“The Glass Bead Game” is a novel, where the author ironically depicts the artist’s departure from the material world into the world of artificial aesthetics. This story tells of a certain Josef Knecht, who lives in the idyllic country called Kastalia. This place is the refuge of all musicians and poets, historians and philosophers. Hesse very brightly depicts the soul of J. Knecht and successfully reveals the main moments of his life.
Also, I cannot help but mention the very mystical rules of The Game, which the author does not explain. From my point of view, this is a very smart move, and all these associations from the game seem to be connecting between everything and everywhere, such an invisible web of relationships that not everyone can see and recognize. Hesse in his masterpiece, which, as he says he wrote for 11 years, describes a school in which people devote themselves entirely to the development of the sciences and the arts, at the same time separated from the rest of the world.
During our joint pastime, the book stumped me, fascinated, annoyed, and disappointed, left me bewildered and brought pleasure.
The book shows an unusual world, makes you think about the principles, traditions of life, compare the foundations of life. Therefore, I highly recommend “The Glass Bead Game” for those who are looking for a deep, philosophical and interesting book.