The Title Refers To An Ultra-Aesthetic Game Which Is Played By Scholars In The Kingdom Of Castalia Around The Year 2400. This Game Involves All Branches Of Knowledge, And Spiritual Values - Especially Those Of The East. Hesse'S Longing To Find A Dynamic Fusion Of Mind With Nature Is Set Forth More Penetratingly In This Book Than In Any Other He Wrote. Critics Have Seen In It A Late, Definitive Stage In His Thinking Influenced By The Tragedy Of Europe In The Second World War.