Herman Hesse, the German-Swiss poet, novelist and painter, was born in 1877 in Calw, Germany. His parents were Christian missionaries, with interests in book publishing, and young Herman grew up in a world of theological discussion. Through his grandfather, who had worked in India as a missionary, he also possessed a keen awareness of Eastern philosophy and spirituality.
Hesse became popular for his spiritual writing in the American counter-culture scene of the 1960s, and since his death in 1962 he has been one of the best-selling German writers in the world.
