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Peter Camenzind

by Hermann Hesse, Michael Roloff, هرمان هيسه

3.75 of 5 stars 3.75 · rating details · 2,075 ratings · 95 reviews

Peter Camenzind, a young man from a Swiss mountain village, leaves his home and eagerly takes to the road in search of new experience. Traveling through Italy and France, Camenzind is increasingly disillusioned by the suffering he discovers around him; after failed romances and a tragic friendship, his idealism fades into crushing hopelessness. He finds peace again only wh...more

Paperback, 208 pages

Published December 1st 2003 by Picador (first published 1904)

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Mar 04, 2013 W.M. Driscoll rated it 4 of 5 stars

Though one could start exploring the masterful works of the German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter Hermann Hesse with his later more mature novels, from the spiritual crisis and discovery of Der Steppenwolf (Steppenwolf), to the simple lyrical mysticism of Siddhartha or even (my personal favorite) the odd, futuristic and intellectual Das Glasperlenspiel (which I read under the title Magister Ludi *and* The Glass Bead Game but is often called just one or the other), I would point a reader inter...more

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Oct 19, 2008 Patti rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love Hermann Hesse.

Peter Camenzind reminded me of a 1900's version of On the Road set in Switzerland. Prone to melancholy and drunkenness, Camenzind's wanderlust and love of nature might be better compared to Kerouac's Big Sur. Both books describe characters that you want to succeed, but end up drunk with their hearts broken. They also show an intelligence and self-awareness of the reasons of their failures.

Which makes sense why Hermann Hesse and Jack Kerouac are two of my favorite authors....more

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Dec 30, 2011 Liam rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: c20th-prewar, quick-reads

An autobiographical novel about a provincial young intellectual from the Alps whose education takes him to cultured Zurich, where his eyes are opened to the pleasures of a modern, cultured life. There he meets with urbane, learned associates and eventually travels to Italy as a poet, before returning to his father's house in the Alpine forest, his heart broken twice over by unrequited love. Well written, but otherwise an unimaginative and dull tale of an artist coming of age. The sentimentality...more

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Sep 07, 2009 TeacherMrLoria rated it 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 for Hesse. 5 out of 5 compared to novels in general.

Peter Camenzind is Hesse’s first novel, but it is truly a gem. Containing the brilliant prose combined with the deep philosophies that make Hesse’s books so compelling, it is an outstanding book. The narrative structure is first person, and at times it is a bit awkward (compared to his more mature works) and once or twice it tells more than it shows, but only for brief moments. It is very interesting to see Hesse’s early works to see...more

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Jun 22, 2012 Greenoha rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-fav, favorites

و الغريب ان الريفيوهات كلها فيها عبارة " رأيت فيه نفسي"
و هو بالفعل ذاك جداً :)

الكتاب كان صدمة لي فى أول مرة قرأته بسبب اني وجدت فيه الكثير جداً من نفسي ؛ ما كنت اعتبره شديد الخصوصية فى ذلك الوقت ..
تجربة الانتقال من الريف ( الصحراء فى حالتي ) الي المدينة ، و رغم اني تمكنت من التماهي مع المدينة بشكل مثالي جداً ؛ الا ان قريتي تنتصر دائماً فى كل احلامي .. فانا لا احلم الا ببيتنا القديم هناك :)

سأكمل الريفيو فى وقت لاحق بعد ان استعيد تفاصيل الكتاب فى اعاده القراءة هذه :))

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Jan 28, 2010 George Dimitrov rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

До някъде помага религиозното възпитание на Хесе, прави текста по интересен. Кои друг би започнал книгата си със следното изказване.

"In the beginning was the myth. God, in his search for self-expression, invested the souls of Hindus, Greeks, and Germans with poetic shapes and continues to invest each child's soul with poetry every day."

