After more than a decade, I decided to reread Narcissus and Goldmund by Herman Hesse, my favorite author. What I love about Hesse is the way he uses interesting stories to explore deep philosophical topics and in a beautifully formed sentences. Here are fresh impressions without delving too much into spoilers in case anyone of you decides to give it a go.
The book is set in Germany in the Middle Ages, it starts in a monastery and later on follows the journeys of the protagonist. It's a story about two friends from the title who are complete opposites but fond of each other and are attempting to understand each other's perspective. Narcissus is a thinker and ascetic, while Goldmund is impulsive and follows his emotions.
“We are sun and moon, dear friend; we are sea and land. It is not our purpose to become each other; it is to recognize each other, to learn to see the other and honor him for what he is: each the other's opposite and complement.”
It begins with Goldmund who is brought to the monastery by his father to attend school and dedicate his life to serving God. His mother fled when he was a boy, and he suppressed the memory of her, but it slowly starts resurfacing in certain moments (intertwined with the image of the primordial mother, the Virgin Mary). The complex of his mother (about whom he only heard the worst things and whose sins he was destined to atone for) is especially evident through his experiences with women and his insatiable need for passionate love affairs.
The mental connection between Narcissus and Goldmund never ceases, even when one roams the world and the other serves in the monastery. Are the numerous, crazy adventures we indulge in worthless, and is that life wasted? Are passionate love affairs cheap and perverse, or can they lead to a certain understanding of true love? How can sensory experiences awaken the artist in a person? On the other hand, does abstaining from sensory experiences limit a person's potential for complete spiritual fulfillment? These are questions raised in the novel. It beautifully illustrates how personality is formed through the experiences we choose and how each of us has purpose that drives them.
The book primarily follows Goldmund's life (a libertine wanderer with a free spirit, that prefers to roam the world instead of staying in one place) rather than Narcissus (devoted to God, somewhat proud, ascetic, wise, and intuitive), so you know what to expect. If you are more of a thinking type (MBTI), the book probably won't impress you, although it can still be interesting. If you are more of a feeling type, then this book will give you a painfully beautiful experience.
It blew me away completely. The book is full of painful intensity, sometimes brutal, told through the experiences of a man who only knows how to completely surrender to his feelings. Every sentence is poetically inspired and vivid, whether it's describing nature, monastery, depictions of villages and people ravaged by the plague, descriptions of statues and works of art, or descriptions of love's enthusiasm...
Hesse explores the relationship between the spirit, renunciation, higher ideals on one side, and love, free spirit, indulgence in sins on the other. The relationship between science and art, formulas and vivid images. What is more valuable for achieving spiritual elevation — artistic works that resist the ravages of time or logical reasoning and thought processes?
“We fear death, we shudder at life's instability, we grieve to see the flowers wilt again and again, and the leaves fall, and in our hearts we know that we, too, are transitory and will soon disappear. When artists create pictures and thinkers search for laws and formulate thoughts, it is in order to salvage something from the great dance of death, to make something last longer than we do.”
Although the very interesting plot leads the story, its primary thread lies in philosophy and the search for meaning that the protagonist seeks by analyzing his fate and events that stir his heart.
It was one of my favorite books after the first reading during the college days, and now it has probably taken the top spot. I recommend it to everyone.
Rating: 4.75/5