Title: Hermann Hesse on World Literature and National Literature

Abstract: From the standpoint that world literature is a combination of diversity and commonality, Hermann Hesse has launched a deep thinking about world literature. On the one hand, he agrees that Germany should absorb the excellent achievements of foreign literature; on the other hand, he also firmly opposes the blindness of translation and the neglect of German national literature. Thus, thinking about world literature and national literature not only has laid the foundation for Hesse’s literary criticism, but also has helped him improve his perception of literature in his later years.

Keywords: world literature, national literature, commonality, diversity, translation, Hermann Hesse

Author: Jian Ma, Professor, School of Foreign Languages, Peking University, Beijing, China.

DOI: 10.19967/j.cnki.flc.2025.01.007