What do you think?
Rate this book
C.G. Jung and Hermann Hesse: A Book of Two Friendships
Miguel Serrano, a Chilean diplomat and writer who has traveled widely in India studying Yoga, had a close friendship with Jung and Hesse at the end of their lives. This book is the outcome of his meetings and correspondence with them. Many letters are reproduced including documents of great importance written to the author by Jung shortly before his death, explaining his ideas about the nature of the world and of his work.
142 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1965
46 people are currently reading
2675 people want to read
About the author
Miguel Serrano
65 books168 followersChilean diplomat and explorer. Serrano is one of the most important authors of esoteric Hitlerism, claiming that Aryan white people originated from an extra-terrestial visitors.
Serrano held various ambassadorial posts for Chile in 1953-1970.
Originally embracing Marxism and writing for left-wing journals, he became quickly disillusioned with Communism. In 1939 he publicy himself with the Chilean party Vanguardia Popular Socialista and started writing for their journal "Trabajo" .
Serrano held various ambassadorial posts for Chile in 1953-1970.
Originally embracing Marxism and writing for left-wing journals, he became quickly disillusioned with Communism. In 1939 he publicy himself with the Chilean party Vanguardia Popular Socialista and started writing for their journal "Trabajo" .
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
May 18, 2019
This book is indelibly etched on my soul. Every time I read it I learn something new about myself. The Aureate Chain, the Hermetic Circle, where only the right guests meet, is real and I am part of it.
One of Serrano’s central themes is whether the white man can accept the co-existence of light and shadow, yet without losing his individuality as the Hindu has.
The answer hinted at is a projection of his soul both inward and outward, creating the Total Man, whose role is to illuminate the darkness of the creator.
I explored this idea to some degree in my book ‘The Reveries of the Dreamking.’
One of Serrano’s central themes is whether the white man can accept the co-existence of light and shadow, yet without losing his individuality as the Hindu has.
The answer hinted at is a projection of his soul both inward and outward, creating the Total Man, whose role is to illuminate the darkness of the creator.
I explored this idea to some degree in my book ‘The Reveries of the Dreamking.’
February 12, 2012
In the course of endeavoring to read everything by or about C.G. Jung I came upon this much-reprinted book. Since I liked Hesse as well, it was a sure sell.
What I didn't know at the time, but got some sense of by reading this thing, was that its author, Serrano, was crazier than most of the Nazi race theorists he so admired. At least they formulated their ideas in the early years of the last century when such speculations were current. Serrano not only held them but elaborated upon them until his death a couple of years ago. He also bought into flood myths, extraterrestrial influence theories, the notion of a world-wide Jewish conspiracy and...the archetype theory of C.G. Jung.
One prays that neither Hesse nor Jung knew whom they were being politely responsive to when they entertained Serrano. Both were old and Jung at least was all for pushing his ideas wherever he could. Influence on a prominent Chilean would have been attractive (although what Serrano's prominence says about Chile isn't attractive).
This all said, there is a bit of material here which was original at the time of publication and which may be of interest to those who like Jung or Hesse. Whether or not someone who could seriously believe that Hitler was alive in Antarctica is believable about anything is, however, open to debate...
What I didn't know at the time, but got some sense of by reading this thing, was that its author, Serrano, was crazier than most of the Nazi race theorists he so admired. At least they formulated their ideas in the early years of the last century when such speculations were current. Serrano not only held them but elaborated upon them until his death a couple of years ago. He also bought into flood myths, extraterrestrial influence theories, the notion of a world-wide Jewish conspiracy and...the archetype theory of C.G. Jung.
One prays that neither Hesse nor Jung knew whom they were being politely responsive to when they entertained Serrano. Both were old and Jung at least was all for pushing his ideas wherever he could. Influence on a prominent Chilean would have been attractive (although what Serrano's prominence says about Chile isn't attractive).
This all said, there is a bit of material here which was original at the time of publication and which may be of interest to those who like Jung or Hesse. Whether or not someone who could seriously believe that Hitler was alive in Antarctica is believable about anything is, however, open to debate...
