Reviews

Wandering: Notes And Sketches by Hermann Hesse

vetlehove's review against another edition

inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

katrinky's review against another edition

3.0

This book became my companion. By that, I don't mean I had it with me at all times, although it did travel with me through SXSW. (The short chapters and poems, paired with small, simple paintings, made it perfect for reading while in line or in between bands.) What I mean by 'companion' is that it became the presence of a friend who understands very clearly my inner life. Hesse was a traveler, a wanderer, a poet, an artist, a questioner, a manic-depressive, a chronic self-reflecter, and we the reader have the good fortune that he wrote all of this down. "Wandering" is a very short little collection of essays, none longer than 4-5 pages, paired with paintings and poems, that Hesse collected while wandering Montagnola, a tiny mountain village in Ticino where he went to, obviously, find himself. Thank goodness he never quite did- the writing that he does about the human spirit, the lost, aching, expanding, searching, finding, joyful, perfect, broken spirit, comes precisely from his never finding exactly what he's looking for. Reading this book is the same as having a conversation with someone in which you try to describe your most complex, fundamental feelings, and answer impossible questions (How EXACTLY does your hometown make you feel? How can you be homesick for a place you've never been? What is an artist? Why do we sing?), and your conversation partner says "YES, I know, YES, I feel that too, AND, here is an even more clear and comprehensible and beautiful way to think about it."

zina_solikova's review against another edition

reflective

5.0

deathinherhands's review

emotional reflective sad

4.5

ypres's review against another edition

El Caminante es un conjunto de reflexiones y poesías escritas por Hesse durante sus peregrinaciones y vagabundeos. Una de las cosas que más admiro de Hesse es su capacidad para no juzgar, para estar abierto a todo e intentar transmitir a los demás, de forma honesta y desinteresada, su propio camino espiritual. En estas breves prosas deja ver sus pasiones y sus dudas, sus días buenos y sus días malos, su introspección y su credo personal. Representan otra expresión de su paradójica búsqueda de lo solitario para encontrar la Unidad.

He de decir que ha sido muy tranquilizante para mi espíritu leer que alguien como Hesse, a quien considero un maestro de la introspección y que sin duda tenía un profundo vínculo consigo mismo que le permitía escucharse y tener una conversación muy fluida con su Yo, también tenía sus días malos, donde el malhumor, la incertidumbre, la nostalgia y la duda le acosaban sin piedad. Pero al mismo tiempo podía conectar con esa esperanza que siempre tenía de que el día siguiente se aclararían los cielos y todo sería mejor. Un libro muy interesante lleno de pensamientos para anotar.

jzelman's review against another edition

reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

bplache's review against another edition

lighthearted reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

abetterjulie's review against another edition

5.0

I cried twice while reading this and made my husband cry by reading passages to him. Anyone who has suffered depression or loves someone who is battling the great deceiver, would benefit from this beautiful little book. The poetry didn't touch me, but the prose broke my heart.

ilovewongkarwai's review against another edition

4.0

No sé si amé este librito porque no esperaba nada de él (lo descargué por accidente y lo empecé a leer solo porque me gustó la primera acuarela) o porque en realidad es maravilloso. Quizá es una mezcla de ambas cosas, y que Hesse hable de todo lo que ama y yo me identifique tanto. Pero no me gustó solo porque trata sobre naturaleza y el acto de andar sin rumbo, o por los poemas y las acuarelas que acompañan esta edición, sino también por la tristeza, los días nublados, eso que Hesse llama melancolía y me es tan familiar. Son pocas páginas pero entrañables, llenas de luz y oscuridad.

Querría ser un gigante; entonces tendría la cabeza cerca de la nieve, en los Alpes, entre las cabras, y los dedos de los pies chapotearían en alta mar. De este modo jamás necesitaría ponerme en pie; entre mis dedos crecerían las matas, entre mis cabellos, rosas alpinas, mis rodillas serían estribaciones y en mi cuerpo habría viñedos, casas y capillas. Así yacería durante diez mil años, pestañearía mirando el cielo, pestañearía mirando el mar. Cuando estornudase, habría una tempestad. Cuando soplara, la nieve se derretiría y danzarían mil cascadas. Cuando muriera, moriría el mundo entero. Entonces viajaría por los océanos, buscando un nuevo sol.

Gradualmente, el malhumor se va extinguiendo, la vida vuelve a ser bella, el cielo vuelve a ser hermoso, el vagabundeo vuelve a tener sentido. En estos días del retorno siento algo parecido a la convalecencia: cansancio sin ningún dolor, sumisión sin amargura, gratitud sin desprecio de mí mismo. Con lentitud, las líneas vitales vuelven a subir. Vuelvo a tararear el verso de una canción. Vuelvo a arrancar una flor. Vuelvo a jugar con el bastón. Todavía vivo. Lo he superado. Lo superaré otras veces, quizá con frecuencia.

ashley073's review against another edition

5.0

Last year I finally took Siddhartha off my shelf and gave it a try. It had been sitting there for a year or so and for some reason I never picked it up. Within a page or two I realized how foolish I had been to neglect it for so long- I ended up LOVING it. After that I read Beneath The Wheel (although my copy is titled The Prodigy) and enjoyed that as well, although not quite as much as Siddhartha.

And honestly, I just figured that would be it. I really didn't know much about Hesse, and although I had known his name for a long time I figured it was just because Siddhartha was so popular...I, for some reason, didn't really think about him having too many other books.

I was browsing my local Half Price Books today and stumbled upon this big collection of Hesse books- most of the books priced at $2 a piece, so I quickly gathered them up and made my way home.

I wasn't really sure where to start, so I kind of flipped through a few of the books and I noticed that Wandering had a really sweet inscription on the first page and lots of underlined passages throughout...I'm a TOTAL sucker for stuff like that, so I decided to start here.


I think I made a good choice. I've totally fallen in love with this man's mind. I know I'll return to these pages many times in the future...this is just such an awesome little collection of thoughts.


The entire selection was really good, but Trees and Clouded Sky were absolute magic.