From Businessman to Author
Kolkata, West Bengal
Unlike the other boys in his family who were expected to become priests or doctors, his father and uncles eventually arranged for him to learn the work of a mechanic by hands-on experience. However, a few days later, he became seriously ill. During this time, on the doctor's advice, he started going for walks every day and would often visit a family friend's bookstore. He didn’t just read books; he also gathered information about the book trade. Finally, he decided to start a book business.
Five years later, it was seen that his book business had flourished significantly. At that point, he began placing advertisements in various newspapers and magazines seeking good manuscripts from writers. But, unable to find a suitable manuscript, he started writing a novel himself. Some people worried that this would ruin his publishing venture.
But, astonishingly, all the doubts were proven wrong as the book began to sell wildly. Overnight, the bookstore owner became famous—Herman Hesse. Copies of the book began to sell one after another—Peter Camenzind.
Having entered the book business in this way, he became a writer himself. And for this writing, in 1946, he was awarded the highest literary honour in the world—the Nobel Prize.