January 10, 2022
I’ve been reading up on Jung’s work lately. A recent discovery. My infatuation with Hesse, on the other hand, dates back to my adolescent years. Initially I thought Serrano’s book dealt with meetings between Hesse and Jung and this intrigued me greatly. But no, Serrano had only bilateral relationships with both and treats those sequentially. The first part of the book, devoted to his ‘friendship’ with Hesse, is hagiographic and sentimental. There is more meat on the bone in the latter half of the book, dealing with Jung. I was annoyed by Serrano’s exaggerated tone of deference towards his mentors. Also his penchant for nebulous esotericism contrasted negatively with Jung’s generally very disciplined reasoning about parapsychological phenomena. However, I must admit that Serrano’s rendering of the overall outline of Jung’s work struck me as largely in line with what I read elsewhere (and that includes Jung’s quasi-autobiography). So I had very mixed feelings about this book. Until, towards the end, I casually looked up Serrano’s wikipedia bio. I was shocked, but also laughed tears with what I read there. What an incurable, calamitous crackpot!
April 7, 2008
If you have any interest in Jung or Hesse at all, this is a must read. These are letters exchanged with a mutual friend of theirs, Miguel Serrano. Miguel Serrano wrote the book about his questions and exchanges with these two brilliant men.
January 26, 2013
Chilean diplomat Miguel Serrano's record of his friendships with Jung and Hesse is fascinating. A brief book, it travels through diverse ideas in areas of psychology, philosophy and dreams. Ideas of Jung and Hesse are compared through Serrano's sensitive lense.
January 2, 2009
Interesante relacion de amistad entre Don Miguel Serrano Hesse y Jung nos muestra la linea espiritual de oriente y occidente
May 6, 2013
If you're a fan of Jung or Hesse, this is a must read. Serrano (a writer) had the good fortune of befriending these two brilliant men towards the end of their lives. The insights from both Hesse and Jung sum up their entire careers, their incredibly valuable viewpoints on lives well considered and lived.
March 25, 2011
Two people who have deeply affected my life, Hermann Hesse, who started me searching and journeying and Jung, who gave me the tools to interpret what I found. The letter from Jung to Serrano, unfortunately not finished, was a real insight into the great man. Respect Miguel Serrano, who met and was accepted by both these seers. What an honour - thanks for sharing this with us.
September 29, 2023
Miguel Serrano had a remarkable amount of access to both C.G. Jung and Hermann Hesse during the twilight years of their lives. Jung here mentions that he is working on Man and His Symbols, the last book he would compose before his death. Hesse is enjoying retirement in Montagnola - a small village which still houses a museum to his memory.
The men that Serrano describes are distant, perhaps even brooding, but with Serrano they open up, albeit reluctantly at first (he is turned away initially, on the grounds that they are not taking visitors). Of course, we rely on Serrano's account of these interactions, but if he is to be believed, he got on famously with both of them.
There is no shortage of mysticism here, but the discussions mostly remain general in nature. They may dive into topics like the nature of the collective unconsciousness (and whether or not we become one with it at death, as Hesse proposes), but this is by no means a work of theory. This is largely a personal work - more memoir than anything else - that flits freely between discussions of theory without ever tackling any topic deeply.
Serrano is a curious character from an intellectual perspective, but save for a few brief references, this text hardly touches on his own views at all. That said, now and again he does show a propensity to hark back to a period before even the classical past. He clearly sees Jung as a connection to that primordial age. For example, in the quote below.
I then told Jung that I thought that in his own being he represented a link with the secrets of the past. ‘You have found the connecting road, the path which was lost with the coming of the European Enlightenment, if not before. Just as the Renaissance found a bond with the external Classic Age, so you, for our own time, seem to have established a link with its internal side. Thus, thanks to you, the essential qualities of man are able to survive. In his own time, Meister Eckhart performed the same role.’
The men that Serrano describes are distant, perhaps even brooding, but with Serrano they open up, albeit reluctantly at first (he is turned away initially, on the grounds that they are not taking visitors). Of course, we rely on Serrano's account of these interactions, but if he is to be believed, he got on famously with both of them.
