Narcissus and Goldmund

Over a background of symbolism, the story of Narcissus and Goldmund ("mouth of gold") develops: thinking and feeling; abstraction and concretion; ideas and feelings; intellectual and sensual pleasures.
Goldmund is a student at a Medieval monastery where Narcissus is a teacher. Narcissus opens Goldmund's eyes, revealing to him that the life of the convent is not for him, that he must go out to the world and experience it. So does Goldmund: he wanders around Europe for years, seducing countless women, knowing every pleasure and every misery. He becomes the apprentice of a sculptor, Master Nicholas, with whom he lives for years. Once again he wanders around during the years of the Plague, getting to experience all its horrors. He kills, sins and sees people die. When he seduces the wife of a Count, he gets imprisoned, but Narcissus saves him and takes him back to the monastery, where he lives as an artist, in quiet peace. But he will feel again the need to live in the world, to plunge in the life of the senses...
It may be said that Narcissus and Goldmund symbolize the duality of life, the binarity that consumes us endlessly, the constant switch of feelings and ideas, the eternal search for the meaning of life, that which can not be found only in thought nor only in senses. I can't think of any other book that has revealed so much to me (and so many have revealed much). It is, probably, the real adventure of life that is shown here in all its grandiosity and humbleness. This book can be reread several times, finding new meanings and ideas every time.

A book that talks inside to the soul. Something serene and beautiful. To explore the truth within while working for the outside. The dealings of insecurity and a profound love for people and the lush wonders of life. Elements and truth interact in a form of literary intercourse. It's all beautiful and relevant to the male in an age where political correctness is the plague of goldmunds troubles. Beyond important it's eternal in its truth and beauty of what we have and where we go with that.

Narcissus and Goldmund is a masterful study of what it means to be human. The story is a struggle between the followers of the mind, symbolized by the monk Narcissus, and the followers of art, symbolized by the womanizer Goldmund. For this reader though the book was much more about the internal struggle between the life of reason and intellectual pursuits and the life of artistic appreciation. These realms are not mutually exclusive but operate within most of us. The challenge is allow each to assert itself without overwhelming the whole. Hesse explores this dynamic through an engaging story, replete with deep Christological symbolism. This book is challenging but well worth the effort. It may even change the way that the reader reacts to the world, both internal and external.

_This is the story of two very different young would-be monks in the medieval cloister of Mariabronn. Narcissus was a lunar type- introverted, a thinker and a scholar. On the other hand, Goldmund was a classic solar type- extroverted, a lover and an artist.

_Yet, these two beings of seemingly opposite temperaments became the deepest of life-long friends. This is because different strengths- and different weaknesses- complement each other. In this way two unbalanced natures may in strange alchemy fulfill each other. They may be able to see their shadow in the other- and their pivotal conflict.

_It was in this way that Narcissus saw his friend Goldmund's central repressed crisis. It was this shattering revelation that drove Goldmund out into the world beyond the sheltered cloister. It drove him to a life on the edge as a life-long wanderer. He started in a search for his nearly forgotten mother and ended by finding the eternal feminine in all women. Yet the years of hardship and horror (including murder, the Great Plague, and prison) took their toll on him. When after over a decade of wandering, he finally encountered his friend Narcissus again it saved his life- both literally and spiritually.

_I could not imagine a more Jungian novel. Nor could I imagine a better expression of the meaning of profound friendship.

_This is the story of two very different young would-be monks in the medieval cloister of Mariabronn. Narcissus was a lunar type- introverted, a thinker and a scholar. On the other hand, Goldmund was a classic solar type- extroverted, a lover and an artist.

_Yet, these two beings of seemingly opposite temperaments became the deepest of life-long friends. This is because different strengths- and different weaknesses- complement each other. In this way two unbalanced natures may in strange alchemy fulfill each other. They may be able to see their shadow in the other- and their pivotal conflict.

_It was in this way that Narcissus saw his friend Goldmund's central repressed crisis. It was this shattering revelation that drove Goldmund out into the world beyond the sheltered cloister. It drove him to a life on the edge as a life-long wanderer. He started in a search for his nearly forgotten mother and ended by finding the eternal feminine in all women. Yet the years of hardship and horror (including murder, the Great Plague, and prison) took their toll on him. When after over a decade of wandering, he finally encountered his friend Narcissus again it saved his life- both literally and spiritually.

