"Hesse is a writer whose peculiar vision is worth inspecting. His world is shadowy and close to areas of the heart that will probably never see light. But his vision is a rare one, as commendable for its humane solicitude as for its strangeness and unearthly color. " -- National ReviewAn acclaimed, influential, and visionary novel from Hermann Hesse, one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Demian tells the dramatic story of Emil Sinclair. Docile and unquestioning, Emil follows a precious schoolmate--the charismatic Max Demian--on a shocking decent into a secret and dangerous world of petty crime and revolt against convention. And it is there in the shadows that a formerly complacent and uncomplicated young man achieves a miraculous awakening to adulthood. The novel includes an introduction by Thomas Mann.