There is no shortage of mysticism here, but the discussions mostly remain general in nature. They may dive into topics like the nature of the collective unconsciousness (and whether or not we become one with it at death, as Hesse proposes), but this is by no means a work of theory. This is largely a personal work - more memoir than anything else - that flits freely between discussions of theory without ever tackling any topic deeply.
Serrano is a curious character from an intellectual perspective, but save for a few brief references, this text hardly touches on his own views at all. That said, now and again he does show a propensity to hark back to a period before even the classical past. He clearly sees Jung as a connection to that primordial age. For example, in the quote below.
I then told Jung that I thought that in his own being he represented a link with the secrets of the past. ‘You have found the connecting road, the path which was lost with the coming of the European Enlightenment, if not before. Just as the Renaissance found a bond with the external Classic Age, so you, for our own time, seem to have established a link with its internal side. Thus, thanks to you, the essential qualities of man are able to survive. In his own time, Meister Eckhart performed the same role.’
Read
February 23, 2022كم هو محظوظ هذا الشخص الذي يتسنى مقابلة كاتب يكن له التقدير والحب ويقوده حدسه ليبعث برسالة تكون سببا لبداية صداقة وطيدة أقرب ما تكون بين التلميذ “ المريد” والمعلم ناشدا الحكمة والمعرفة من شخصيتين تركتا أثرا وإرثا لا ينسى.
هذا الكتاب لا يضم الرسائل فقط وإنما أيضا يأخذنا الدبلوماسي والكاتب التشيلي ميغيل سيرانو لرحلة ملاقاته للمرة الأولى بهيرمان هسه المتزامنة أيضا مع كارل يونغ وانطباعاته ومراحل تكوين صداقة فريدة معهما أشبه بالجسر الذي يعبر بين نهرين لأعظم شخصيتين على مر التاريخ.
ينقسم الكتاب لجزئين :يذكر أن أولى قراءاته لهسه ( دميان) فتركت في نفسه أثرا عميقا وجاءت الزيارة الأولى في مونتانيولا السويسرية ليصفه سيرانو قائلا:” بدا هسه مثل فيلسوف صيني طاعن في السن أو مثل شجرة الحكمة التي ورد ذكرها في قصته” تفوح منه رائحة خشب الصندل ،وضحكته أشبه بضحكة طفل في سن الكهولة رجع لفردوسه المفقود وهو الرجوع للطبيعة.
ينتهي اللقاء بإهداء هسه العاشق للرسم لوحة مائية لسيرانو رسمها بنفسه. ثم تتكرر هذه الزيارات على مدار السنوات وتبادل الأحاديث حول الموت والكتب واليوغا ومشكلات الإنسان الحديث ورغبته بغزو الفضاء.وبسبب سيرانو ، تعرفت على هسه المحب لموسيقى ( باخ) وكتابة الشعر حتى عشية وفاته انتهى من قصيدة تسمى ( الشجرة) عام ١٩٦٢.
الجزء الثاني يضم لقاء سيرانو بكارل يونغ وذكر سبب دافعه لزيارته فقد كان محبا وقارئا مخلصا لأعماله خاصة كتاب ( النماذج البدائية واللاوعي الجمعي) وأشار أن الحديث معه كان لطيفا ووديا وتملكه هذا الشعور بأن لقاءهما كان لقاء أصحاب قدامى وكأنما هذا الشخص كان لا يتوقع مجيئك فقط وإنما يعلم بذلك.
زاره بكوزناخت السويسرية وعلى مدخل بوابة منزل يونغ نقشت عبارة تقولك” ادع الله أو لا تدعه فالله هو الباقي).
كان الحوار بينهما عبارة عن تساؤلات ونقاشات ممتعة تناولت مواضيع شتى كمفهوم الموت والشاكرات -الأحلام -الهند - الأنا واللاوعي-الحرب - الكتاب الأحمر وبعضا من الكتب التي قرأها يونغ وأثنى عليها من ضمنها كتاب لسيرانو (زيارة إلى ملكة سبأ).
