Little Johannes

Little Johannes is an allegorical novel by Frederik van Eeden, first published in the literary journal De Nieuwe Gids in the 1880s. The story follows the titular character, Little Johannes, as he encounters a series of increasingly sinister mentors—Windekind, Wistik, Pluizer, and Dr. Cypher—while searching for a book that explains the nature of existence. This work is notable for its exploration of childhood and youth, and it is van Eeden's best-known piece, later expanded with sequels published in English as The Quest in 1911.