Разбира се и описанието на младежкия романтизъм и идеализъм, страха от отхвърляне, значимоста на добрите приятелства са ни до болка познати. Приятно беше осещан...more

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Oct 16, 2012 Ibrahim Sâki added it

Shelves: roman-öykü

"Bugünün bütün bu insanlarının ne büyük bir özlemle esenliği aradığı ve bu özlemin onları ne acayip yollara sürüklediği bazen dikkatimi çekiyordu. Tanrı'ya inanmaya aptalca, neredeyse yakışıksız bir gözle bakılıyor, Tanrı'dan başka bir sürü öğretiye, isme, örneğin Schopenhauer'a, Buddha'ya, Zerdüşt'e ve daha pek çoklarına inanmakta sakınca görülmüyordu. Kendilerine henüz isim yapmamış genç şairler vardı, stilize evlerde kimi heykel ve tabloların önünde görkemli ayinler düzenliyorlardı. Tanrı'nın...more

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Nov 10, 2012 Ian rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: boring

You can see at times the kernel of Hesse's future brilliance, and the prose is splendid, especially whenever there is a lake or mountain in sight. Unfortunately the whole thing is weighed down both by the strict canons of the Bildungsroman of the time, and by the tediousness of the main character himself. Camenzind says towards the end he's not like a Werther, but he's really not that far, drifting through life in woe and sadness, finding the sorrow in every small joy, polishing every memory so...more

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Jun 06, 2012 sologdin rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literary

Shares the self-obsession that characterizes Hesse's later books, but lacks some of the even worse characteristics of same.

Nutshell: bucolic twerp self-exiles from village, reads books, drinks heavily, becomes writer, obsesses over various persons, remains unsatisfied, &c.

Begins weirdly with prosopopeia involving the mountain scenes of the narrator's village, which matures into mythic-seeming oromachia (2). The ecophile ideology persists throughout, but the mythic mode doesn't last.

Narrator...more Shares the self-obsession that characterizes Hesse's later books, but lacks some of the even worse characteristics of same.

Nutshell: bucolic twerp self-exiles from village, reads books, drinks heavily, becomes writer, obsesses over various persons, remains unsatisfied, &c.

Begins weirdly with prosopopeia involving the mountain scenes of the narrator's village, which matures into mythic-seeming oromachia (2). The ecophile ideology persists throughout, but the mythic mode doesn't last.

Narrator "lacked any strong urge to take sides on any of the issues" propounded by "philosophers, aestheticians, socialists" (56), and is more concerned with "the need to develop their own selves and to clarify their personal relationship to time and eternity." Okay then.

His goal, "a completion of myself" (83). Grrrreat!

He's got Hesse's normal spenglerian focus on "our declining race" (5) and the "ridiculous shabbiness of modern culture" (94). Uh huh.

Regarding the work of those "fighting for the impoverished lower classes" or those who "Strove for universal peace," "none of them matter to me" (106). A real charmer!

He dislikes people but prefers "mute nature" (123), reminiscent therefore of Jonson's Morose in Epicoene, a "gentleman who loves no noise."

It's not like the novel is affirmatively bad or annoying--but it lacks something that I usually need in fiction. This is of course by intention of author, who proclaims, regarding "how I became the editor of a German newspaper, how I allowed too great a freedom of my pen and malicious tongue and suffered the consequences, how I became a notorious drinker" (and so on), that he will "skip this interlude and deprive those of my readers with a taste for the sordid and the intimate details" (99). He also does not present the intellectual quarrel that "forced me once more to reevaluate my opinions of modern culture," for "my book will hardly suffer if I omit them" (144-45). I contend that the book accordingly has omitted the two most interesting items--so, apparently there's a disconnect between my and Hesse's standards. Fair enough.

Recommended for those who pounce on any Werther-like feelings in themselves, persons who venerate womankind as an alien race, and readers with natural peasant cunning.(less)

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May 04, 2011 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Sarah by: Mahmoud

ربما أعجبتني لأنها كما قالت سلمى كأنها تتحدث عني..أو أنها أنارت لي جوانب غامضةً، وجلتها بيسر.
لكنني أحببتها أكثر، لأن هسه يكتب بطريقة لا تفسدها المباشرة، ويتأمل بحس شاعر أصيل النفس، يستكشف معنى الحب والحياة في نفسه عن طريق بطله.

جعلني أستشعر الرواية ثانية، لا بحس الصراع الداخلي أو دوامات التفكير التي تتركك لتصل أنت لنتيجة.
بل بطريقة أخرى متأملة هادئة، قد تتصاعد معها ثم تصل لسكينة ما، أو نقطة رضا عن المعاني الجيدة في الحياة.

