Hermann Hesse

Hesse was brought up in a missionary family and his father’s teaching influenced him greatly. But he did not take easily to religion and his young life was fraught with depression. He gave up his education and started working in bookshops and started writing, influenced by German philosophers, Greek mythology, and the texts of Eastern religions that his father was interested in. He published his novel Peter Camenzind in 1903 and became popular in Germany. During World War I, he participated against the anti-semitic movement that was persecuting artists in Europe. His works were translated into English and came to America in the 1960s, when pacifism and spirituality were big themes in popular culture, and Siddhartha gained world-wide fame.