Demian

By: Hermann Hesse

Narrated by: Jason McCoy

Demian: The Story of Emil Sinclair's Youth is a Bildungsroman by Hermann Hesse, first published in 1919; a prologue was added in 1960. Demian was first published under the pseudonym "Emil Sinclair", the name of the narrator of the story, but Hesse was later revealed to be the author.

Emil Sinclair is a young boy raised in a bourgeois home, amidst what is described as a Scheinwelt, a play on words that means "world of light" as well as "world of illusion". Emil's entire existence can be summarized as a struggle between two worlds: the show world of illusion (related to the Hindu concept of maya) and the real world, the world of spiritual truth. In the course of the novel, accompanied and prompted by his mysterious classmate 'Max Demian', he detaches from and revolts against the superficial ideals of the world of appearances and eventually awakens into a realization of self.

©1919 Herman Hesse (P)2011 BN Publishing

Chapters were miss numbered

Some lines were repeated. It seems to be an editing issue. I don’t particularly like when the narrator uses other intonations for characters. Overall very enjoyable listening.

A complex coming of age novel

This is the story of a young boy coming of age in the pre World War I era. The listener is quickly and thoroughly engaged in the timeless themes of family, friends, loves, and temptations. Hesse's insights are thought provoking and deserving of continued reflection as history does repeat itself.

Lovely coming of age story

A beautiful account of growing up and finding your place. Especially for a romantic. I enjoyed the biblical references mixed in with the mystic. The narrator was very hard to listen to, I wish I had read this in my own head.

Great book

I really loked the story and the narrator was perfect, the only thing that i can say is that there was some flaws in hes speech, like repeating sentences

Good book about life

easy to listen for foreigners. I'read this book 3 times, this was my 1st time in audio. excelllent choice!