The Betrothal

Hermann Hesse / 王克澄 / 张佩芬Shanghai Translation Publishing House · ChinaMay 2019

3.9

Word count: 303K words
Chapters: 21

Summary

The final collection in a new 10-volume edition of the Nobel laureate Hermann Hesse, "the last knight of German Romanticism," in acclaimed translations. It gathers novels, novellas and short stories, poetry, essays, fairy tales, and paintings, offering a comprehensive view of Hesse's career.

Editor's review

The 26 short stories and novellas collected in The Marriage Compact span Hesse's early, middle, and late periods, offering an ideal entry point for observing how he addressed spiritual themes in short form. Unlike the grand structures of his novels, these pieces concentrate more sharply on Hesse's ability to use symbolic techniques to refract the inner wounds inflicted by the outside world; they are short, swift in their turns, and often leave the reader feeling gently nudged. For readers familiar with Steppenwolf and The Glass Bead Game, this book fills in the lighter and sharper sides between the novels; for those new to Hesse, it offers a low-cost way to experience the density of his narrative style and psychological description. As one volume in Shanghai Translation Publishing House's new 10-volume edition, it benefits from acclaimed translators' work, ensuring readability. Best kept close at hand for piecemeal reading rather than finished in one sitting; leaving a little space for reflection after each story makes the differences between periods more apparent.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who want to start with Hesse's short fiction but worry about the threshold of his novels
Fans who have read Hesse's novels and want to complete their picture of his shorter fiction
Readers who enjoy psychological description and symbolic technique and prefer the short-story form
Commuters or fragmented-time readers who need self-contained pieces

Not a good fit for

Readers who only read novels and lack patience for short-story collections
Readers expecting continuous plot and a single protagonist
Those who prefer light entertainment and would rather not confront themes of psychological pain

Reading tips

There is no need to read in order; start with the shortest pieces to get a feel for the style, then go back and read through.
Pause after each story and recall which psychological situation the symbols point to; don't rush to explanation.
Note the differences between early, middle, and late styles, and jot down which pieces feel like drafts for the novels.
If you have read the novels, compare after finishing how the short stories handle similar spiritual themes.

About the publisher

Shanghai Translation Publishing House China · Founded in 1978

Shanghai Translation Publishing House is a Chinese publisher oriented mainly toward translation and publishing. Its publications cover foreign literature, world classics and classic works, as well as social culture, folk literature and classical poetry. The database contains 2,618 titles, including Never Let Me Go, Les Misérables (2 volumes), Don Quixote (illustrated collector's edition), The Complete Comedies of Molière (4 volumes), The Complete Novels of Kafka (3 volumes), The Collected Works of Dostoevsky (9-volume set), Reason and Persons, and Oedipus Rex (Translation Classics). Its author resources include foreign writers such as Kazuo Ishiguro, Victor Hugo, Cervantes and Molière, as well as translators such as Zheng Kelu, Sun Jiameng, Li Jianwu and Zhang Kun. The publisher has brands such as "Translation Classics Selections" and "Translation Documentary," and emphasizes translated works in foreign literature and the humanities and social sciences, while also publishing bilingual dictionaries and foreign-language educational books. Public information is limited; the above is based on the book information in the database.

版权信息
译本序
狼
童年轶事
桑榆晚景
大理石的传说
七月
拉丁语学校学生
艳遇
卡萨诺瓦的转变
青春是美丽的
厌世
婚约
拉迪德尔
汉斯·迪尔拉姆的学徒期
城市
埃米尔·科尔布
大蝴蝶
罗伯特·阿吉翁
大旋风
文学晚会

FAQ

Are these 26 stories connected? Do I need to read them in order?

Each piece stands alone, with no continuous plot or single protagonist, and they come from different creative periods. There is no need at all to read in order; you can go by length or simply open to any piece, and reading individually will not affect understanding.

How do the short stories differ from Hesse's novels?

Short stories have limited space and often concentrate a theme in a single symbol or psychological turn, rather than unfolding a character's long growth as novels do. They are more like slices, quickly revealing Hesse's typical handling of spiritual pain and making it easy to compare stylistic changes across periods.

For a first-time Hesse reader, should I choose this or a novel?

If you want to get a feel for the language and style first, this book is a low-threshold choice; one piece can be finished and set down. If you want to enter a complete narrative of spiritual growth, start with a novel such as Narcissus and Goldmund. The two do not conflict, and the short-story collection also works as a change of pace between novels.

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About the author

Hermann Hesse Author · German-Swiss · 1877–1962

Hermann Hesse (1877–1962) was a German-language novelist and poet, born in Calw, Germany. He became a Swiss citizen in 1923 and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1946. His major works include Steppenwolf, Siddhartha, Demian, and The Glass Bead Game. His writing centers on individual spiritual self-examination and the fusion of Eastern and Western thought. Lonely seekers on inner journeys often drive his narratives, which blend storytelling, symbolism, and philosophical reflection in clear, lyrical prose. He explored self-knowledge, spiritual growth, and the meaning of life, drawing on Eastern philosophy to expand the expressive range of German literature, and he continues to influence readers worldwide.

王克澄 Author

Wang Kecheng is a Chinese book author about whom limited public information is available; details such as nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background have not been clearly recorded. Judging from the works held in the collection, he is mainly active in the field of foreign literature. The two works currently listed, Selected Novellas and Short Stories: The Engagement and The Engagement, both center on the theme of engagement. Works of this kind usually take marriage, emotion, and family relationships as their entry point, presenting characters' circumstances and psychological changes in romantic choices through the medium of short and novella-length fiction. Because verifiable material is scarce, a full assessment of his writing style and literary influence remains difficult, but it is evident that his editing or writing tends toward introducing foreign short stories and novellas, offering Chinese readers texts on related themes. Readers should consult specific editions and publication information for further verification.

张佩芬 Author

Zhang Peifen is an author engaged in the translation and introduction of foreign literature. Public information about her is limited, and no clear record of her biographical details is available. Judging from the thirteen works held in the collection, her work centers on German-language literature, especially the translation and presentation of Hermann Hesse's writings. Her representative translations include Siddhartha, The Glass Bead Game, The Hesse Collection (10 volumes), and Klingsor's Last Summer. These works generally explore individual spiritual growth, the meeting of Eastern and Western thought, and the inner world of artists. Her translations carry Hesse's philosophical reflection and lyrical style to Chinese readers and have had a certain influence in the field of foreign literary translation.