_I could not imagine a more Jungian novel. Nor could I imagine a better expression of the meaning of profound friendship.

Hermann Hesse's "Narcissus and Goldmund" is, in Nietzschean terms, a study of the conflict between the Apollonian (form, order, restraint, the world of ideas) and the Dionysian (passion, frivolity, lust, the world of images), without favoring one or the other. In fact, it seems to suggest that the highest state of humanity is a result of the peaceful coexistence of ideas and images.
The novel takes place in Germany, evidently some time in the late Middle Ages. Narcissus (the Apollonian) is a stoic young monk who teaches at a cloister called Mariabronn. One day a very handsome boy named Goldmund (the Dionysian) is dropped off at Mariabronn by his father to get a religious upbringing. Goldmund is artistic and takes his studies seriously enough, but he is obsessed with thoughts of his departed mother, an issue over which he and Narcissus become close friends. As he grows older, Goldmund realizes that he does not have much use for a monastic life, especially when he discovers the carnal pleasures of the opposite sex. With Narcissus's reluctant approval, he decides to run away from the cloister and blindly follow his passions.
Goldmund wanders around the countryside for many years as a vagrant. A regular Lothario, he survives by pleasuring the various women and girls he meets in every village and homestead. Although living this way makes him tough, even enough to kill a man when provoked, he retains his religious and artistic sensibilities and a certain compassion for the defenseless and the innocent. Impressed by a wooden madonna he sees in a church one day, he seeks out the sculptor who created it and requests to study under him. Goldmund eventually develops into a skillful artist himself, and, eventually returning to Mariabronn, he uses his skill to create wonderful wood carvings and statues for the cloister.
It would appear that Goldmund's life comes full circle by the end of the novel, but his years of wandering permanently alter the convictions he developed as a youth. He tells Narcissus that he can never take religious vows because, while he can accept poverty, he can't abide chastity or obedience. His belief that God has made the world "badly" stems from his experiences during the Black Plague that lays waste to the population: Stopping in a church once, he addresses God with a question that must have been on the minds of many people back then: "...Are you completely disgusted with your creation, do you want us all to perish?"
More lucid and coherent than Hesse's more popular opus "Steppenwolf," "Narcissus and Goldmund" is a great soul-searching type of novel, one that allows a reader, especially a young one, to confront questions about his or her own life. If we consider that Narcissus and Goldmund represent the two extremes of humanity -- Narcissus, the "perfect" Apollonian, and Goldmund, the "perfect" Dionysian (although admittedly there are even more extreme forms of passion than what Goldmund exhibits) -- we might be able to recognize that most of us fall somewhere in the middle; our satisfaction in life lies in finding out where in the middle we are most comfortable.

_This is the story of two very different young would-be monks in the medieval cloister of Mariabronn. Narcissus was a lunar type- introverted, a thinker and a scholar. On the other hand, Goldmund was a classic solar type- extroverted, a lover and an artist.

_Yet, these two beings of seemingly opposite temperaments became the deepest of life-long friends. This is because different strengths- and different weaknesses- complement each other. In this way two unbalanced natures may in strange alchemy fulfill each other. They may be able to see their shadow in the other- and their pivotal conflict.

_It was in this way that Narcissus saw his friend Goldmund's central repressed crisis. It was this shattering revelation that drove Goldmund out into the world beyond the sheltered cloister. It drove him to a life on the edge as a life-long wanderer. He started in a search for his nearly forgotten mother and ended by finding the eternal feminine in all women. Yet the years of hardship and horror (including murder, the Great Plague, and prison) took their toll on him. When after over a decade of wandering, he finally encountered his friend Narcissus again it saved his life- both literally and spiritually.

_I could not imagine a more Jungian novel. Nor could I imagine a better expression of the meaning of profound friendship.

This novel is a philosophical and allegorical story of the friendship between two exact opposites, one staying in the medieval monastery to pursue his career of deprivation, intellectualism, scholarship and logic, the other becoming a vagabond who wonders from landscape to landscape, trouble to trouble, love affair to love affair. The two are almost personifications of opposites, but this only strenthens their friendship built on differences and ensures that despite years of separation, they continually think of each other and enrich each other's life through a different worldview.