الممتع مع سيرانو أنه ألقى الضوء بذكره بعضا من جوانب يونغ الغريبة فكان مثلا يلقي التحية على أواني الطهي إيمانا منه بأنها تفهم التحية وتقدرها.كذلك ذكر بأنه كان رجلا غريب الأطوار ومهتم باكتشافاته النفسية إنه إنسان متفرد وعالم نفس ألبس غوامض التراث الإنساني الخالدة -الرموز القديمة - حلة مصطلحات جديدة كانت سببا رئيسيا في جعل أعماله تقترب من عوالم النفس البشرية في شكلها الغير مألوف والمختلف كليا عن المسار العلمي.
وأخيرا وبنهاية كلا الفصلين يزور سيرانو قبر ومنزل الراحلين بصحبة ابنه لينهي رحلته المثرية ، هذه الحلقة من “الدائرة الهرمسية السرية “ جنبا إلى جنب مع يونغ وهسه.
أذكر حديثه عن زيارته هذه تحديدا جعلتني أذرف الدموع وتساءلت:
هل من الطبيعي البكاء عند حديث الأشخاص لزيارتهم بيوت من رحلوا؟ والتجول فيها والدخول لمكتباتهم وتخيل أنهم كانوا يحدثونا بعفوية ومن ثم فارقوا هذه الحياة؟
آه يا سيرانو ذكرت ريلكه حين قال في قصيدته :
"هذه الاشياء التي تعيش على الزوال تشعر عندما نرفع المديح إليها بأنها زائلة تبحث عن منقذ فينا"
في مقدمة الكتاب لفتني هذا القدر العالي من الأدب الرفيع المتمثل في استئذانه لعائلة الكاتبين بنشر الرسائل كذلك أعطى نموذجا موفقا لآداب ملاقاة الكاتب والحوار معه.كذلك احتوى الكتاب صورا للكاتب برفقة هسه ونماذج لرسائله إنه جدير بالقراءة والاقتناء وكنت أتمنى أن لاينتهي ربما بسبب الترجمة المتميزة للأستاذ أحمد الزيناتي.
اصدار الدار الأهلية
مكان الشراء: وراقون
هذا الكتاب لا يضم الرسائل فقط وإنما أيضا يأخذنا الدبلوماسي والكاتب التشيلي ميغيل سيرانو لرحلة ملاقاته للمرة الأولى بهيرمان هسه المتزامنة أيضا مع كارل يونغ وانطباعاته ومراحل تكوين صداقة فريدة معهما أشبه بالجسر الذي يعبر بين نهرين لأعظم شخصيتين على مر التاريخ.
ينقسم الكتاب لجزئين :يذكر أن أولى قراءاته لهسه ( دميان) فتركت في نفسه أثرا عميقا وجاءت الزيارة الأولى في مونتانيولا السويسرية ليصفه سيرانو قائلا:” بدا هسه مثل فيلسوف صيني طاعن في السن أو مثل شجرة الحكمة التي ورد ذكرها في قصته” تفوح منه رائحة خشب الصندل ،وضحكته أشبه بضحكة طفل في سن الكهولة رجع لفردوسه المفقود وهو الرجوع للطبيعة.
ينتهي اللقاء بإهداء هسه العاشق للرسم لوحة مائية لسيرانو رسمها بنفسه. ثم تتكرر هذه الزيارات على مدار السنوات وتبادل الأحاديث حول الموت والكتب واليوغا ومشكلات الإنسان الحديث ورغبته بغزو الفضاء.وبسبب سيرانو ، تعرفت على هسه المحب لموسيقى ( باخ) وكتابة الشعر حتى عشية وفاته انتهى من قصيدة تسمى ( الشجرة) عام ١٩٦٢.
الجزء الثاني يضم لقاء سيرانو بكارل يونغ وذكر سبب دافعه لزيارته فقد كان محبا وقارئا مخلصا لأعماله خاصة كتاب ( النماذج البدائية واللاوعي الجمعي) وأشار أن الحديث معه كان لطيفا ووديا وتملكه هذا الشعور بأن لقاءهما كان لقاء أصحاب قدامى وكأنما هذا الشخص كان لا يتوقع مجيئك فقط وإنما يعلم بذلك.
زاره بكوزناخت السويسرية وعلى مدخل بوابة منزل يونغ نقشت عبارة تقولك” ادع الله أو لا تدعه فالله هو الباقي).
