Knulp
is the eternal drifter, a true drop-out of an earlier time. Originally published in Germany in 1915,
was
Hermann Hesse
's most popular book in the years before he published
Demian
. During the 1950's, the book was influential on
Jack Kerouac
author of
"On the Road"
and
"The Dharma Bums"
as well as othe
Beat Generation
authors. During the 1960s and 1970'sn
Hesse
became a cult figure among young American readers and in 1968 the Californian rock group
Steppenwolf
, which was named after
's other classic, released
'Born to be Wild'
, which was featured in the film
Easy Rider
. With profound understanding and sympathy, but also with some irony,
portrays
's life journey, his love affairs and his questioning of life. The novel reaches a final powerful climax when
God
reveals to
that the purpose of his life was to bring a little nostalgia for freedom into the lives of ordinary men.