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Jan 20, 2009 Brittany rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: akita-book-club-books

I only gave this book three stars because I'm not sure how I feel about the protagonist, Peter Camenzind. Sometimes I liked him and sometimes I didn't. What I didn't like was Camenzind's air of superiority that I read in his tone of writing (Hesse wrote the book from Camenzind's point of view in the first person). Camenzind often came off that unless you appreciated or understood nature like he did/does then you didn't deserve to live amongst that nature. While I'm sure everyone appreciates natu...more I only gave this book three stars because I'm not sure how I feel about the protagonist, Peter Camenzind. Sometimes I liked him and sometimes I didn't. What I didn't like was Camenzind's air of superiority that I read in his tone of writing (Hesse wrote the book from Camenzind's point of view in the first person). Camenzind often came off that unless you appreciated or understood nature like he did/does then you didn't deserve to live amongst that nature. While I'm sure everyone appreciates nature, not everyone gets to experience the kind of nature that surrounded him like where he grew up. Isn't it to each his/her own? Then there was the pity party that we all were invited to in the majority of the beginning of the book. He pitied himself for being a hermit and his losses in life (friends, family, and love). I couldn't feel bad for him. We all suffer bad luck in life. Then there was his social awkwardness that made me feel uncomfortable. Maybe that was Hesse's idea for his character, but I wish Hesse had pointed it out more, as in I would have liked Camenzind to realize this in himself, and I never found that he did. I cringed when he tried to convey his love to those girls (climbing a mountain to get flowers off a cliff edge for Rosi, and taking Elizabeth out on the lake to profess his undying love, then having to turn back in a huff when she said she was in love with someone else before he even got a chance to tell her he loved her). The part I disliked the most was when he kind of moved in on a family and adopted his carpenter friend's invalid brother-in-law. He kind of invited himself to be close to the family and experience their private troubles. I found it really inappropriate. And I can fully understand why the carpenter stopped visiting Camenzind and stopped being his friend.
Now, these are the things I liked about Camenzind: he is a very kind person and tried his hardest to love all mankind. I was partly touched when Peter ran all the way back to the house because he felt bad for leaving Boppi alone, however I also cringed because I didn't think it was his place to be that concerned for a man he didn't even know. I liked reading about his travels around Germany, Italy, Spain, etc. and admired how he traveled pretty much alone and went off the beaten path of the large cities, but instead found joy in the small hidden villages. Despite all of Camenzind's awkwardness, I found him very human, which made this book pleasant to read.
Overall I thought the writing was very poetic and quite beautiful at times, when I didn't feel like I was being talked down to. I think Hesse did a great job in describing Camenzind and his passions. However my mind did wander when Camenzind/Hesse would go off in various descriptions of things. I preferred reading the narrative and actions of Camenzind instead of his never-ending thoughts.
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Apr 14, 2011 Jacob rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read several Hermann Hesse books when I was in high school and quite enjoyed them. Recently I found a little gem that I had neverheardanything aboutbefore. Peter Camenzind is a somewhat autobiographical novel of a young man from the Alps finding his way in the world. As with his other works, Hesse's gift is notproducing a unique story line, but rather presenting a common story line, uniquely. His prose is almost poetic in its descriptions of the young man's village on the shores of an alpine l...more I read several Hermann Hesse books when I was in high school and quite enjoyed them. Recently I found a little gem that I had never heard anything about before. Peter Camenzind is a somewhat autobiographical novel of a young man from the Alps finding his way in the world. As with his other works, Hesse's gift is not producing a unique story line, but rather presenting a common story line, uniquely. His prose is almost poetic in its descriptions of the young man's village on the shores of an alpine lake. The depth of feeling in each new discovery is transmitted almost frictionlessly as the protagonist ventures across Europe, as first student, and then writer.

Towards the end of the novel, our young hero addresses us directly and says, "I wanted to let mountains, oceans, and green islands speak to you convincingly with their enticing tongues, and wanted to compel you to see the immeasurably varied and exuberant life blossoming and overflowing outside your houses and cities every day. I wanted you to feel ashamed of knowing more about foreign wars, fashions, gossip, literature, and art than of the springs bursting forth outside your towns, than of the forests and meadows through which your railroads speed."

