Hermann Hesse 
If the War Goes On . . . 
Reflections on War and Politics

Herman Hesse remained clear-sighted and consistent in his political views and his passionate espousal of pacifism and the bloody absurdity of war from the start of World War I to the end of his life. He wrote the earliest essay in this book in September 1914, before he cemented his fame with the novels Steppenwolf and Siddhartha, and continued writing a stream of letters, essays and pamphlets throughout the war. In his native Germany his views earned him the labels  »traitor » and  »viper », but after World War II he was moved to reiterate his beliefs in another series of essays and letters.If The War Goes On . . . resonates as strong today as it did when originally published and begs the question: have our politicians learnt nothing in the last seventy years?