Other editions of book Demian: The Story of Emil Sinclair???s Youth

Originally published under a pseudonym shortly after the First World War, a novel of embracing dualityEmil Sinclair boasts of a theft that he has not committed and subsequently finds himself blackmailed by a bully. He turns to Max Demian, in whom he finds a friend and spiritual mentor. This strangely self-possessed figure is able to lure Emil out of his ordinary home-life and convince him of an existing alternative world of corruption and evil. Progressing from an orthodox education through to philosophical mysticism, Emil’s search for self-awareness culminates in a meeting with Demian’s mother—the symbol and personification of motherhood.

A brilliant psychological portrait of a troubled young mans 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 Hesses preoccupation with the duality of human nature and the pursuit of spiritual fulfillment.