{"product_id":"the-seasons-of-the-soul-isbn-9781583943137","title":"The Seasons of the Soul","description":"\u003cb\u003e68 spiritual poems from the Nobel Prize-winning author of \u003ci\u003eSiddhartha\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSteppenwolf\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Glass Bead Game\u003c\/i\u003e—who inspired millions as he forged cultural bridges between the East and West.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003eLyrical insights and wisdom for anyone seeking a more meaningful life, a reconnection with nature, and a deeper relationship with the divine.\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 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.\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The Seasons of the Soul \u003c\/i\u003eoffers 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, and 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.“These vital, essential poems could not possibly be appearing at a more  crucial time in the history of our Western culture.… Hermann Hesse’s  poetry is as eye-opening and as life-giving as his most famous novels.  It offers the heartfelt, infinitely timely guidance of someone who lived  at every step what he wrote and who leads his readers back to the  simplicity of ‘what we knew in the beginning.’”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Peter Kingsley, author of \u003ci\u003eReality\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Story Waiting to Pierce You\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“Ludwig Fischer proves wrong all who claim that ‘poetry is what gets lost in translation.’ His English versions of sixty-eight poems by Hermann Hesse ring as if they had been first conceived in English. In addition to that, Fischer’s sensitive introductions to these poems make this book a rare treasure. Hesse … struggled with the dark side of life and grew strong. Therefore his poems—now at last in English—can help us find strength to come fully alive.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Brother David Steindl-Rast, OSB, author of \u003ci\u003eDeeper Than Words \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e The Heart of Prayer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “It is in his poems that you meet most intimately Hesse the man in all his emotional intensity, sometimes scalding self-knowledge, and fierce spiritual struggle, and so experience most completely the inner turmoil and revelations that led to his becoming\u003cbr\u003e one of the philosopher-sages of our tumultuous transition.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—from the foreword by Andrew Harvey, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Hope\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eHeart Yoga\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This collection of poetry reveals his inner journey, one that is often filled with inner turmoil and despairing, and yet unwavering in [Hesse's] devotion toward an intimacy with self\/spirit. Commentary from the scholar and translator Ludwig Max Fischer enriches our understanding of Hesse's life context from which the poems were born.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eNew Consciousness Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e“The Seasons of the Soul\u003c\/i\u003e 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.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eVitality Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A thoughtful work of literature, \u003ci\u003eThe Seasons of the Soul\u003c\/i\u003e is a strong pick for any world literary studies and poetry collection.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eMidwest Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eHermann Hesse’s novels include \u003ci\u003eDemian, Siddhartha, Steppenwolf, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Glass Bead Game. \u003c\/i\u003eThe winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, he died in 1962 at age 85. Ludwig Max\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eFischer, PhD, has been professor of\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eGerman and comparative mythology\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003efor over forty years, most recently at Willamette University\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003ein Salem, Oregon.Poems previously unpublished in English","brand":"North Atlantic Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302057595109,"sku":"NP9781583943137","price":18.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781583943137.jpg?v=1767741381","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-seasons-of-the-soul-isbn-9781583943137","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}