Hermann Hesse

2 7.2

A Swiss writer born in Germany who wrote novels and poems about self-discovery

proper noun

: Hermann Hesse

Many readers find Hermann Hesse's novels, like 'Siddhartha', deeply philosophical and inspiring.

Examples

Hermann Hesse won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1946 for his influential works.
Many readers find Hermann Hesse's novels, like 'Siddhartha', deeply philosophical and inspiring.
The themes of self-discovery in Hermann Hesse's writing continue to resonate with new generations.
Many people admire Hermann Hesse for his philosophical insights.
Did you read any works by Hermann Hesse?
Hermann Hesse won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1946 for his influential works.
The themes of self-discovery in Hermann Hesse's writing continue to resonate with new generations.

Surface Forms

Hermann Hesse main

Morphology

Hermann + Hesse

This is a proper name referring to a specific person, so its meaning (the identity and biographical information of the Swiss writer) is referential rather than compositional. A B1 learner who knows the individual name parts—which have no independently meaningful lexical definitions here—would not be able to infer that it denotes an author, so the expression is opaque.

Etymology

Hermann Hesse was a German-born writer who loved ideas from India and East Asia and put them into his books. He wrote stories like 'Siddhartha' about a person's search for meaning, so his name now reminds readers of 'self-discovery' and 'spiritual journeys'.