This is one of Hesse's most famous novels, and yes, it does have flaws. I agree with some readers who found the whole thing to drag a bit too long. It's hard for a writer to keep up a philosophical work, especially an allegory without giving the impression that they are struggling to continually be profound and yet failing. This occasionally happens in the book. This is because the picaresque in the middle drags on without continuing the idea of the two characters' friendship as they are separated.

Despite all this, I found the best thing about this was Hesse's style as it's magical, filled with mystic wonder and yet very penetrating. The problems faced by the characters about the way in which we should pursue meaning in our lives, about the balance of opposites (especially the "mind" and "soul") as well as the meaning of science and art, are so universal that their mere presence in this work gives it an atmosphere of grandness. But to me, this work is mainly an account of an amazing friendship.

The edition I read was another translation which I couldn't find in the catalogue, so I'm not sure which aspects of the book might be better or worse because of this being a different translation.

While many people may dislike this, and I don't consider it a masterpiece, it is moving and thoughtprovoking.

This is where Hermann Hesse is really at home, in the streets and villages and countryside of old Europe. One wonders what he must have been thinking as much of it was bombed into oblivion in the 1940s. It is certainly a very idyllic place, and one in which it might have been, under certain conditions, pleasant to live. Social politics is not Hesse's strong point; he is more concerned with the individual. In this novel Hesse takes us into the Europe of the Middle Ages to explore the relationship between student and master. I think it is really my favourite, but then, there are so many trying to lay claim to the title, it's hard to be sure. It is a book about youth, about enquiry and about travelling, all at once. Hesse's writing, or the very fine translation of it, has a poetic quality that is unsurpassed for me in modern literature. It seems to help the reader form a deeper impression of the very countryside through which this pair of travellers passes. At the same time, there is a landscape of the mind to which one wishes to return, time and again. For me, Narcissus and Goldmund is a voyage into a time lost, where the very air is somehow rarefied and the colours of grassy fields are at once, soft and vibrant. Tremendous writing; timeless literature.

Like most people, I read Hesse's better known novels like Damien and Steppenwolf first. I found a copy of this at a used book store, bought it, and let it sit on the bookself for a while before actually reading it. Was I surprised - this is one of Hesse's greatest novels.
Hesse takes two young men - one devoted to the hermetic religious life and another more into the decadent artistic life - and follows them through adulthood. There are some amazing scenes here - scenes of great artistic creation, a journey through a plague ravaged world, the reunion of the two friends - that rank among the best things Hesse ever wrote.
True the characters are more "types" than real three dimensional characters. It is obvious that Hesse wants to examine the spiritual/cerebral approach to existence versus the more artistic/physical approach to life, and to find them both wanting. This is less a slice of life novel than a modern parable. Taken on those terms, this novel is Hesse at the height of his powers and deserves to be better known and read than it currently is.

This, above all other of his works, should be listed as Hesse's masterpiece. It is a novel so full of ideas, a story posing so many challenges to its heroes that it is impossible not to think about the choices each man makes for his life for days, weeks - or a lifetime after. Few books have affected me with the profundity and beauty as Narcissus and Goldmund.

On each page Hesse captures the spirits of these two friends - as different as night and day - yet united in the bond of friendship that is as strong as filial or romantic love. Goldmund's global wandering and Narcissus's remaining leads each man to view the world uniquely and when again together, to share those opinions in a manner that is, to the reader, almost voyeuristic.

A beautiful tale, beautifully told.

The author through Goldmund and Narcissus finds duality everywhere: "...either a women or a man, a wanderer or sedentary burgher...", "...either a thinker or an artist...". There seems to be no in between for Herman Hesse: "All existence seemed to be based on duality, contrast." , "...no one could...experience freedom as well as order, combine instinct and mind." This may or may not be the most valid or practical view of life but duality and contrast create tension and that's what you need for a good story. And if you are a gifted writer an appealing tale can be told about two monks struggling to resolve this eternal tension. That is what Hermann Hesse did (and much more that I have failed to mention).

