Zorba the Greek, and Narcissus & Goldmund, Kazantzakis and Hesse, BOOK REVIEWS

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@hippomancy 2 ай бұрын

"The unexamined life is not worth living"- Socrates... but you can be too introspective... Kazantzakis and Hesse are both somewhat forgotten now. Narziss and Goldmund was my first Hesse. had wanted to read Steppenwolf and Siddhartha but had neither to hand. fourteen. read Zorba when eighteen. these books essentially about characters living vicariously through others who live a more experiential life. it wasn't until my late twenties that I finally let go of the ascetic removal and got a little immersed in the mess of life. I did find myself appreciating these books more as I got older. not as dissolute as Zorba. not as lost as Narziss. but good books for thoughtful males of an earlier generation.

@ronrutstein3440 2 ай бұрын

I would suggest you catch up with Steppenwolf now that you are a little older. I also loved Last Temptation of Christ, and Saint Francis. Both stories are timeless! Good Reading.

@hippomancy 2 ай бұрын

@@ronrutstein3440 did read it by 18, and then again c30. but the "transformative act" being homicide, even if a drug-induced hallucination, irked me. This was my introduction to deeper reading of Jung when I was 18, so I got it. But perhaps because it was my first Hesse, Narziss still is my face. Last Temptation was an ideal read for a young atheist, allowed one to come back to the story tropes without knee-jerk dismissal. great book. love kazantzakis. could not quite get the feel for Odyssey/ second sequel, but maybe now...

@ronrutstein3440 2 ай бұрын

@@hippomancy I have tried to get into Odyssey several times with no luck. Narcissus is also my favorite, though Beneath the Wheel was my first. Remember in Steppenwolf, that she asks him to kill her, so the real question becomes what does she represent. I believe that she represents the part of himself he thinks he needs to live without, which leads to a much longer conversation!