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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A rough diamond from early Hesse, August 25, 2004
This review is from: Peter Camenzind: A Novel (Paperback)
As far as Hesse goes, he is one of my favorite authors of all-time, and so I have to say that "three stars" is only relative to his later masterpieces which all deserve five. Three stars means this is a good novel (well worth reading), but only mediocre in relation to the more highly developed and complex novels Hesse would begin writing with Demian, or perhaps even Rosshalde. Peter Camenzind is a bildungsroman (a novel of youth) mirroring Hesse's own youth, making it an essential novel to read if you're at all interested in Hesse's development as an author (this is his first full-length novel). It stands on its own as an interesting biography of a young man's life journey, relating his unique and picturesque village life in the Swiss Alps, his first romantic love interests, hopes, dreams, and aspirations. We follow Peter Camenzind from his rural village life into the city life of a student, traveller, and worker. He meets various influential personalities along the way, especially the student Richard, with whom he has many artistic and philosophical discussions in cafes and taverns. Wandering in Tuscany, he will be taken in by the sweet Signora Nardini with whom he spends many fruitful hours; and in the end, will meet and care for Boppi, a helpless hunchback who will change his life forever.
The deeper purpose of this novel seems clear when one looks at it as a sort of therapeutic expurgation by a 26 year old Hesse. On the whole it is somewhat scattered and unbalanced, and I wished that the characters Peter meets were more fully developed (especially the women). Sometimes the peripheral scenery begs for more detail and interaction (for example, Hesse skips out on Peter's Parisian adventures altogether!). Nevertheless, there are many poetic and sentimental flourishes here which are extraordinarily delightful to read, making Peter Camenzind a diamond in the rough. Most importantly, you'll find Hesse's own lifelong statement of purpose in Chapter 7: "As you know, it had been my hope to write a work of some length in which I intended to bring closer to people the grandiose and mute life of nature, that they might love it." This type of novel which focuses on one individual's growth is common in German and European literature and is a genre some American readers may or may not find enjoyable. I for one, find them highly interesting and instructional because of their absolute concentration upon one individual's life and times, and often find myself attached to the main character by the end of the novel; which was the case with Peter Camenzind even on my second reading. Read Peter Camenzind for Hesse's burgeoning poetry, the introduction of themes and motifs such as the quest for religion and meaning, which he will repeat later on, and most importantly, for the shear pleasure of reading a quality novel you will want to read more than once.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of Hesse's best works!, March 17, 2004
This review is from: Peter Camenzind: A Novel (Paperback)
I love this novel so much. The very first paragraph gripped me and made me feel very small in a great way. Hesse's description of the mountain range that forms the character of Peter Camenzind is stunning. Like most of Hesse's work, this is a tale of travel and growth of a wandering soul searching for something meaningful. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes truly crafted literature.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
beautiful work, May 19, 2005
This review is from: Peter Camenzind: A Novel (Paperback)
Hesse never fails in aesthetics in his language. Especially after reading modern American novels, whose language is filled with profanity and vulgarity, Hesse's works are like fresh mountain water. This book doesn't fail you either in that respect. It is simple, very easy to read, nothing heavy, yet it has enough depth to satisfy your intellectual spiritual needs. It came to me like a relief especially after reading Faulkner's Light in August.
Although the plot is simple, his quest for love and growth is so sincere, so pure and fresh, which really is the power of this novel, and that power captivates the reader's heart.
The protagonist Peter Carmenzind is naive and touchy and single-minded youth, destined to spend his life as a wanderer/bachelor. He doen't quite fit in the society/community in which he was born and raised, nor in the society in which he seeks refuge in the future. He finds love and friendship in one person at a time (he is not a wide and shallow socialite), but he loses each of them one by one, and he goes through turmoil each time, and falls into heavy drinking. Gradually he regains strength and finds true love and devotion to humanity.
What is so compelling is that each time he finds someone to love, whether it be romantic love or friendship, he devotes himself single-mindedly, and loves that person with his whole heart. That's why he's so devastated when he loses love.
His devotion to the cripple Boppi is particularly moving. This kind of love is rarely written about in novels these days.
The beginning part is sort of slow, with the descriptions of landscapes, general characteristics of the village and its people, but Hesse's poetic language makes it so musical and pleasant. One hardly cares if the story ever moves forward or not. HIs love of nature and life, which is the core of his language, is well established in this work.
It is a work that Hesse had written when he was young, and one can tell that, but it is still a great work. The protagonist is growing after each crisis, and the reader will grow with him. One of my professors said that Hesse is probably the only writer that would make you feel good after reading, and I have to agree with him 100%. You will meet young, promising, uncontaminated Hesse in this book, which will make you feel really good.
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