Literary Encyclopedia

Hermann Hesse

  • Gunther Gottschalk (Professor Emeritus, University of California, Santa Barbara)

Hermann Hesse was born on 2 July 1877 in Calw, Germany. He died on 9 August 1962 in Montagnola, Switzerland. His family was rooted in Swabian Pietism and the Christian mission, specifically pertaining to India. The deep dedication of Hesse’s family to evangelical tasks and their educational aspects gave important, but also conflicting impulses to the adolescent. Hesse’s father Johannes was the son of a country doctor in Estonia. Johannes’ delicate constitution and spiritual frame of mind led him to a career in missionary work in Calw. He eventually succeeded Hermann Hesse’s maternal grandfather Dr. Hermann Gundert as publisher of theological materials for the mission. Dr. Gundert had made a name not only as a succes

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Citation:
Gottschalk, Gunther. "Hermann Hesse". The Literary Encyclopedia. first published 13 February 2004; last revised 01 April 2005.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2115, accessed 03 September 2010.]

 

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Life, Works and Times

Dates:

  • Life: 1877 to 1962
  • Activity: 1898 to 1962

Places:

  • Birth: Germany
  • Primary Activity: Germany
  • Primary Activity: Switzerland

Activities: