The Prodigy
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Condition: Good to fair. Paperback. Page Condition: Good - possible tanning. Markings: possible previous owner inscription.
Originally published in German as Unterm Rad (literally Beneath the Wheel) in 1906, The Prodigy is a semi-autobiographical novel that chronicles the tragic story of Hans Giebenrath, a gifted young boy in a small German town who is relentlessly pushed by his father, teachers, and community to achieve academic greatness. Hesse presents a devastating critique of the rigid, oppressive German educational system of the late nineteenth century, illustrating how institutional ambition and societal pressure systematically crush the spirit and individuality of a sensitive child. Written with lyrical intensity and quiet melancholy, the narrative details Hans's intellectual awakening at a prestigious seminary, his friendship with the rebellious poet Hermann Heilner, and his subsequent psychological and physical collapse under the weight of others' expectations. Drawing heavily from Hesse's own painful experiences in school, the novel argues powerfully that conformity and ambition, when imposed from without, become instruments of destruction rather than liberation.
Author: Hermann Hesse
Format: Paperback
Genre: Classic fiction
Condition remarks:
Condition: Good to fair. Paperback. Page Condition: Good - possible tanning. Markings: possible previous owner inscription.
Originally published in German as Unterm Rad (literally Beneath the Wheel) in 1906, The Prodigy is a semi-autobiographical novel that chronicles the tragic story of Hans Giebenrath, a gifted young boy in a small German town who is relentlessly pushed by his father, teachers, and community to achieve academic greatness. Hesse presents a devastating critique of the rigid, oppressive German educational system of the late nineteenth century, illustrating how institutional ambition and societal pressure systematically crush the spirit and individuality of a sensitive child. Written with lyrical intensity and quiet melancholy, the narrative details Hans's intellectual awakening at a prestigious seminary, his friendship with the rebellious poet Hermann Heilner, and his subsequent psychological and physical collapse under the weight of others' expectations. Drawing heavily from Hesse's own painful experiences in school, the novel argues powerfully that conformity and ambition, when imposed from without, become instruments of destruction rather than liberation.