C.G. Jung and Hermann Hesse: A Record of Two Friendships [Paperback]

Miguel Serrano (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1966

Miguel Serrano, a Chilean diplomat and writer who has traveled widely in India studying Yoga, had a close friendship with Jung and Hesse at the end of their lives. This book is the outcome of his meetings and correspondence with them. Many letters are reproduced including documents of great importance written to the author by Jung shortly before his death, explaining his ideas about the nature of the world and of his work.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Miguel Serrano, a Chilean diplomat and writer who has travelled widely in India studying Yoga, had a close friendship with Jung and Hesse at the end of their lives. This book is the outcome of his meetings and correspondence with them. Many letters are reproduced including documents of great importance written to the author by Jung shortly before his death, explaining his ideas about the nature of the world and of his work. -- About the Author --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Miguel Serrano, a Chilean diplomat and writer who has traveled widely in India studying Yoga, had a close friendship with Jung and Hermann Hesse at the end of their lives. This book is the outcome of his meetings and correspondence with them. Many letters are reproduced, including a document of great importance written to the author by Jung shortly before his death, explaining his ideas about the nature of the world and of his work.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Schocken Books (June 1966)
• ISBN-10: 0805201920
• ISBN-13: 978-0805201925
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,819,056 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Enlightening!, October 26, 1999

By 

Chuk Bald'ock - See all my reviews

This review is from: C.G. Jung and Hermann Hesse (Paperback)

I picked this up because I had read several books by Hesse and was interested in Mr. Serrano's personal experiences with the Master. I found his writing to be quite engaging, and felt as if I had met Hesse myself. The section on Jung piqued my interest enough for me to search for his, The Undiscovered Self, which I loved as well. I also went on to read Mr. Serrano's, The Ultimate Flower. Unfortunately most of Serrano's other works are out of print. Get this before it goes o.o.p. too. You won't regret it.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Hermetic Circle, February 18, 2006

By 

OAKSHAMAN "oakshaman" (Algoma, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: C.G. Jung and Hermann Hesse (Paperback)

_This is the second time that I have read this remarkable book. Both times I found myself envying the author for having established friendships with two of my greatest heroes, two of the greatest sages of modern times, Hermann Hesse and C.G. Jung.

_This is not some collection of trivial exchanges- from the first meeting with both men the tone of the conversations were deep and significant. As the author says, it was like he had known both men before and they were resuming an old discussion. Hess himself commented on it and said that, "Here, only the right guests meet. This is the Hermetic Circle...." Sounds rather like Jung's concept of synchronicity, though Jung also speaks of Hermetic links with past and future in these discussions.

_While both sections cover a remarkable amount of the core meaning of the life work of both men, there is also a personal sense here. You feel like you are meeting them yourself, are also guests in their houses. Not that the ideas are all rehash either- here and there something new pops up. An example would be how in one of the interviews with Jung the discussion turned to how both the ancient Greeks and the Native Americans both thought from their hearts and not their heads. Thinking exclusively from one's head is the result of dissociation between ego and Self- and sets up a tension that may tear a person or culture to pieces. In any case, you feel that you know both men. Of course, Hesse's novels were autobiographical in the deepest sense (and it is reaffirming to know that he actually was an accurate reflection of his characters- it wasn't just a show.) As for Jung, he states outright that he wrote primarily for his own process of individuation and that the fact that so many others read him made him frankly uncomfortable.

_I was glad to see that my own perceptions of these often misunderstood and misinterpreted men seem to have been accurate from the start. For me too it was like a conversation with old friends- relinking with the Hermetic Circle.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars crossroads of history, April 13, 2003

By 

charles ross (cincinnati, oh United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: C.G. Jung and Hermann Hesse (Paperback)

Serrano was a writer and diplomat who sought out 2 masters as a spiritual/philosophic seeker. Fascinating biography, mixed with Serrano's own fixations.

Serrano later fixated on Adolph Hitler, so there certainly seems to be a germanic bent that he followed. Read "Black Sun" to see the strange path MS took after his encounters with Hesse and Jung.