I shared both the book and this passage with a friend, much older than I in years. She said to me, "you identify with this young man, don't you?" I replied affirmatively. She told me that she agreed with much of the book, especially learning to treat others with kindness no matter what the circumstances, but that perhaps the most important message was identifying what was really important in life.

Following the growth of a youth to adulthood in the beautiful settings of both alpine and classical Europe makes this novel appealing all on its own. Its relevancy to many timeless topics fuel further interest. I would certainly recommend this work to any individual concerned with finding their own path in this world and reading an excellent piece of lyrical prose.(less)

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Nov 16, 2009 Kevin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, the-good, autobiographical, existential-angst

Great first novel by Hesse. Extremely autobiographical, the book charts the life of one Peter Camenzind, a Swiss country boy with an extreme sensitivity towards nature. He comes from a rural Swiss Alpine village, gets himself educated in university, falls in love several times with women which end up being a failure (so ends up falling in love with wine instead...not a bad thing). His hero is Francis of Assisi, the nature saint, and he sees himself following a similar path. Peter eventually retu...more

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May 04, 2013 Jesus Ismael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Altough this is not one of Hesse's better known works, it's definitely a masterpiece that presents very well one of his main topics: growing up and the discovery of self. The main character had a difficult childhood with his father and decides to move away in order to improve his studies. He goes completely alone and lives by his own, because his dad can't afford his education (nor he's willing to do it, anyway). Peter starts knowing people and places, moving often and changing his surroundings...more

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Sep 13, 2011 Julia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nobel, classics, german-lit

"Peter Camenzind" ist ein typischer früher Hesse: schwärmerische Liebschaften, die zu nichts führen, an Verliebtheit gemahnende Freundschaften, die so nur in der Jugend möglich sind, die Suche nach dem Göttlichen in sich selbst. Besonders stark sind hier die schwelgenden Naturbeschreibungen, die noch an die Romantiker denken lassen. Große philosopische Themen behandelt Hesse nicht mit leichter Hand, macht sie aber doch jedem Leser zugänglich und verständlich. Besonders schön ist Camenzinds Läute...more

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Feb 09, 2010 Patrick Gibson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-literature

“In the beginning was the myth. Just as the great god composed and struggled for expression in the souls of the Indians, the Greeks and Germanic peoples, so to it continues to compose daily in the soul of every child.”

“Love isn't there to make us happy. I believe it exists to show us how much we can endure”

“That's the way it is when you love. It makes you suffer, and I have suffered much in the years since. But it matters little that you suffer, so long as you feel alive with a sense of the clos...more

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Jul 04, 2012 Ariel rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is really an excellent book. It’s a story about a young man who seeks to escape the doldrums of his boring, humdrum, rural country life by leaving his small Swiss village to get educated, and have a more cosmopolitan life in a city. He ends up becoming a writer and a poet, but due to unfortunate experiences with women and various friends, he ends up a bitter alcoholic. The one saving grace is his constant affection for nature, children, and animals. This love eventually leads him back home...more

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Apr 27, 2012 أحمد أبازيد Ahmad Abazed rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

هواجس الطفولة الأعمق و الأنقى , قلق الأنثى , سحر الطبيعة التي تتكلّم بلغة الله و تصبغ بنشيدها الإنسان , الخير الكامن في ثنايا العالم , و الإنسان القادر على التغيّر و التجاوز , و أفكار أخرى هي محاور هذا الكتاب الذي يعتبر أوّل رواية لهيرمان هيسه , هذه العناصر و غيرها بقيت مكرّسة في كثير من روايات هيرمان هيسه اللاحقة التي تعدّ أكثر اكتمالا أدبيّا و أشهر عند النقّاد .
لطيفة و ممتعة و تحكي بعفويّة طريقة تفكير كامنيستند الطيّب و لحظاته الوجدانيّة العالية .
ربما ظهرت المباشرة في بعض الأحيان , وربما كان...more

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Apr 17, 2012 Lysergius rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: german-literature

A minor novel in the Hesse oeuvre. Worth reading for completness.