كان الحوار بينهما عبارة عن تساؤلات ونقاشات ممتعة تناولت مواضيع شتى كمفهوم الموت والشاكرات -الأحلام -الهند - الأنا واللاوعي-الحرب - الكتاب الأحمر وبعضا من الكتب التي قرأها يونغ وأثنى عليها من ضمنها كتاب لسيرانو (زيارة إلى ملكة سبأ).
الممتع مع سيرانو أنه ألقى الضوء بذكره بعضا من جوانب يونغ الغريبة فكان مثلا يلقي التحية على أواني الطهي إيمانا منه بأنها تفهم التحية وتقدرها.كذلك ذكر بأنه كان رجلا غريب الأطوار ومهتم باكتشافاته النفسية إنه إنسان متفرد وعالم نفس ألبس غوامض التراث الإنساني الخالدة -الرموز القديمة - حلة مصطلحات جديدة كانت سببا رئيسيا في جعل أعماله تقترب من عوالم النفس البشرية في شكلها الغير مألوف والمختلف كليا عن المسار العلمي.
وأخيرا وبنهاية كلا الفصلين يزور سيرانو قبر ومنزل الراحلين بصحبة ابنه لينهي رحلته المثرية ، هذه الحلقة من “الدائرة الهرمسية السرية “ جنبا إلى جنب مع يونغ وهسه.
أذكر حديثه عن زيارته هذه تحديدا جعلتني أذرف الدموع وتساءلت:
هل من الطبيعي البكاء عند حديث الأشخاص لزيارتهم بيوت من رحلوا؟ والتجول فيها والدخول لمكتباتهم وتخيل أنهم كانوا يحدثونا بعفوية ومن ثم فارقوا هذه الحياة؟
آه يا سيرانو ذكرت ريلكه حين قال في قصيدته :
"هذه الاشياء التي تعيش على الزوال تشعر عندما نرفع المديح إليها بأنها زائلة تبحث عن منقذ فينا"
في مقدمة الكتاب لفتني هذا القدر العالي من الأدب الرفيع المتمثل في استئذانه لعائلة الكاتبين بنشر الرسائل كذلك أعطى نموذجا موفقا لآداب ملاقاة الكاتب والحوار معه.كذلك احتوى الكتاب صورا للكاتب برفقة هسه ونماذج لرسائله إنه جدير بالقراءة والاقتناء وكنت أتمنى أن لاينتهي ربما بسبب الترجمة المتميزة للأستاذ أحمد الزيناتي.
اصدار الدار الأهلية
مكان الشراء: وراقون
November 17, 2014
It is the book of my dreams. I've read almost all the translated work of Hermann Hesse and available works of Carl Jung. Carl Jung has influenced my life and work on many levels. These two are legends and each time I re-read their books I always realize something more about self.
Miguel Serrano has explored these two personalities with such truth that also explains his extent of love and respect for them and their deep influence in his life. He put forth the person behind the names and their two spectacular work that would have never been known otherwise.
The meetings and interviews have questions that answer to the queries of all those who have same love and regard for them but were not able to meet them.
As a reader and a great fan of both Hermann Hesse & Carl Jung I am grateful to the author.
A Must Read.....
July 13, 2010
در 22ژانویه1961با هرمان هسه در خانه اش در مونتانیولا -در قسمت ایتالیایی سوییس-ناهار می خوردم.برف دانه ها در کنار پنجره اینسو و آنسو میریختند،اما در دوردست آسمان روشن وصاف بود.هنگامیکه از تماشای چشم انداز سر برگرداندم با چشمان آبی شفاف هسه که در انسوی میز نشسته بود مواجه شدم.بی اختیار گفتم:چه سعادتی که امروز خود را با شما در حال صرف نهار می بینم.وهسه جواب داد:هیچ چیز اتفاقی نیست.اینجا فقط میهمانان راستین میایند.این دایره قسمت است...
July 21, 2011
A short but sweet collection of remembered conversations and letters between the author and 2 great men. It is amazing that he was able to cultivate such profound friendships with two authors so advanced in age. His connection with Jung and Hess were quite genuine.
