The Glass Bead Game

It is the last work of Herman Hesse, and his "Magnum Opus". In some sense the book is philosophical science-fiction, though there are no typical elements of sci-fi genre. The author predicts that the period in human history will come when the knowledge became wide-spread and popular, with multitude of authors writing multitude of stories. This period, called "The Age of Feuilleton" was highly individualistic. The main feature of the age was the passionate search of freedom.
At this moment comes the main prophecy of the book. Hesse predicts that on the ashes of the feuilletonistic age, new movement is born. The purpose of the order is the cultivation of science and music. The order cultivates highly elitist structure and its rule is as strong as the rules of religious orders. It also includes meditation and contemplation. The culmination of the order achievement is the synthesis of all sciences and music in an instrument called "glass bead game". A game, was a like a symphony but with deep scientific background. The main character of the book, Joseph Knecht, after swift carrier, becomes the chief Glass Bead Game custodian and player. The most of the book is about his life and his path - first to the order of Castalia, than through the rungs of the order hierarchy - to the startling decision to leave the order, and become "awaken" to the everyday life ...
Despite the end of the Jospeh Knecht story - Hesse, through the entire book, demonstrates the admiration to the concept of intellectual elitism, to the notion of "intellectual order" to the medieval concept of hierarchical knowledge, well organized, and integrated with the quintessence of art - with the classical music.

In some sense the Hesse prophecy is dangerous...

We no longer need "mental elite" - the current culture proved to be vibrant and precious. The human knowledge can, and is built, by millions of people, and we do not need any orders.

Someone I met, was saying about Hermann Hesse that he did not wish to read his book as he perceived them to be new age litterature. This is such a misunderstanding of the beautiful universe of wisdom and thoughtfulness to which Hesse invites his readers. As a strong atheist - Hitchen like, I am very suspicious of any author who inflicts upon us superstitious fallacies. This is far from being the case of Hesse. The spiritual essence of his books is truly modern and devoid of supernatural claims. He is not concern with magics or miracles but with the true nature of being human experience.

It had been a while since I've read a book by Hesse, and reading the Glass Bead Game felt like rediscovering an old friend. This book being its masterpiece, I shall say it was quite a reunion. In the Glasse Bead Game explore the tension between Joseph Knecht's love for his art and realization that he is hiding in an ivory tower avoiding the real world, its dangers but also its wonder.

I highly recommend Hesse to anybody looking for a spiritual experience devoided of the cheap magic tricks of «New age» culture. Hopefully, Hesse shows us the way of a modern spirituality.

This is an excellently written book but is much more an exploration of the ideas around the life of the mind than it is a novel. The first part of the book is written as a future history of an individual player of the glass bead game and (like most histories) has rather weak characterization and story. Instead this history is used to explore philosophical ideas around thought and knowledge, belief and religiosity, and education and learning. If you are looking for a light science fiction story, this is not the book for you! If you have read Jung, Nietzsche & Mann you will likely appreciate the allusions to their ideas. If you love German histories and philosophers, you will likely love this book. The last chapter of the book leaves the historical narrative format and is touching. This is followed by the inclusion of three fictional stories written by the fictional protagonist. These are very nice and have the spirit of parables or religious teaching stories. The stories are only linked by their common exploration of the life of the mind. This is a great book, but many a reader may likely wonder what the heck is going on.

The book is great... no doubt it was the apice of Hesse's work... I confess the narration was not so inspiring, and rather dull at times.. But worth my time, and credit.

I thought this book was Classically, Epic-ly great when I read it in the 70's. YUCK! Couldn't even get through the first half on a long road trip with plenty of time to get through the over-the-hump of introduction. Philosophy 101 it isn't. Not even Philosophy for Dummies. More like -- there are no people in the world, only rules and regulations that take 99,000 pages to explain & justify.... I think I may have remembered it more fondly if I hadn't read other books addressing philosophical questions that were more interesting, more character-filled. Not available on audio - M A Foster's Gameplayers of Zan, which reminds me to mention M K Wren's Wolfe/Phoenix trilogy, Available on audio - Heinlein's Time Enough for Love or The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. Okay, not strictly philosophy, but characters & ideas. Not just ideas!!

The elusiveness of comprehension. The moment one thought one understood the Glass Bead Game another perspective was thrown in. Is it a game or an allegory regarding our pedestrian life?

The use of language is like a beautiful song. The setting - Castalia a utopia for the intellectually gifted. The allusion to homosexuality. For instance, the desirability that some of the boys/men had to knecht and Knecht's strong attractions to some of his acquaintances all presented as asexual encounters.

No I have not, but would like to. I love his voice.

No, I listened several chapters at a time.

Very well done.

It is not enough to say that this is a GREAT story for it's depth, wisdom and beauty are so evident that each word of Hesse's award winning novel moved me into places that only a true master could so magically conjure. I loved the reader as well and felt that the entire production was perfect. Thanks audible for providing such a service.

The masterful way in which Hermann Hesse concluded his story. It was pure genius.

No

Too many to mention. But the story of how Knecht sacrificed himself was brilliantly conceived.

To me this book has been a favorite of mine for years and each time I read (and in this case listen) I am moved to new levels of just how vulnerable we are as humans and just how beautiful each of us plays out our unique role.

This was a long journey that leaves you in a different place when you're done reading it.

This book revels in the concept of being a history book about a man who never existed. Unfortunately, it has taken that concept too far for my enjoyment, as the dry, divorced narration (not the reader, but the narrator itself) and the endless examinations of socio-political issues without any context caused me to have flashbacks to a high school teacher, forced to teach a subject that they do not care about in the slightest.