In the Flow of Things
Hermann Hesse and Bertolt Brecht in the Dialogue with Buddha, Lao Tzu and Zen
»Under heaven nothing is more soft and yielding than water. And yet, for attacking the solid and strong, nothing is better; it has no equal« (Tao Te Ching). Hermann Hesse and Bertolt Brecht are both world-famous German-language writers of the 20th century. As different as their lives and works may be, they are connected by their interest in the spiritual world of India, China and Japan. A dialogue with the great figures of the Asian world, with Buddha and Lao Tsu, has found expression in the works of both. And even if the results were different, both of them also mastered the special art of transforming the foreign into one`s own. The exciting study by the literature expert from Tübingen provides surprising insights into the culture and literary history of the 20th century. And it introduces the reception of Asia in both voices of German world literature as a learning history in the encounter of religions and cultures with a gain in perception for today. It is a discovery of how literature sees itself as an »art of living« in the middle of »the flow of things.«
- A new look at Hermann Hesse and Bertolt Brecht
- An exciting testimony on the encounter between Europe and Asia
- A study on literature as the art of living
