The Glass Bead Game is a book about synthesis, not just of music and culture but of mind and soul. Hesse's narrator describes meditation as "psychic hygiene," but that could also be used to describe the narration itself. I felt, when reading it, that the book was slowly unraveling my potential for knowledge, wisdom and metaphor, that it was unlocking the limitless possibilities of my imagination. Topics such as music, science, literature and meditation are explored with a passion and enthusiasm that are utterly infectious.
It's a pity, then, that the novel drags so much in the latter stages of the main narrative, losing the cerebral fire and energy that made it so enchanting in the beginning. Too much time is spent delineating the various merits, histories and other intricacies of Castalian society, instead of allowing the reader to get to know the setting or characters up close. I was also immensely disappointed that the glass bead game itself - a game in which players discover interrelationships between various artistic and scientific disciplines, thus playing with the values and insights of an entire culture - is only alluded to on a passing basis, its rules and complexities shrouded in mystery. Given such an interesting idea with potential for all sorts of imaginative and stimulating combinations of ideas, it's a pity it's not explored in more depth.
Still, these are minor flaws and none of them change the fact that this is one of the most thought-provoking books I've ever read. I've never, in fact, read a more potent tribute to the betterment of human learning and reason. This is a bible for anyone who wants to strengthen their mind, to broaden the horizons of their knowledge, to elevate the intellect to the same plain as the