March 6, 2025
muy lindo conocer a tus ídolos, quién pudiera. pero - me cayó re mal el autor. más allá de lo que leí sobre él (ta loco, loco enserio) a veces decía una cosas demasiado místicas y tiradas de los pelos que para mí no venían al caso. dicho eso, me fascina leer correspondencias y sobre amistades y vínculos. no sé qué tan pincelados estarán hesse y jung, pero son dos figuras que admiro profundamente y este librito fue un lindo glimpse dentro de sus vidas
October 4, 2023
Quite bummed I read this. Serrano asks some racist questions in this book, and the people who largely speak to these questions share explicit white supremacists about how white people must strategize during a race war. After finishing the book, I looked up Serrano and discovered he was a Neo Nazi. F*ck...
Like, what?? I thought this would be a book about Hesse and Jung, which it pretty much is... except that Serrano is constantly taking them out of context, using heresy, and when they actually ARE quoted, they are mostly disagreeing with Serrano's views re: the topics of their conversations (fascism, orientalism, colonialism, etc). I don't think Serrano realized how much they were trying to warn him that his views were dangerous and projections that really hold no air. I doubt they were friends and this book feels like a weird vanity project claiming they were.
The only thing I DID learn in this book is that Jung had a beautiful mind and all of his correspondences (the ones that were quoted) do not seem to reflect a similar kind of ideology to Serrano. But even that happy discovery does not warrant this book another star ahahahaha
Like, what?? I thought this would be a book about Hesse and Jung, which it pretty much is... except that Serrano is constantly taking them out of context, using heresy, and when they actually ARE quoted, they are mostly disagreeing with Serrano's views re: the topics of their conversations (fascism, orientalism, colonialism, etc). I don't think Serrano realized how much they were trying to warn him that his views were dangerous and projections that really hold no air. I doubt they were friends and this book feels like a weird vanity project claiming they were.
The only thing I DID learn in this book is that Jung had a beautiful mind and all of his correspondences (the ones that were quoted) do not seem to reflect a similar kind of ideology to Serrano. But even that happy discovery does not warrant this book another star ahahahaha
January 20, 2010
Fascinating stuff, and found at a time when I was just discovering both. I think I read this one after Steppenwolf and Demian but before Magister Ludi. Lots of insight into these two great minds.
November 20, 2012
The book had so much appeal.. the letters between the two minds, the stories and drawings. Intimate peek into thoughts and what is shared.
November 6, 2018
The book draws parallels between Western thought (Hesse and Jung) and Eastern (Hindu, Buddha) religious practices. In such thinking, Serrano finds evidence of an afterlife.
The conversations with Jung reveal a deeply non-scientific, mystical (or an overly active imagination) side. Jung had a proclivity for interpreting everyday signs in terms of grand(iose), universal meanings and as revelations from the beyond. The author adds to this notion by referencing signs of Jung’s post-death existence and “his great journey of transmigration into the kingdom of the shadows.” While Hesse was comfortable in the belief an afterlife, Jung was, to the author’s disappointment, less sure.
The book’s numerous references to Jung’s disciples and the author’s own sense of discipleship (visiting these “masters”) underscores the author’s point for this book: Eastern and Western thought, interpreted properly, unite “to illuminate, on behalf of man, ‘the obscurity of the Creator.’”
As a byproduct of an abstract mind designed for adaptation is a fear for the worst and hope for the best. Death is the single, most profound physical event that activates such intense fear feelings. Mind, infused with hope and fear, is an alternate way to interpret the forces that underlie Serrano’s book. Interestingly, the book’s cover reveals this point powerfully: it’s the image of some prehistoric creature devouring itself, in a never-ending cycle of life and death.
Serrano was a fascist activist and Nazi sympathizer and he viewed Hitler as an avatar of sorts (as cited from Wikipedia, Hitler had “reincarnated to Earth as a savior of the Aryan race and who would lead humanity out of a dark age known as the Kali Yuga”). There was a hint of this in Serrano’s book: He seemed to be searching for a savior and a life beyond this one.
