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The Glass Bead Game: (Magister Ludi) A Novel Paperback – December 6, 2002

by
Hermann Hesse (Author)
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Hermann Hesse (Author),
Richard Winston (Translator)
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Richard Winston (Translator), Clara Winston (Translator),
4.2 out of 5 stars 186 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 558 pages
  • Publisher: Picador; Reprint edition (December 6, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312278497
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312278496
  • Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 0.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (186 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #33,372 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsChallenging, but beautifully visionary
By Brian Sharp on February 20, 2002
Format: Paperback
First: From a prose point of view, I found the first 50 to 100 pages of this translation to be very difficult going. More astute readers would probably pick up on the subtle humor (Ziolkowski mentions it in his introduction) but I found it dry and tough going. I mention this because I've run into a number of people who say, "I really wanted to like it, but I couldn't even make it past the first 50 pages!" If you find this to be the case, just grin and bear it: Know that after the first 100 pages the book picks up considerably in pace.
I won't comment on the book's philosophical corollaries or references, since others better versed in such things have already done so, better than I could.
Rather, one of the aspects of the book that I found particularly compelling is the Game itself and the ideas behind it.
The Glass Bead Game, as Hesse describes it, is a meditation, seemingly both competitive and collaborative, on different fields of knowledge, where the point is to take concepts from otherwise disparate disciplines and associate them in creative, profound ways -- finding a pattern shared rhythmically by a piece of Baroque music and spatially by ancient Chinese architecture, say.
An observation I've made over time is that of all the people I know, those that I would say are possessed by genius all share a common trait, the ability, to use the cliche, to "Think Outside the Box." To realize new, previously unseen associations between things is a quality of a great mind, and here Hesse acknowledges the value of this talent, elevating it even to an artform (though I suppose the Castalian players in the novel would firmly call it "post-art".Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsHesse's Best
By Tony Theil on December 5, 2003
Format: Paperback
When in my 30s, after having read several of Hesse's novels, I attempted to read The Glass Bead Game. I couldn't get past the first 50 pages. I was unprepared to accept Hesse as a humourist and satirist. Now, approaching 60 and having learned not to take life or Hesse so seriously, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and consider it Hesse's greatest. A mature Hesse, who understood life's ironies, wrote The Glass Bead Game for a mature audience, who could laugh at life's ambiguities.
The Glass Bead Game is comprised of a novel, 13 poems, and 3 short stories. I think the reader would enjoy the novel more by reading the book in reverse order, starting with the three short stories: The Rainmaker, The Father Confessor, and The Indian Life. The underlying theme of the stories is that the forfeiture of self, or self-interest, leads to redemption or an awakening.
The poems superbly unite the novel's cultural, spiritual, and mental perspectives. Hesse's best known poem "Stages" is included. Here's a four line excerpt:
"If we accept a home of our making,
Familiar habit makes for indolence.
We must prepare for parting and leave-taking
Or else remain the slaves of permanence."
The novel is set in the future and located in the sequestered province of Castalia. This is a world of academia that consists of theory, analysis, interpretation, and debate - all elements of "the game". Absent from Castalia are action, creativity, originality, and experiment.
The protaganist, Joesph Knecht is raised in this culture. He also lived at a couple of subcultures outside Castalia. At Bamboo Grove, under Elder Brother's tutelage he learned to meditate, play I-Ching, read Chuang Tzu, and learn Chinese studies.Read more ›
9 Comments 300 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
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5.0 out of 5 starsHesse's Magnum Opus
By William Kostenko on November 17, 2002
Format: Paperback
This book is to Hesse as "The Brothers Karamazov" is to Dostoevsky. Throughout it are the same ideas that have been put forth in earlier works, often with similar characters, but with a fuller and more articulate expression than before. Like Dostoevsky, he finally figured out how to say *everything* he had to say in one volume. So it comes as no surprise that those only concerned with certain aspects (particularly the more spiritual ones) of Hesse's writing would find it disjointed and tedious. If you want to read more of Hesse's stories about tormented and/or confused souls looking for meaning in the world, this isn't your book - go reread Damien and Steppenwolf. This book has that esoteric search, but its main character, Joseph Knecht, pursues this search as a curiousity and not out of some desperate need. I'm sure that's why several people seem to find him lacking compared to other Hesse protagonists - they're expecting a conflict in him that isn't there.
As I read these other reviews I find it fascinating that everyone seems to come away from the book with such different things that they were struck with. In my case, this was the socio-political commentary. Through this book, Hesse comments on our own time and on a fictional opposite to it, thoroughly exposing the flaws in both. I remember most distinctly Knecht's letter of resignation from Magister Ludi, where he tells his colleagues that although they understand the importance of their society's existence, they made the fatal mistake of not educating the people who support them. That they cannot take the existence of what they have for granted, for the day would eventually come when all they built would be dismantled.Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Classic

Published 7 days ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsAmazing Experience

This book is a experience through a land that is different from our own in beautifully hidden ways. I loved it.

Published 1 month ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsTimeless excellence

This story struck me as subtle yet made a powerful impression. I was also impressed with how it was written decades ago yet felt like it could have been written today. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Darkon
1.0 out of 5 starsBiography

Not at all what I was expecting, but did have a few interesting points to Mae about music and meditation.

Published 3 months ago by Patricia S. Wedertz
1.0 out of 5 starsSo disappointed - bought this solely because it won a Pulitzer

So disappointed - bought this solely because it won a Pulitzer. Writing was heavy handed and the vocabulary condescending. Read more

Published 3 months ago by L. Beth Stock
2.0 out of 5 starsPrint too small and typos

This is a fantastic book that I highly recommend. HOWEVER, in this particular version of the book, the print is quite small and there are a number of misprints/typos. Read more

Published 4 months ago by jordan s.
3.0 out of 5 starsI haven't read it yet but I have read several of his other novels and...

Honestly, I haven't read it yet but I have read several of his other novels and he is a great author (The Glass Bead Game . . .)

Published 5 months ago by BlueJay590
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Great

Published 5 months ago by Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 starsNot Fast Paced, but Definitely Interesting

I used this book for my final project for AP English my Senior year. It's not the quickest or most exciting read, but it's definitely interesting and gives a really cool... Read more

Published 6 months ago by Zach
5.0 out of 5 starsOne of the best.

Magister Ludi. One of the best.

Published 7 months ago by Amelia Fargo

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