Hermann Hesse put together a wonderful story about a friendship between people who are entirely different. The contrast between the emotional and artistic vrs. the rational and intellectual put in a medieval setting certainly causes the reader to look inside and see aspects of Narcissus and Goldmund in their own lives. Since reading the book, I've often caught myself saying "that person sure is a Goldmund" or "Narcissus has nothing on THAT guy" or "Geez, I've really gone Goldmund this week."

I gave my copy of this book to a girlfriend who dumped me shortly thereafter. So don't give this as a gift. Buy it, keep it and read it from time to time. I wish I did.

I read this book after Hesse's another fascinating novel, Demian. I think this book Narcissus and Goldmund has more things to learn than the book Demian.

This book leaves plenty of philosophical questions that make us think. According to the author's work, Narcissus and Goldmund are to represent the two opposite spectrum. Debates between Narcissus and Goldmund about their different belief about God or nature and meaning of their lives or science are especially interesting that author distinguish from Goldmund's nature perspective versus Narcissus's analytical perspective. There are also a lot of literary devices such as symbolism, metaphors, forshadow etc, if you can find easily.

Aside from the abstract ideas that author poses, the story of Goldmund's trip in the wild life is entertaining by Hesse's great descriptive words. I felt as if I were Goldmund in the wild forest or the Goldmund trying to escape all the life and death plights. Not very difficult book even for pleasure reading. You should read this book!

From a writer more commonly working in shorter fiction, or at depths that require intense concentration, this book is an masterpiece of extended prose that balances depth and lyricism, scenery and thought, secular and divine. The dualities compliment the exploration of the two lives - the golden voice and the self-regarding man. But only by the names are these polarized, they could be argued to be either. As you finally leave the book you may feel expelled from a world and time more wonderful than the one you wake to, and with a closing movement as stunning as the final pages of Grapes of Wrath or Growth of the Soil, or Family Moscat.

As with most Hesse novels, the storyline in Narcissus and Goldmund too, is an elegantly linear one, with few characters and no tangle of events. Much like tea leaves; it appears light on a perfunctory reading but reveals its deep underlying philosophy only when one attempts to read beyond the written words.
This is a tale of two medieval monks at the Mariabronn cloister - Brother Narcissus and his pupil Goldmund - both of whom are on a quest to seek peace and salvation. Though there is a convergence of their ultimate goal, the two strive to achieve it by setting out on two apparently diametrically opposite paths in life.
Blessed with a superbly analytical mind guided by intelligence, reason and logic alone, Narcissus is an ascetic of the highest order. He has shunned the world of senses to devote himself completely to the service of God. By contrast, Goldmund's being is dominated entirely by `feelings', unshackled by the bonds of intellect. He gives up the austere discipline and abstemious cloister life in pursuit of worldly pleasures as also its pains - the realm of the `Maya'. (Concept of Hinduism wherein Maya refers is the cosmic illusion that creates ignorance and veils the vision of the one Reality.) He becomes a wondering wayfarer, traveling through sun, snow and rain; swamp and peat; hunger and fatigue. This is symbolic of his journey through life itself. Celebrating life in all its facets, he plumbs the depths of lust, wades through snow fields, surviving on frozen, wilted berries, escaping from the jaws of death. He experiences a surfeit of life's every aspect until he feels they no longer bring him happiness.
A beautiful wooden statue of Madonna in the `bishop's city' is a turning point in his life. Its beauty touches him so deeply that it ignites his hitherto dormant creative spark and sets it on fire. Awakened, Goldmund decides to try his hand at sculpting. The experience turns out to be so sublime that he sacrifices his `freedom' at the altar of creative bliss. He settles down to a sedentary life for a few months, giving his heart, soul and fiber to making wonderfully beautiful wooden figures.
While Narcissus represents the masculine mind, Goldmund is the embodiment of all that is feminine- imagination, creation, passion and attachment. The two epitomize the eternal battle between the mind versus the senses, thinker versus the artist. Hesse addresses the perennial question - Which of the two is superior? Which of the two roads is the shorter route to salvation?
The book ends on a very touching note. ...

