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The Seasons of the Soul

Written by: Hermann Hesse
Narrated by: Ludwig Max Fischer, Andrew Harvey
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Publisher's Summary

Vowing at an early age "to be a poet or nothing at all", Hermann Hesse rebelled against formal education, focusing on a rigorous program of independent study that included literature, philosophy, art, and history. One result of these efforts was a series of novels that became counterculture bibles that remain widely influential today. Another was a body of evocative spiritual poetry. Published for the first time in English, these vivid, probing short works reflect deeply on the challenges of life and provide a spiritual solace that transcends specific denominational hymns, prayers, and rituals.

The Seasons of the Soul offers valuable guidance in poetic form for those longing for a more meaningful life, seeking a sense of homecoming in nature, in each stage of life, in a renewed relationship with the divine. Extensive quotations from his prose introduce each theme addressed in the book: love, imagination, nature, the divine, and the passage of time. A foreword by Andrew Harvey reintroduces us to a figure about whom some may have believed everything had already been said. Thoughtful commentary throughout from translator Ludwig Max Fischer helps readers understand the poems within the context of Hesse's life.

©2011 North Atlantic Books (P)2012 Ludwig Max Fischer

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Words You Can Feel

These words from Hesse, some in prose and in poem, can actually be felt. Particularly, parts from Nature, and The Seasons of Life resonated with me. I have never really got into poetry before, but this audiobook changed that, perhaps listening to the words read the proper way makes all the difference. #Audible1

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Spiritful and wise poetry

Wonderful poems, filled with a profound and honest love of the beauty of the natural world, and gives hope and wisdom to withstand the melancholic times of life.

I'd recommend it even to those who have not read much poetry, as the language used is relatively simple and the metaphors are intuitively understandable.

It is a nuisance that the chapters have no name, therefore one can't find a specific poem without making bookmarks, otherwise it is an excellent and well narrated audiobook.

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