The Reception of Hermann Hesse by the Youth in the United States - A Thematic Analysis

Although Hesse's works are the product of an entirely different cultural tradition he was unexplainably popular with the Ameri- can youth during the period from the 1950's through the 1970's. Why was a German author the second most popular author, as in- dicated by a questionnaire sent to students of 91 universities and colleges in the United States in 1974 ? What did the students read into his works ? What did they find in them ? Did Hesse contri- bute to the "Counter Culture," to the interest in exotic religions and the philosophies of the youth of the 50's to the 70's ? The literary and sociological aspects of these and other questions are examined in this work.