stars because while it is not my favorite book, it does teach many great lessons as Hesse usually does a great job doing in his works.

I am most happy with my order. Having read Hesse's major novels I was delighted to find some more of his work to enjoy.

I read it for a book club. Beautifully written but doesn’t have a plot. Still I enjoyed its meditative nature and stunning descriptions of nature and friendships.

Phenomenal. This book was recommended by a friend and it drew me in so seamlessly. It's a beautiful book and so thoughtfully written, it is poetry to read. Reading this brought me more fully to myself.

Peter Camenzind was Hesse's first major book and should be read with that in mind. If you want to get to know the author's growth trajectory and how his thinking changed over the years this is a good read. If you want a novel written with bend towards romanticism, which still offers some deep and challenging questions of ourselves, then well worth the time.