Admittedly biased due to my long-time admiration for Hesse's work, this is a novel of value to the reader. Not quite as smooth and easy to get through as Siddartha or Demian, Narcissus and Goldmund is another tale diving into the Great Mystery of Existence in search of truth and transcendence, exhibited in Hesse's trademark beautifully hypnotic lyrical prose. I would strongly recommend this book to adolescents and young adults who are in the process of questioning reality and trying to figure out who they want to be. Or for any adult who finds herself a bit lost and uncertain about where she is at in life. Because it is a Hermann Hesse novel, you will not finish the last page with your existential concerns answered or a feeling that everything will be alright. Instead you will leave with more questions than you had prior to picking up the book, which is precisely what Hesse had in mind. This story is valuable because it can take many shapes depending on what the reader wants and needs out of the experience. One is simultaneously able to respect and see the flaws in the scholarly ascetic path of Narcissus, while also admiring and pitying Goldmund in his path of transient worldly pleasures and feelings. More than anything, this novel is about the difficult struggle to get the most out of life that you can before it is too late.

Narcissus and Goldmund, by Hermann Hesse, is a contrast in the characters of a school boy, Goldmund, who abandons his scrict life to attempt to please himself, but winds up pleasing others; and Narcissus, the schoolmaster who believes that it was his fate to become a schoolteacher though truly he would be happier elsewhere.

As Goldmund 'hitch-hikes' through the middle ages, Narcissus stays where he is, routinely and repetitively teaching. Neither is truly happy. However, it seems that their characters require them to act as they do. This book is one that prompts you to ponder.
I approve.

Narcissus is a scholar and an intellectual and pursues spirituality via an ordered life in a religious community. His friend, Goldmund, is an artistic wanderer who chooses a freer, yet harder life in the real world.

Hesse uses these two characters to contrast art v. intellect, spirit v. material, etc.

The story itself is simple, but the characters' actions and thoughts clearly expose the existential angst that is central to the human condition. There are spiritual insights aplenty and I saw a lot of myself in both characters.

The story is most suited to spiritual seekers and introverts, I'm guessing.

My only gripe was that which is common to these types of books (including Siddhartha, The Alchemist, etc.) and that is the male-centric focus and the way that woman are portrayed as if their only purpose in existing is as supporting cast members to men on spiritual journeys. I can't imagine a self-respecting woman not taking some offense at the portrayal of women in this story because Goldmund's womanizing is portrayed as a virtue, stemming from a "love" of women, completely ignoring the fact that he must have left a lot of destruction in his wake.

Perhaps one can excuse Hesse by arguing that he wrote his works when woman still were mostly subjugated in society, and that Goldmund's womanizing was just some sort of plot device. Still, I had a hard time overlooking how women were portrayed in this story. Perhaps we need a whole new batch of these books that fall into the "spiritual journey" genre, but that demonstrate a spiritual path that includes both male and female seekers. I'm not sure why this particular issue gets under my skin so much, but perhaps it's because I have two daughters and I take offense on their behalf.

Overall, an insightful (if a bit misogynistic) look at the spiritual journey.

In this work Hesse is writing in full stride. Wonderful narrative,fully realized characters and deep philosophical insights informing example of "literature" in the best sense of the word.
Hesse gives us two friends who are archetypes for the pursuit of the examined life and contrasts them. One is of the world and the other in the monastic tradition.
In one way Hesse is presenting the choices each thoughtful person must make and the benefits and problems with living in religion or the mind on the one hand and the world on the other. Otherwise this is a fine presentation of friendship.
James Pope

This book is nothing short of an all time classic read. It should be on the reading list for every school on the planet!

If I'm going a tad 'over the top' it's because I love this book and feel it deals with the inner conflicts of male adolescence more eloquently than any book I've ever read.

The two medievel characters, for me, represent the quest for learning and sprituality contrasted with the pleasures of the flesh and our emotional life but I see them as two sides of one person.

I've read and enjoyed a number of his works but this is by far my favourite and I fail to see why it's less well known than Steppenwolf.

What next after such a profoundly enjoyable experience, there can be only one choice - The Glass Bead Game: (Magister Ludi) A Novel .

Enjoy

_Narcissus and Goldmund_ by Hermann Hesse is the story of two men: one an ascetic scholar, the other a passionate student of life. The book chronicles their fateful meeting, Goldmund's pursuit of truth and beauty, and a final reunion of the two friends late in life. It is quite simply the best book I've read thus far. In it, I find artfully and poignantly demonstrated the central conflict of my life, perhaps of all life: the struggle between the intellect and the emotions. The book is best read as a juxtaposition of both of these motivators in our lives. Narcissus represents pure intellect and reason, while Goldmund represents pure emotion and passion. Neither one could truly exist in the world, but Hesse creates them as archetypes of these two motivators in all humans. The struggles they encounter in understanding each other, and the struggles Goldmund encounters in making sense of the world, help us to better understand these two sides of our own character. The struggle teaches us of the beauty that aches, and friendship that knows no bounds. In this conflict one can ultimately find the beauty of truth, and the truth of beauty.

Few books ever written, much less in the twentieth century, have ever contained such beautiful characters. It is true they are archetypes -- they stand for something rather than are living, breathing, bleeding humans, but they illustrate the human participation in these archetypes (academic/esthete and lusty adventurer/experientalist) so clearly, and point up the folly in following one or the other path too exclusively. Whether or not the philosophy (neatly delivered, and insidiously convincing) appeals to you, the characters of Narcissus (in some editions he is "Narziss") and Goldmund alone are worth the read. In final praise: I read it once at sixteen, and I have never forgotten it.

I first read Narcissus and Goldmund when I was about 20. The conflicts between mind/heart, reason/passion, intellect/emotion were the fulcrum around which my personal voyage of self-discovery turned - at that age.
Now, at 42, I have reread this book. I never appreciated the first time 'round that Hess was describing a completed life. I was too fixated on Goldmund's emancipation through travel. But in the end, after his return to the cloister to create true art, Goldmund hit the road again. He tried in vain to recapture youth only to be spurned by Agnes, the woman he considered to be the most beautiful - and the most like himself. This was a classic description of what we now call the "mid-life crisis".
Neither Narcissus nor Goldmund ended up truly happy, I believe. But that is not the point at all. There was a mutual recognition of the richness in their separate lives. And there was a love and a respect for those differences.
As we all grow up it is these deeper lessons that Hess seeks to impart to us. I'm glad I picked up this excellent book once again and am not surprised to see other reviewers who have done the same with similar results.
A book for living dangerously, and fully.
DH

Absolutely amazing writing, Herman Hesse goes above and beyond any standard set forth by any other author. Definitely one of the great classics in my opinion, this is one of my favorite books along with Demian. Herman Hesse is a literary genius

The theme of this book is deeply philosophical and a familiar one by the author--the mystery, harmony and fluidity of opposites, form vs. matter, reason vs. passion, and yin vs. yang in life. Perhaps making peace, or coming to terms with the unknowable nature of life by living it the best way one could.

Undoubtedly, one of the best books by Herman Hesse. The story of these two characters shows a beautiful dichotomy between a spirit hungry for experimentation and another starving for knowledge. The relationship between these two characters will stand the test of time.
There is one reason he did not get 5 stars, he wrote Steppenwolf, do I need to say anything else?
Enjoy this book...

One of the most influential works I've read. This book forces you to examine your faith or your faithlessness - which ever applies. Hesse made me look at death as I've never had before. One of those books you'll feel compelled to read again and again.

This book has tension and will keep you turning pages. However I found the character of Goldmund unbelievable and he began to get on my nerves, obviously he was a fantasy self image of
Hesse himself.

Hesse tends to period leftist intellectual dead ends (even this story has shadows of them) but still is a marvelous intelligent writer.

It is quite a good read. As another reviewer pointed out the author gets bogged down a little bit too much in his own philosophy but nothing compared to authors such as Huxley or Saul Bellows.

You will never forget the characters---for that it gets 3 stars. Best sellers have such formula stereotyped characters you only have a desire to forget them.

I keep reading this book once every two or three years to remind me of what life can be about. Be warned it's a very male book! Ideal for women who want to know how men think, but not for examining the female psyche.

A disturbing, thought provoking and often touching work. Two very different men form a lifelong bond, that transcends physical distance and orientation of character. One aspires toward a life of service and sacrafice, the other a life of indulging in the experiential world of the senses. Does one path have more merit than the other? This book may alter your view on this issue. Another heady Hesse work that challenges our ideas of a virtuous existence.

I especially loved the portrayal of meidevil life and the search for the meaning of what it means to be an artist and what art is all about. How artist take a differrent path to perection and understanding. Unplug the gadgets and read this.

