Demian : the story of Emil Sinclair's youth
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references.

A brilliant psychological portrait of a troubled young man's quest for self-awareness, this coming-of-age novel achieved instant critical and popular acclaim upon its 1919 publication. A landmark in the history of twentieth-century literature, it reflects Hermann Hesse's preoccupation with the duality of human nature and the pursuit of spiritual fulfillment.

Emil Sinclair recounts episodes from his childhood that led to a change in his attitudes toward life. At the age of ten he is blackmailed by another child and is subjected to tormenting humiliations. Max Demian attends the same school, and shares interpretations of Bible stories that contradict standard Christian attitudes about free will. Demian insists one ought to worship the entire world: light and darkness, good and bad. Sinclair falls in love with Beatrice, though he never approaches her. As war approaches, Sinclair experiments with telepathy before discovering spiritual fulfillment within himself. -- adapted from back cover and perusal of book