Dear Mr. Maier,: A Letter on Hesse's Inspiration*

KUESNACHT-ZURICH SEESTRASSE 228

March 24th 1950

Mr. Emanuel Maier, Professor of German, The University of Miami, Coral Gables (University Branch) Florida

I must apologize for the long delay of my answer to your letter of January 16th. I'm a very busy man and suffer from an overwhelming correspondence which I'm hardly able to cope with.

I know Hesse's work and I know him personally. I knew the psychiatrist who has treated him. He died several years ago. Through him Hesse has received some influences orginating in my work (which show for instance in demian, siddhartha and steppenwolf). It was about that time () that I made Hesse's personal acquaintance. The psychiatrist was Dr. J. B. Lang. He was a very curious, though extremely learned man, who had studied oriental languages (Hebrew, Arabic and Syrian) and was particularly interested in gnostic speculation. He got from me a considerable amount of knowledge concerning gnosticism which he also transmitted to Hesse. From this material he wrote his demian. The origin of siddhartha and the steppenwolf is of a more hidden nature. They are—to a certain extent—the direct or indirect results of certain talks I had with Hesse. I'm unfortunately unable to say how much he was conscious of the hints and implications which I let him have. Unfortunately I'm not in a position to give you full information, since my knowledge is strictly professional.

I never have done any systematic work on any of Hesse's novels. It would be, I admit, an interesting psychological study, particularly from the standpoint of my theoretical conceptions. It is possible for any one sufficiently aware of my work to make the necessary applications. Unfortunately my time doesn't allow me to go into detail, because this would amount to a new dissertation which would demand an extra amount of work which I'm not able to produce.

I should be very much interested to know about the results of your researches.

Yours sincerely,

C. G. JUNG