The Glass Bead Game (Magister Ludi)

The Glass Bead Game (Magister Ludi) by Hermann Hesse

Synopsis: The Glass Bead Game, for which Hesse won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946, is the author’s last and crowning achievement, the most imaginative and prophetic of all his novels. Setting the story in the distant postapocalyptic future, Hesse tells of an elite cult of intellectuals who play an elaborate game that uses all the cultural and scientific knowledge of the Ages. The Glass Bead Game is a fascinating tale of the complexity of modern life as well as a classic of modern literature.

Published: 1943 | ISBN: 978-8087888384

Book’s Wikipedia Entry

Mini-bio: Hermann Karl Hesse was a German-born Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include Demian, Steppenwolf, Siddhartha, and The Glass Bead Game, each of which explores an individual’s search for authenticity, self-knowledge and spirituality. In 1946, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature. – Wikipedia

I read this when I was quite young and could think of nothing more fantastic than being able to live in Castalia, to be recognized for power of mind and intellect and for an ability to merge art and science in unimaginable ways. Yeh, sure it’s a school for boys, but I like boy things even though I’m a girl. It seemed perfect. As an older person the book takes on entirely different meaning as the main character first enjoys, but later struggles with the limited impact of his world – a great metaphor for the current crisis in public engagement with science. – 10 Great Books From a Neuroscientist

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