1.4.09

#29 Jung and Hesse (sort of)

I have found Hesse and Jung to be tremendously influential in my life, deeply affecting both my intellectual and spiritual perspectives. However, I found Miguel Serrano's book to be very disappointing. I am loathe to completely pan any work - it's not very nice (it's not like the author can return the insult by panning my book) and also it shows somewhat poor taste on my part. I like to think that I can, through some sort of superior judgement and prodigious knowledge of self, avoid bad books. Right.

This book was cloyingly self-congratulatory, and in places, downright offensive and exploitative. At its heart this book is about the elevation of Serrano through his association with Hesse, Jung and others. It is illuminating for folks studying Serrano (who is a curious character in his own right) but not something that fans of Hesse and Jung should worry about hunting down.

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