[Dottore]

Hesse is romantic idealist who generally appeals to a much younger crowd than Mann.

Hesse is great for young people just starting to grapple with the great contradictions and issues that life poses. His writing is far freer, and more immediate and "delicious" than that of Mann. Far more light and engaging. It has something of the renegade about it.

Mann writes very formally, and is bit pedantic and tedious. It's hard to imagine Mann ever having a real belly laugh.

If Mann is like Ingmar Bergman—then Hesse is more like Eric Rohmer or even Truffaut.