I must complement you on your defense of Solshenytzn, Kirkegaard, and Grass. Well done.
Thanks. I see you defended Steppenwolf -- I love it, too, and also thoroughly enjoyed Narcissus and Goldmund, which might be my fave. At any rate, Hesse is the bomb -- I often consider the balancing act of life in his terms, the attempt to win (survive!) the battle between the carnal and the spiritual; the natural ease of the one vs. the required self-discipline/self-control of the other.