The conversations with Jung reveal a deeply non-scientific, mystical (or an overly active imagination) side. Jung had a proclivity for interpreting everyday signs in terms of grand(iose), universal meanings and as revelations from the beyond. The author adds to this notion by referencing signs of Jung’s post-death existence and “his great journey of transmigration into the kingdom of the shadows.” While Hesse was comfortable in the belief an afterlife, Jung was, to the author’s disappointment, less sure.
The book’s numerous references to Jung’s disciples and the author’s own sense of discipleship (visiting these “masters”) underscores the author’s point for this book: Eastern and Western thought, interpreted properly, unite “to illuminate, on behalf of man, ‘the obscurity of the Creator.’”
As a byproduct of an abstract mind designed for adaptation is a fear for the worst and hope for the best. Death is the single, most profound physical event that activates such intense fear feelings. Mind, infused with hope and fear, is an alternate way to interpret the forces that underlie Serrano’s book. Interestingly, the book’s cover reveals this point powerfully: it’s the image of some prehistoric creature devouring itself, in a never-ending cycle of life and death.
Serrano was a fascist activist and Nazi sympathizer and he viewed Hitler as an avatar of sorts (as cited from Wikipedia, Hitler had “reincarnated to Earth as a savior of the Aryan race and who would lead humanity out of a dark age known as the Kali Yuga”). There was a hint of this in Serrano’s book: He seemed to be searching for a savior and a life beyond this one.
March 23, 2024
How can someone be so lucky , they get to befriend Jung and Hesse in one lifetime ...
Some quotes :
"Although life is an affair of light and shadows, we never accept it as such. We are always reaching towards the light and the high peaks. From childhood, through early religious and academic training, we are given values which correspond only to an ideal world. The shadowy side of real life is ignored, and Western Christianity provides us with nothing which can be used to interpret it. Thus the young men of the West are unable to deal with the mixture of light and shadow of which life really consists; they have no way of linking the facts of existence with their preconceived notions of absolutes . The links connecting life with universal symbols are therefore broken , and disintegration sets in ."
"Man should live according to his own nature ; He should concentrate on self-knowledge and then live in accordance with the truth about himself . What would you say about a tiger who's vegetarian ? You'd say - of course - that he was a bas tiger . Thus everyone must live according to his nature, both individually and collectively ."
"The true nature of reality is quite beyond our comprehension even when we use our most complicated technical instruments . For the person who builds these instruments and uses them , has in fact created them in the likeness of his ultimate instrument , his terrestrial mind . Thus all theory , all conception is only a working hypothesis and ultimate reality will always remain inaccessible to him"
"The modern Christian and the Western world as a whole have now reached a point of crisis, and the choices open seem less than attractive. We neither want one of those apocalyptic catastrophes which have so disfigured our past history, nor do we want the dehumanizing path of the Orient, which would result in an irremediable lowering of our standards. Perhaps, then, the only possibility that remains is Abraxas; that is to say, a projection of our souls both outwards and inwards, both to the light and to the deep shadows of our biographical roots, in hopes of finding in the combination of the two the pure archetype. This pure archetype would be the authentic image of the god which is within ourselves and which has been sunk for so long, like Atlantis, under the waters of our conscious- ness. Thus Abraxas would also come to mean Total Man."
Some quotes :
"Although life is an affair of light and shadows, we never accept it as such. We are always reaching towards the light and the high peaks. From childhood, through early religious and academic training, we are given values which correspond only to an ideal world. The shadowy side of real life is ignored, and Western Christianity provides us with nothing which can be used to interpret it. Thus the young men of the West are unable to deal with the mixture of light and shadow of which life really consists; they have no way of linking the facts of existence with their preconceived notions of absolutes . The links connecting life with universal symbols are therefore broken , and disintegration sets in ."
"Man should live according to his own nature ; He should concentrate on self-knowledge and then live in accordance with the truth about himself . What would you say about a tiger who's vegetarian ? You'd say - of course - that he was a bas tiger . Thus everyone must live according to his nature, both individually and collectively ."
