Hermann Karl Hesse (1877-1962) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. Along with Siddhartha, his best-known works include Demian (1922), Steppenwolf (1927), Narcissus and Goldmund (1933), and The Glass Bead Game (1943), each of which explores an individual's search for authenticity, self-knowledge, and spirituality. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1946. He died on August 9, 1962.