The Glass Bead Game

The Glass Bead Game. Attempt at a Life of Magister Ludi Joseph Knecht, including servant 's literary is the last and also the most extensive novel by Hermann Hesse, first published in 1943 in two volumes. Hesse received this in 1946 the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Content

The actual story is preceded by a chapter that is written in the form of a historical treatise and represents the development of the designed world of Hesse. After action follow minor literary works whose authorship Hesse of the main character Joseph Knecht attributes: some poems and three " Resumes " that should be projected back servant's life in different historical periods. As in the main part varies Hesse here his old theme of master and disciple, predominantly in the form that the sometimes unfaithful disciples penitent returns at the end to his master, to take up its successor.

Is dedicated to the book " The Orient " drivers, which are also mentioned in the "historical" introduction, in allusion to his 1932 short story Journey to the East. Preceded by the introductory motto is a Latin quote (plus translation ) of the fictitious scholastic Albertus Secundus, which is later named as one of the spiritual ancestors of the Glass Bead Game. The " pious and conscientious historian ," it says in the quote is downright compelled to represent also unreal and improbable situations, " which by the very fact that pious and conscientious people they are to some extent treated as existing things, the being and the possibility of being born be performed by one step closer. "

The actual " Glass Bead Game" and his world

Hermann Hesse's last great work in a future world in which he locates the life of his hero Magister Ludi Joseph Knecht. On the main characteristics of the world refers to the suffix, Magister Ludi ', a play on words, since the Latin word ludus ' both 'school' ( a magister ludi has historically been a schoolmaster ) and game ( the title would be " master of the game " hot ) means. In the designed of Hesse world ( male, celibate ) scholars form a tightly organized Orden, who lives in the " Pedagogical Province" Castalia - the cure, insular world of an intellectual elite that unfolds in universality and harmony and in their own purpose may experience. His duties sees the Order in the education system (which he in turn used to own reproduction) and in the perfection of the sciences and arts, and in particular the synthesis of both areas, the Glass Bead Game.

This is an attempt at artful, aesthetically pleasing union of all sciences, the attempt at a universal language, a cross- linking of all subjects in one great whole. The exact rules of this game are only hinted at, and to be so complicated that they are not easy to illustrate. The game has already been adopted quasirituellen character; The aim seems to be to make deep connections between seemingly unrelated topics and to identify theoretical similarities of arts and sciences. For example, a Bach concerto is associated with a mathematical formula. The popular success for a " good game " is achieved both through musical class and mathematical elegance.

The Glass Bead Game got its name from the tiles originally used, perhaps similar to those of an abacus or of Go. (Originally wanted Hesse use cards as toys for his game; later he opted for " glass beads "). At the time of the novel's action but they are no longer needed, and the game was played only with abstract spoken formulas. The concept of the glass bead game seems resemblance to the ideas of Leibniz a universal scientific Formal language ( universal language ) exhibit referred to in the "historical" introduction.

The rigorous training civilization in which the Glass Bead Game is located, is described there interested as a new cultural flowering after the previous, more like superficial educated middle-class entertainment " feuilletonistic epoch". In itself, however, there is a cultural state in which nothing new, exciting, adventurous more discovered and created, but only " played " with the existing will - colloquially was " Glass Bead Game" therefore expressed for a self- purposive, vain and uncreative fiddling with cultural clichés. The pulling up of such a culture condition was the concern of many intellectuals in the first half of the 20th century. Thomas Mann, she designed in his Doctor Faustus, having, for glass bead game according to his own judgment parallelism.

In addition, seals off the only nor the consideration of the given widmende Order of the outside world by not more concerned with practical, especially political issues.

The plot

These contradictions are the ones that are vital to the life of the hero, Joseph Knecht. As a boy, he was appointed by the local Latin school away at an elite school in the province of the order Castalia. Changed significantly by the acquaintance with the music master, one of the Superiors, he assigns himself entirely to the rules of the Order, more and more, he does not adopt the skills that distinguish this - science, music, meditation, and finally the glass bead game - always rises higher in the hierarchy until he finally one of the highest offices of the glass Bead Game master ( magister ludi ), dressed.

From the outset, but also the shape him insights into the outside world. Even in school are one of its main motors of its hot discussions with classmates Plinio Designori who seeks a life outside the Order and attacks the unworldly life sharp. An essential step on the career ladder is still servant Legation in a Catholic monastery. This too is a piece of the outside world that he meets, especially an instructor him a priest in the history of science, as deeply " secular " in the materiality verhaftetes compartment in Castalian cannon has no place.

Over the years his work as Magister Ludi servant must recognize that the existence of Castalia is due to the global political situation with feet of clay, that his Castalian insulation is not tenable in the medium term and the province must open the worldly life in order to survive.

With this opinion, but he is within the management of the friars, he warns, quite alone. There are not understood and called to order, he left the academic world in order to devote himself to the service of a young man, the rude and uneducated nature boy Tito Designori, the son of his old adversary Plinio. As a servant with his new student wants to swim in a mountain lake, he dies in the icy water.

In the final scene of the novel brings Tito " the sun and the gods dance in his pious soul to sacrifice ." Life and death of his master still unprecedented, so does the end hinted, have changed him lasting in its pursuit; how this is expressed, remains open.

Book editions

According to information Hesse has started end of 1930 to work on his magnum opus. On April 29, 1942, he completed this, but in February 1943, he worked again for a chapter. But from the introduction, there are four versions: the last one was pre- printed in December 1934 in the Neue Rundschau, the previous three were first published in 1977. On 18 November 1943, the first edition appeared in Zurich, after Peter Suhrkamp the German Reich Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda in the summer of 1942 a definite pressure ban on the S. Fischer publishing house had received. The planned book title was still in the spring of 1943 when the contract is concluded with the Swiss publishing " The Glass Bead Game Master ". According to the Nobel Prize ceremony at Hesse Suhrkamp allowed to give out the work under license in Germany in December 1946, but in contrast to the Zurich edition set in Gothic. In 1951 set by Suhrkamp a first one-volume edition as part of the Collected Works of Hesse, in a Garamond. The first paperback edition was published in 1972.

• The Glass Bead Game. Attempt at a Life of Magister Ludi Joseph Knecht, including servant 's literary. Edited by Hermann Hesse. 2 vols. Fretz & Wasmuth, Zurich 1943.
• The Glass Bead Game. Suhrkamp, Berlin 1951.
• The Glass Bead Game. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main 1972, ISBN 3-518-36579-7 ( st = 79).
• The Glass Bead Game. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main 2001, ISBN 3-518-41105-5 ( = Collected Works 5).