"The true nature of reality is quite beyond our comprehension even when we use our most complicated technical instruments . For the person who builds these instruments and uses them , has in fact created them in the likeness of his ultimate instrument , his terrestrial mind . Thus all theory , all conception is only a working hypothesis and ultimate reality will always remain inaccessible to him"
"The modern Christian and the Western world as a whole have now reached a point of crisis, and the choices open seem less than attractive. We neither want one of those apocalyptic catastrophes which have so disfigured our past history, nor do we want the dehumanizing path of the Orient, which would result in an irremediable lowering of our standards. Perhaps, then, the only possibility that remains is Abraxas; that is to say, a projection of our souls both outwards and inwards, both to the light and to the deep shadows of our biographical roots, in hopes of finding in the combination of the two the pure archetype. This pure archetype would be the authentic image of the god which is within ourselves and which has been sunk for so long, like Atlantis, under the waters of our conscious- ness. Thus Abraxas would also come to mean Total Man."
June 11, 2020
Kitap ile ilgili tek deste lafım yok. Coşkun ve çağıldayan yürekleri buluşturmuş Serrano. Dostluktan ziyade Serrano'nun değinileri üzerinden parallelliker yakalanmış iki büyük isim adına. Tanışlar elbette ama ahbaplık kıvamında değil bu tanışlık. Daha çok entelektüel yönden bir durum mevzubahis. Ve mektuplarla ve ziyaretlerle bulundukları yere kement atan Serrano'nun payı var bu durumda. Çok doyurucu ve mistik bir hava da solunuyor kitapta. Akıcı ve elden bırakılmamacasına kendine bağlayıcı. Jung'un rüya ve bilinç üzerine yorumları ve Hesse'nin coşkun bir nehir gibi sürüp giden Hindistan sevdası... Büyük ecza...
August 21, 2020
Jung ve Hesse’nin birbirlerine yazdıkları mektuplar ya da özel bir ilişki beklerken, olaydan tamamen bağımsız Miguel Serrano’nun bir şekilde ikisi ile kurmuş olduğu ilişkiyi anlatıyor. Yazardan maalesef pek hoşlanmadım bir şekilde kendini öne çıkarmaya çalışmış ve methetmiş. Bir şekilde okumuş oldum, birkaç enstantane var kayda değer. Jung kısımları baya zor ilerledi. Yayınevine de sinir oldum, başlık gerçekten başka bir şey söylüyor. Yani....
February 8, 2024
This is a really beautiful work. I was surprised to see Serrano associated with Hess and Jung given the direction of his laterr works, though I found this to be sweet and sincere, and it offers a lot of insight into all three authors, and how they are similar and dissimilar-- and ultimately harmonious.
May 17, 2025
Lo más rescatable del libro son algunos fragmentos con material original, que me parecieron atractivos para quienes se sienten cercanos a Jung o Hesse. En mi caso, lo empecé buscando referencias a la amistad entre Hesse y Jung dos figuras que me interesan profundamente, pero no me interesó el vínculo entre Serrano y estos dos grandes. No era lo que esperaba.
November 18, 2019
Muazzam. Hesse ve Jung'u tam olarak anlamanın anahtarı.
August 11, 2021
A valuable insight into the lives of Hesse and Jung.
February 27, 2020
Great introduction to Hesse and Jung
January 8, 2025
PREZANIMLJIVOOOOO my two fav people
April 15, 2023
Şilili yazar Serrano’nun Hermann Hesse ve Carl Gustav Jung ile dostluğunu, mektuplaşmalarını anlatan çok naif bir kitap. İki bölümden oluşuyor. İlk bölüm Hesse ile ilgili olan bölüm, Hesse’nin kitaplarından ve karakterleri üzerinden Hesse’yi daha iyi anlamamızı sağlıyor. Bahsedilen kitapların bir kısmını daha önce okuduğum için çok güzel aktı bu bölüm. Okumadıklarımı da listeye ekledim. İkinci bölümde ise Jung var, ilk görüşmeleri, Jung’un ölümüne dek devam eden mektuplaşmaları...
January 8, 2024
This book is an absolute treasure. I am so glad I run into it at a used bookstore… It relates the friendship of Serrano, the author, with Hesse and Jung. The reflections are mystical and profound. Very moving and transcending.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews