Happy Deathday Mr. Hesse!

On this day in 1962, German author, Herman Hesse, died of a Cerebral Hemorrhage. He died in Switzerland at the age of 85.

Undoubtedly, Hesse is most well remembered for his novel, “Siddhartha”, published in 1922. If you have not read it, we’ll not spoil the experience for you here, but we will say that Hesse’s crafting of Siddhartha’s journey is delightfully revealing of both the author, the subject and… the reader. Hmm… not sure if that last bit made sense… well… read the novel and you’ll get exactly what we’re trying to say!

Our favorite work by Hesse is his 1919 novel, entitled “Demian”, which he wrote after his son had suffered traumatic illness, his wife had experienced a nervous breakdown and his father had just died. Keep in mind, also, that this book was written right after the United States had just declared war on Germany! To say this book is “intense” is a gross understatement.

On another note, we were asked recently by one of our readers about “successful writers using pseudonyms”… well, it may interest some of you to know that “Demian” was published under the name “Emil Sinclair” and was wildly popular shortly after its publication.

Hesse received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946. Some of his other notable works include: “Narcissus and Goldmund” (1930), “Gertrude” (1910), “The Journey to the East” (1932), “The Glass Bead Game (1943), and “Steppenwolf” (1927). For more biographical information on this fascinating man, please check out this link at nobelprize.org.

Today, draw upon your own personal tragedies to find the “understanding” Hesse found in Siddhartha or the great realization of self that Emil found in “Demian”. Ask yourself if the totality of your experiences allow you to attain understanding in the same way. Seek the truth as you meander through the dark corridors of your memory.

Write on in peace, Mr. Hesse!

Happy Deathday Mr. Cummings!

On this day in 1962, American poet E.E. Cummings died of a cerebral hemorrhage in New Hampshire. He is buried in Boston.

E.E. Cummings, or Edward Estlin Cummings was a popular poet in his day though highly criticized for his sentimental verse and sometimes “politically naïve” views. He was quite prolific as a poet and a fair playwright as well. His first novel The Enormous Room has received much acclaim over the years as well. In fact F. Scott Fitzgerald is documented to have said:

“Of all the work by young men who have sprung up since 1920 one book survives—The Enormous Room by e e cummings….Those few who cause books to live have not been able to endure the thought of its mortality.”

Our favorite work by Cummings is actually his very first collection of poems, published in 1923, Tulips and Chimneys. It is an impressive collection for being such early work. 

Today, we hope you will pick up some Cummings from your local library and get lost in the fulfilling verse you will undoubtedly find therein.

Write in in peace, Mr. Cummings!

Happy Deathday Monsieur Flaubert!

On May 8th of 1880, one of France’s great realist novelists died of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 58. His name was Gustave Flaubert.

Known best for his novel, Madame Bovary, Flaubert’s writing style has influenced numerous authors such as Kafka, Nabokov and Guy de Maupassant. He was extraordinarily meticulous in his writing habits and it is abundantly evident in his work.

Nabokov once said of Flaubert:

The greatest literary influence upon Kafka was Flaubert’s. Flaubert who loathed pretty-pretty prose would have applauded Kafka’s attitude towards his tool. Kafka liked to draw his terms from the language of law and science, giving them a kind of ironic precision, with no intrusion of the author’s private sentiments; this was exactly Flaubert’s method through which he achieved a singular poetic effect.

We feel there is little else to say as Mr. Nabokov has so eloquently summed it up for us above. We will say that, in addition to Madame Bovary, if you are a fan of Flaubert or even just a bit Flau-curious, you check out the prose-poem La Tentation de Saint Antoine, his autobiographical work Mémoires d’un fou and his unfinished but wonderfully satirical novel Bouvard et Pécuchet.

Today, we hope our fellow writers out there will remember Flaubert by approaching their craft with the utmost care. Tend to your verse today as you would a beautiful garden.

Write on in peace, Monsieur Flaubert!