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Jun 26, 2010 Adam Kranz rated it 5 of 5 stars

With every Hesse novel I read, my appreciation for him grows. I am constantly amazed by the way he is always describing a new feeling or experience that I've had in a way that I can empathize with on a level far deeper than any other author. I feel connected to Hesse when I'm reading him, which is something really no other books give me, even those I cherish and respect to the utmost.

Peter Camenzind had a lot of that, especially at the beginning, when Hesse describes Peter's love for two of my...more

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Nov 24, 2010 Venus rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: novel

Peter Camenzind is the novel that ensured Hermann Hesse’s early literary reputation. Its semi-autobiographical basis betrays an important glimpse into the development of his beliefs and concerns, in particular the struggle of an artist to achieve a personal aesthetic ideal within a materialist and uncomprehending society.
Born into a Swiss village, Peter Camenzind is a introverted peasant boy who becomes a student at Zurich University where he is soon destined for some minor academic post. Yet h...more

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Jul 22, 2009 Lorenzo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: german, 2009-readings, aaa-my-library

Appropriately enough I read this book during a short holiday in the mountains. In lack of the Swiss ones, I opted for the Italian Alps.
Without having anything else to read in my backpack, I've had the opportunity of dedicating a second read to the book. An extremely rare habit of me.

As a bad conoisseur of Herman Hesse literary production (no Siddharta, no Steppenwolf) my impression on Peter Camenzind has very much to do with pouring a half litre water in a one litre bottle: on the one hand, we...more Appropriately enough I read this book during a short holiday in the mountains. In lack of the Swiss ones, I opted for the Italian Alps.
Without having anything else to read in my backpack, I've had the opportunity of dedicating a second read to the book. An extremely rare habit of me.

As a bad conoisseur of Herman Hesse literary production (no Siddharta, no Steppenwolf) my impression on Peter Camenzind has very much to do with pouring a half litre water in a one litre bottle: on the one hand, we have a half full bottle, but on the other there is a half empty one.

Hesse is masterful in picturing the life of a rural mountain village where most of the population share the same surname and even putting a sail on a boat is considered something brave. A village where random witty people live below the same wooden ceiling of idiotic ones, tied to the same melancholic feeling of isolation.
Peter Camenzind is at the same time attracted and rejected by his roots. Climbing the mountains around the village at first he just seeks for new perspectives on the same landscape, then he wonders what could be hidden behind the peaks.

And when he finally manages to escape from the unclosed existence of his village, Peter Camenzind finds no consolation in the cities he visits and in that "urban civilization" where he moves as a mountain farmer always eager to row a boat or climbing a rocky wall.

The romanticism of Peter Camenzind, fil-rouge of the novel, is authentic and pure but often sounds comic. In fact he never grows up year after year, still remembering the very few moments in which he loved, pretended to love, unattainable angel-like women, more similar to drawings or paintings than to real meat-made personality-given women. And it's not a coincidence, after all, that he compares the first one to a portrait, while the second one is herself a painter and he meets the third one contemplating a painting.

Moreover, Peter Camenzind hides us a whole period of his life (the Parisian one) as Hesse wasn't able to picture him as a bohemian, while the interesting relationship of the protagonist with wine is not developed as it may deserve. This not to mention the idyllic, out-of-time, Grand Tour-like description of an unrealistic Italy where perpetual lemons refocillate the romantic pilgrim on the footsteps of Goethe and Rousseau and "beautiful sun-tanned" children welcome him begging for money with gracious and grateful smiles.

Yet, the passionate way in which Hesse writes about the magnificence of mountains and some great moments of literature are enough to forgive him making this novel an interesting key to discover most of his following books.
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Apr 25, 2009 Gertrude & Victoria rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: german-scandanavian-library

A timeless story of a young man in search for adventure and new experiences. When Peter leaves his mountain hamlet to travel Europe he is filled with fanciful expectations. This young idealist meets people along the way who become his trusted and beloved friends. Their bonds grow deeper and stronger until tragedy tears them apart. Here, again, fate has dealt a cruel and crushing blow, which is a recurring theme in Hesse's works.

