1914 Hermann Hesse, Rosshalde
DiscussãoLiterary Centennials
Entre no LibraryThing para poder publicar.
Este tópico está presentemente marcado como "inativo" —a última mensagem tem mais de 90 dias. Reative o tópico publicando uma resposta.
1baswood
Rosshalde Hermann Hesse.
Hermann Hesse won the Noble prize for literature in 1946 and was a literary star in the German speaking world from the publication of his novel Peter Camenzind in 1904. He died in 1962 and by then critical acclaim and book sales were passing him by. New translations of his novel in the 1960's led to a resurgence of interest in America and the West and her became a must read for counter culture aficionados. Themes such as quests for enlightenment associated with Journeys to India and the East rang those hippie bells, however if you are looking for something similar in Rosshalde you would be largely disappointed. Published in 1914, it has many of the hallmarks of Romanticism with its major theme of the impassioned and successful painter sacrificing his happiness for the sake of his art.
Johan Veraguth a very successful artist lives on a large estate in beautiful countryside and much of his work is concerned with capturing the quality of what he sees around him onto his canvas. We pick up his story when his life is approaching a crossroads of sorts. He has for some time lived apart from his wife; Adele, on the estate. She occupies the Manor House while Veraguth has built a couple of rooms attached to his studio in the grounds where he spends his nights. He meets his wife most days for lunch and they behave in a civilized way towards each other. Their 5 year old son Pierre however has become a bone of contention. Veraguth pours all his love onto his son and their is a continual battle with his wife for possession. Precocious Pierre spends time with both his mother and his father but sleeps at the Manor house. Veraguth wants to escape with Pierre from what he sees as his entrapment, but his wife will not allow this, she had won a previous battle over their older son Albert who is now devoted to her and dislikes and mistrusts his father. The arrival of Otto Buckhardt a boyhood friend of Veraguth fresh from his travels and his tea estates in India is a catalyst for action. He sees how unhappy his old friend has become with his marital situation and suggests he should go back with him to India, he has come prepared with an impressive portfolio of photographs to tempt the artist. Veraguth is torn, he wants to go back with his friend but cannot come to terms with sacrificing his love for Pierre.
It may be that Veraguth will have a physical and spiritual adventure in India, but that is not the subject of this novel because when the story finishes he has not gone. Hermann Hesse is more intent on exploring the relationship between the artist and his family and this he does in some beautiful and delicate prose. The beauty of the natural world all around gives Veraguth his inspiration for his work, but this is at the expense of the love received from his family. We learn that Adele has been an intellectually and cultural disappointment and Veraguth can no longer engage with her on that level and this has led to a loss of physical passion. Adele comes across as a strong woman in her own write, but neither of them can find the words to heal the break and they drift further apart. The arrival of their elder son home for the school holidays and a serious illness to Pierre, brings the antagonists together in such a way that they are forced to tacitly explore their feelings.
Hesse is brilliant at capturing the artist at work and the spirit that drives him onwards, and which serves to give him life. He captures perfectly the gentle manners of a family suffering a real breakdown in communications, but who are trying not to cause too much pain while they fight for the love of their children. Perhaps the guarded words and guarded feelings will not appeal to 21st century readers, but Hesse's limpid but at times sensual prose makes this a delight to read. It is told very much from Veraguths point of view and the reader is party to his innermost thoughts, which may come directly from Hesse's own life experience as his marriage was collapsing on account of his wife's mental illness. Nothing unpredictable happens, and so it is the fine writing that makes us want to follow this story to its natural conclusion. It is all over in 150 pages, but I am glad that Hesse did not take us to India, which may have spoiled this lovely structured novel. A 3.5 star read.
Hermann Hesse won the Noble prize for literature in 1946 and was a literary star in the German speaking world from the publication of his novel Peter Camenzind in 1904. He died in 1962 and by then critical acclaim and book sales were passing him by. New translations of his novel in the 1960's led to a resurgence of interest in America and the West and her became a must read for counter culture aficionados. Themes such as quests for enlightenment associated with Journeys to India and the East rang those hippie bells, however if you are looking for something similar in Rosshalde you would be largely disappointed. Published in 1914, it has many of the hallmarks of Romanticism with its major theme of the impassioned and successful painter sacrificing his happiness for the sake of his art.
Johan Veraguth a very successful artist lives on a large estate in beautiful countryside and much of his work is concerned with capturing the quality of what he sees around him onto his canvas. We pick up his story when his life is approaching a crossroads of sorts. He has for some time lived apart from his wife; Adele, on the estate. She occupies the Manor House while Veraguth has built a couple of rooms attached to his studio in the grounds where he spends his nights. He meets his wife most days for lunch and they behave in a civilized way towards each other. Their 5 year old son Pierre however has become a bone of contention. Veraguth pours all his love onto his son and their is a continual battle with his wife for possession. Precocious Pierre spends time with both his mother and his father but sleeps at the Manor house. Veraguth wants to escape with Pierre from what he sees as his entrapment, but his wife will not allow this, she had won a previous battle over their older son Albert who is now devoted to her and dislikes and mistrusts his father. The arrival of Otto Buckhardt a boyhood friend of Veraguth fresh from his travels and his tea estates in India is a catalyst for action. He sees how unhappy his old friend has become with his marital situation and suggests he should go back with him to India, he has come prepared with an impressive portfolio of photographs to tempt the artist. Veraguth is torn, he wants to go back with his friend but cannot come to terms with sacrificing his love for Pierre.
It may be that Veraguth will have a physical and spiritual adventure in India, but that is not the subject of this novel because when the story finishes he has not gone. Hermann Hesse is more intent on exploring the relationship between the artist and his family and this he does in some beautiful and delicate prose. The beauty of the natural world all around gives Veraguth his inspiration for his work, but this is at the expense of the love received from his family. We learn that Adele has been an intellectually and cultural disappointment and Veraguth can no longer engage with her on that level and this has led to a loss of physical passion. Adele comes across as a strong woman in her own write, but neither of them can find the words to heal the break and they drift further apart. The arrival of their elder son home for the school holidays and a serious illness to Pierre, brings the antagonists together in such a way that they are forced to tacitly explore their feelings.
Hesse is brilliant at capturing the artist at work and the spirit that drives him onwards, and which serves to give him life. He captures perfectly the gentle manners of a family suffering a real breakdown in communications, but who are trying not to cause too much pain while they fight for the love of their children. Perhaps the guarded words and guarded feelings will not appeal to 21st century readers, but Hesse's limpid but at times sensual prose makes this a delight to read. It is told very much from Veraguths point of view and the reader is party to his innermost thoughts, which may come directly from Hesse's own life experience as his marriage was collapsing on account of his wife's mental illness. Nothing unpredictable happens, and so it is the fine writing that makes us want to follow this story to its natural conclusion. It is all over in 150 pages, but I am glad that Hesse did not take us to India, which may have spoiled this lovely structured novel. A 3.5 star read.
Junte-se para postar Junte-se para postar
