Beschreibung:

HESSE, HERMANN Highly important series of sixty-two letters and postcards by Hesse to Stefan Zweig, 1903-1938 comprising: 18 autograph letters signed, 11 typed letters signed, 29 autograph postcards signed, 3 typed letters and one typed postcard signed ("Hermann Hesse"; "H. Hesse"), FIVE LETTERS WITH DRAWINGS BY HESSE in watercolour and ink or watercolour and pencil, and FOUR TYPESCRIPT POEMS: SYLVESTER, BESINNUNG,NÄCHTLICHER REGEN, AND THE GEDICHTFRAGMENT DES JUNGEN JOSEF KNECHT FROM DAS GLASPERLENSPIEL ('Gelegentlich ergreifen wir die Feder'), HESSE'S LAST MASTERPIECE, three signed and inscribed to Zweig ("...Für Stefan Zweig mit herzlichem Dank für Mozart's 'Veilchen'...Hermann Hesse .."), ONE OF THE POEMS WITH A PEN AND WATERCOLOUR DRAWING ABOUT HIS WORKS, including Peter Camenzind (noting that it will disappoint him, since it is clumsy and coarse), Demian, Knulp (which he refers to, in addition to Rosshalde and some of his poems, as his favourite works), Siddhartha (acknowledging the similarities to Zweig's Die Augen des ewigen Bruders), Die Marmorsäge, Hans Amstein, and Diesseits, mentioning Zweig's writings, including Paul Verlaine, Jeremias, Die Liebe der Erika Ewald (which he criticizes for its overly lyrical language), Tersites, Brennendes Geheimnis, Amok, Kleine Chronik, and Erasmus, referring to his 1902 collection of poems and requesting Zweig's anthology of Verlaine translations, observing early on in the letters that he is not at all suited to literary correspondences, expressing his sense of alienation from his contemporaries, discussing in frank fashion his character, his isolated way of life, his love of Italian novelists and cities, and, above all, nature, MENTIONING HIS JOY IN PAINTING (his "summer occupation [trans.]"), his education, his preference of birdsong, water and wind to music, his love of the society of artists and architects, his dislike of men of letters, actors and musicians ("painters are always talking about nature, the others always about their works or about colleagues they envy [trans.]"), his dissatisfaction with his work, his rejection of criticism, his fame, the mental illness and institutionalization of his first wife Maria Bernoulli, the break-up of his family and the loss of his children, asking him not to mention this to anyone, explaining candidly the influences on his artistic development, describing the difficulties of writing, his living arrangements at Calw, his work with German prisoners of war, noting that he is not put out by the fact that his little books lie around in tied-up bundles at the publisher's since he realizes he is an odd fellow who has nothing to say to the world, referring to Zweig's doctorate, Lao Tse ("...jetzt in unsrem guten armen Deutschland sehr Mode..."), Camill Hoffmann, Frans Masereel Ginzkey, Ricarda Huch, Alexander von Bernus, Verhaeren, Wilhelm von Scholz, Ludwig Finckh, Fleischer, Rolland ("...ein prächtiger Mensch..."), Brahms, Ernst Bloch, Albert Ehrenstein, Christoph Schrempf, Fischer Verlag, his marriage plans ("...der Vater sagt sehr rüppig nein..."), communism, his productivity, day-to-day activities, education, literary preferences, travels, and many other matters ...Nach Monaten, die zum Teil furchtbar waren, ist meine Frau gemütskrank geworden und ist seit kurzem in einer Heilanstalt, der Haushalt läßt sich nicht mehr halten, ich muß die Kinder weggeben, zwei sind schon fort. Der Tumult in der Welt und die Unsicherheit aller Zukunft wirken, wennschon im Moment wenig empfunden, auch mit. Ich sitze in tiefen Sorgen allein. Erzählen Sie indeß niemand davon...Sie haben in Ihrem lieben Brief vieles ausgesprochen und angedeutet, das mir zeigt, wie gut Sie mich kennen. Sie haben auch überall richtig gefühlt. Die Schwankung in meiner Produktion, die seit Jahren überwunden ist, ging im Grunde darauf zurück, daß es mir seinerzeit, nach dem ersten Erfolge, zu gut ging. Das ist gründlich anders geworden, ich habe seither aus vielen dunklen Bechern