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A review by norvis13
The Glass Bead Game by Hermann Hesse
4.0
"The Glass Bead Game" is an engrossing but occasionally unfocused work, a fictional biography from the future. Its subject is Joseph Knecht, the Magister Ludi of the Glass Bead Game, a scholarly/aesthetic puzzle "played" (where playing is understood as constructing elaborate theses) by linking apparently disparate subjects. Hesse's prose is exquisite, and the story is deeply compelling in a strange, circular, quasi-religious way (Hesse's fascination with Asian mysticism is clearly evident, both overtly in his "history" of ideological development and more subtly to scholars of the subject, particularly Buddhism). Knecht is a compelling protagonist, and the other chief characters (though few in number) are depicted with a warmth and vitality that is a delight to read.
The main problem with the book is its format. Hesse is deeply faithful to his mock-biographical format, and the end of the narrative of Knecht's life is (for me, at least) deeply unsatisfying. This is actually made worse by the fact that appended to the end of the narrative are Knecht's "posthumous writings" which, if anything, are more elliptical and obscure than the rest of the book. It is also worth noting that Hesse, as a mid-20th century white male, is a dishearteningly non-diverse writer. All the characters are apparently assumed to be white, and I believe there is exactly one (tertiary) female character. (It is striking that for an "enlightened" society, even in the 1930's, Knecht's scholarly organization admits exclusively men.)
Aside from these organizational and ideological issues, it is a book I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys pseudo-mystical and speculative fiction. A sci-fi hagiography, if you will.
The main problem with the book is its format. Hesse is deeply faithful to his mock-biographical format, and the end of the narrative of Knecht's life is (for me, at least) deeply unsatisfying. This is actually made worse by the fact that appended to the end of the narrative are Knecht's "posthumous writings" which, if anything, are more elliptical and obscure than the rest of the book. It is also worth noting that Hesse, as a mid-20th century white male, is a dishearteningly non-diverse writer. All the characters are apparently assumed to be white, and I believe there is exactly one (tertiary) female character. (It is striking that for an "enlightened" society, even in the 1930's, Knecht's scholarly organization admits exclusively men.)
Aside from these organizational and ideological issues, it is a book I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys pseudo-mystical and speculative fiction. A sci-fi hagiography, if you will.