Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | If The War Goes On | 1946 | Hermann Hesse | Buy |
| 2 | My Belief | 1957 | Hermann Hesse | Buy |
| 3 | The Hesse/Mann Letters | 1968 | Hermann Hesse | Buy |
| 4 | Reflections | 1971 | Hermann Hesse | Buy |
| 5 | Short Literature History | 1975 | Hermann Hesse | Buy |
Though best known for his fiction, Hermann Hesse was also a prolific essayist and correspondent. If The War Goes On (1946) brings together decades of writing about war, nationalism, and the individual’s moral obligations during times of conflict. Hesse was a committed pacifist who left Germany during World War I and remained outspoken against militarism for the rest of his life.
My Belief (1957) and Reflections (1971) collect essays on topics ranging from Dostoevsky to Zen Buddhism to the craft of writing. The Hesse/Mann Letters (1968) preserves his decades-long correspondence with Thomas Mann, offering a window into the literary culture of early twentieth-century Europe and the friendship between two very different Nobel Prize winners.