One Hour Past Midnight

Hermann Hesse

Sep 2023 · Newcomb Livraria Press

About this ebook

"I cannot read Hermann Hesse without feeling that I am drawn into the presence of a deeply serious mind, a mind that is searching for the meaning of life." - Carl Jung

A new 2023 translation of Hesse's 1899 "One Hour Past Midnight" poem (also translated "One Hour behind Midnight") is an early, lengthy poem where a Poet, obviously a moniker of Hesse, is the protagonist. This edition also contains an epilogue by the translator, a philosophical glossary of concepts used by Hesse and a chronology of his life and work. Hesse won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1947. He also received the Goethe Prize of Frankfurt in 1946 and the 1955 Peace Prize of the German Booksellers.

The poet-wanderer of this poem finds a fairy-pool which reflects the first dreams of his you, and he stares into it, striving to understand the transience of his self. This poeticized Narcissus myth is a beautiful early work of one of the greatest German poets of his day.

This collection contains the following Poems:

One Hour Past Midnight

Album page for Elise.

The fever muse.

The king's feast.

About the author

A German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter, Hesse’s literature deeply explores the individual's search for self-knowledge, authenticity, and spirituality. Influenced by Eastern philosophy, Nietzsche and Jungian psychology (he was a personal friend of Jung), his works like "Siddhartha" and "Steppenwolf" became emblematic of the counter-culture movements of the 20th century and literary manifestations of Continental Philosophy. Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1946, Hesse's highly individualistic and spiritual narratives continue to inspire personal growth and Socratic self-awareness