The Journey to the East Book

The Journey to the East describes an expedition that can be charted in both spiritual and geographic terms. The hero, identified by the initials H.H., embarks on a journey with the League, a secret society whose members include Paul Klee, Klingsor, Mozart, and Albertus Magnus. In the course of their travels, in which they traverse both time and space, they come across Noah's Ark in Zurich and meet Don Quixote at Bremgarten. The harmony that ruled at the outset of the trip, however, degenerates into discord at Morbio Inferiore, a dangerous gorge, as the pilgrims begin to argue, over the purpose of their mission. The fate of the voyage is sealed when Leo, the humble servant who seemed to carry everything that was truly essential for the journey, disappears. Unable to settle on a common path, much less a common pursuit, the group breaks up and each of the participants heads off in his own direction.Years later, after the hero has returned to conventional life, he under­takes to record this adventure and, as he writes, comes to understand that it was he who failed the journey rather than the journey which failed him. The meaning of the lesson he learned as a young initiate - that "this expedition to the East was not only mine and now; this pro­cession of believers and disciples has always and incessantly been mov­ing toward the East, toward the Home of Light" - becomes clear to him, and with this realization, he takes the first step toward rejoining the movement.First published in English in 1956, The Journey to the East has appealed to readers for several decades. The deliberate simplicity of its prose is mesmerizing.Read More