Peter Camenzind is a remarkable story, similar to many world classi...more

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Aug 16, 2011 Brad rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: german, literature

I always like reading Hermann Hesse. 'Peter Camenzind' is a quick read where much of the narrator's life is painted in broad strokes of the brush. Here I am reminded of a poignent metaphor disclosed early in the novel. The painter's brush strokes, when observed closely, can be scrutinized as a part of an unfinished or imperfect work, however, these ambiguous contributions to the painting are not mistakes, but convey to the observer that it is not preciseness which speaks to the soul, but ambigui...more

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May 15, 2011 Erik Graff rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Hesse fans

Recommended to Erik by: no one

Shelves: literature

This was one of the first Hesse novels read after deciding to seek him out. I also found it at once both exceptionally moving and, in comparison to his other work, amusing.

The lesson of the book, not unusual one in Hesse, is to appreciate what theologians call "ordinary grace" (as opposed to those miraculous gifts appealed for in all-too-ordinary prayer). Working at the Brookwood Convalescent and Nursing Center in DesPlaines (an old peoples' home) at the time, the lesson was not lost to me.

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Sep 14, 2012 Larry rated it 3 of 5 stars

I plan on re-reading this. I do remember his encouter with Boppi and found it very touching. Perhaps one of the most sentimental literary encounters "I" have read(opinions may vary). It was so short a read and I had just finised a reading jag of Siddhartha, Journey to the East and a failed attempt a Narcissus and Goldmund. Perhaps my opinion will change. Even a lesser rated book by Hesse is worth re-reading, so off I go.

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Feb 14, 2013 Leonard rated it 4 of 5 stars

As his first novel, this book betrays Hesse's early preoccupations and themes - the individual's quest for happiness and meaning through struggles with art and spirituality, ultimately finding solace in human bonding and dedication to others. Clearly not the ripest of Hesse's writing, yet retains a youthful honesty which is refreshing and relatable. Highly recommended as a taster for those who'd like to dig deeper into Hesse's writing.

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Mar 01, 2012 Angeline rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wonderful! I haven't read HH for a long time although this book had been on my list for years. I actually forgot it was on my list and an old travel friend reminded me of it. Hesse expresses himself so beautifully. This book touched me on so many levels.. the way he writes about the human connection to nature, love, solitude, and Peter's travels. Lovely simple read. Praise to the translator as well.

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Nov 11, 2007 Moses rated it 5 of 5 stars

Holy smokes! Peter Camenzind is both you and I, my friend(s).

The country boy moves to the city for school (knowledge), and it disgusts him. He does not fit, nor does he want to. He does not want anything, except to not be where he was born.

All that matters to this man is poetry, and climbing.

To you it could be good weather, and a nice yard.
To me it is drinking nice coffee, and walking (anywhere).

So...he leaves home (family and all), joins college, makes money by accident (his room mate steals h...more

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Jun 26, 2012 Travis Gottschutzke rated it 5 of 5 stars

one of the greatest books I have ever read...picked from the German literature section of the Chifley Library ANU as an afterthought, at the age of 17...read it in one sitting...changed my world totally and utterly

i can still see myself sitting at my college desk, with the lamp on, just finished reading it...my brain all a pleasant turmoil...to feel that again *sigh*

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About Hermann Hesse

Hermann Hesse was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. In 1946, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature. His best known works include Steppenwolf, Siddhartha, and The Glass Bead Game (also known as Magister Ludi) which explore an individual's search for spirituality outside society.

Hesse was born in the Black Forest town of Calw to a Christian missionary family. Both of his parents served...more

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Quotes from Peter Camenzind

“The diabolical thing about melancholy is not that it makes you ill but that it makes you conceited and shortsighted; yes almost arrogant. You lapse into bad taste, thinking of yourself as Heine's Atlas, whose shoulders support all the world's puzzles and agonies, as if thousands, lost in the same maze, did not endure the same agonies.” — 44 people liked it

“I began to understand that suffering and disappointments and melancholy are there not to vex us or cheapen us or deprive us of our dignity but to mature and transfigure us.” — 44 people liked it

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/71943.Peter_Camenzind?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1316131237l/71943.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/71943.Peter_Camenzind?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Peter Camenzind by Hermann Hesse[/url]

Peter Camenzind

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