This is one of the most captivating and beautifully written novels in history. Hermann Hesse is a fascinating story teller and vividly romantic poet. Deep introspection, hilarious laughter, pensiveness, tears, and spiritual elevation are all experienced within the pages of this incredible and unmatched journey. Worth every minute... you won't waste a moment once you turn the first few pages. An amazing read!

I went into this book with higher expectations than I should have, but it was a good read nevertheless. Siddhartha is better both in philosophy and theme, but this has another perspective on finding your path. The problem arises when a novelist tries to describe art and attempts to define it with pure subjectivism. Another problem is using a priest as a philosopher of reason and logic, which is contradictory to his belief in mysticism and faith.

Hesse's account of how many of your inclinations get enamored by each other's possible arrival. A dilemma in each young thinker's mind taken as far as it went and presented as a story of a vagabond and an abbot is gripping and one which all us can identify with in one way or the other. A masterpiece !

Narcissus and Goldmund ultimately sets forth two paths for the artist: a life of pure intellect and one in which the pleasures and pain of life are experienced. The most beautiful prose even in translation.

If you are only going to read ten novels in your life, this should be one of them.

You can buy Narcissus and Goldmund with your eyes closed, right now! It's a whole life that people in our times will never have. It's an amazing experience, of the body and soul through aging. One can actually feel the vivid touch of a gypsy, the love of a mother and the fear of death, radiating from the pages.
Be prepared for an emotional experience of tear shedding and longing heart.

The story of two person's search for happiness and their radically different paths. It is filled with imaginiative circumstances surcharged with passion and adventure. Narcissus and Goldmnund is total escape, completely engrossing, and thoroughly enjoyable.

This is a famous book purportedly dealing with the conflict between science and art. Narcissus is an austere monk striving for purity in thought and logic, while Goldmund is the artist reveling in the sensual pleasures of the world. I felt very cheated in reading this book. The book is filled with too many gratuitous descriptions of sex and the conflict of science and art is dealt too pedantically with oft-repeated, clichéd ideas. I found two novel insights in this book. One was that joy and pain can be depicted by the same lines and forms in art. The other was a description of Goldmund's feelings in a fish market and he is moved by the callousness of humanity in the face of these dying fish. It is not a new thought, but writers rarely touch this topic of the accepted human cruelty to animals that is carried on under the guise of survival.

This book changed my life! I read it three months ago and I still think about it almost everyday. N&G is one of the most perfect dualities I know. Shows the double side of each of us. Must read and re-read!

Narcissus and Goldmund was the first book by Hesse I read. While reading it, I did not think that this would become one of my favorite books. After a while I realized there was more to it than meets the eye. This is a book that will keep you thinking long after you read the last page.

As a straight novel, Narcissus and Goldmund suffers from very serious defects. The characters are one-dimensional, the setting is vague and unconvincing, and there is almost nothing in the way of believable humanity. These are not necessarily bad, because the book is obviously intended to be a philosophical fable rather than a psychological novel. However, it does not do very well as a work of philosophy, either. The main idea is the notion of duality: male-female, thinker-feeler, abstract-concrete, etc... It can be satisfying on some level to neatly categorize things in this way, but frankly it is neither profound nor particularly useful. Even if it were, that single idea would not justify the length of the book. A short story would have been more appropriate. Even Goldmund's most daring sexual escapades become monotonous after a while, and Hesse clearly didn't give a whole lot of thought to what Narcissus was thinking about during his whole life. This book is a little like Voltaire's Candide - its readability doesn't make up for its lack of substance. At least Candide doesn't take itself so seriously...
I was interested to see mention of Nietzche's Apollo/Dionysius idea in other reviews. I think that is a fascinating and legitimate example of duality, which goes much deeper than anything in Narcissus and Goldmund. It doesn't apply very well to the novel, since art can be both Apollinian and Dionysian - in fact, Goldmund's chosen medium, sculpture, is generally classified as Apollinian.
Narcissus and Goldmund could be a fun read if you want to feel philosophical without any mental effort, but otherwise I wouldn't bother.

Loved every minute reading this book. Makes me ache with joy. Happy with sadness. I am part Narcissus, part Goldmund - we all are. Loved their love for each other. HESSE is so wonderful. The complexity of life he describes - so real, so true.