Stanley Appelbaum

Hermann Hesse

Blends elements of psychoanalysis and Asian religions to probe an Indian aristocrat's efforts to renounce sensual and material pleasures and discover spiritual truths.

Siddhartha

A book—rare in our arid age—that takes root in the heart and grows there for a lifetime. Here the spirituality of the East and the West have met in a novel that enfigures deep human wisdom with a rich and colorful imagination. Written in a prose of almost biblical simplicity and beauty, it is the story of a soul's long quest in search of he ultimate answer to the enigma of man's role on this earth. As a youth, the young Indian Siddhartha meets the Buddha but cannot be content with a disciple's role: he must work out his own destiny and solve his own doubt—a tortuous road that carries him through the sensuality of a love affair with the beautiful courtesan Kamala, the temptation of success and riches, the heartache of struggle with his own son, to final renunciation and self-knowledge. The name "Siddhartha" is one often given to the Buddha himself—perhaps a clue to Hesse's aims in contrasting the traditional legendary figure with his own conception, as a European (Hesse was Swiss), of a spiritual explorer.

accorded a great deal of respect, esp. because of age, wisdom, or character

Mariana Foster

the act of criticizing or punishing oneself, often due to a feeling of guilt or regret for a wrongdoing.

He who wonderingly, of a purified spirit, loses himself in the meditation of Atman, unexpressable by words is his blissfulness of his heart.

There is, oh my friend, just one knowledge, this is everywhere, this is Atman, this is within me and within you and within every creature. And so I’m starting to believe that this knowledge has no worse enemy than the desire to know it, than learning.”

Quoth Govinda: “We have learned a lot, Siddhartha, there is still much to learn. We are not going around in circles, we are moving up, the circle is a spiral, we have already ascended many a level.”

Quoth Govinda; “You say so, oh friend, and yet you know that Siddhartha is no driver of an ox-cart and a Samara is no drunkard. It’s true that he briefly escaped and rests, but he’ll return from the delusion, finds everything to be unchanged, has not become wiser, has gathered no enlightenment, — has not risen several steps.”

“What is meditation? What is leaving one’s body? What is fasting? What is holding one’s breath? It is fleeing from the self, it is a short escape of the agony of being a self, it is a short numbing of the senses against the pain and the pointlessness of life. The same escape, the same short numbing is what the driver of an ox-cart finds in the inner, drinking a few bowls of rice-wine of ferments coconut-milk. Then he won’t feel his self any more, then he won’t feel the pains of my life any more. When he falls asleep over his bowl of rice-wine, he’ll find the same what Siddhartha and Govinda find when they escape their bodies through long exercises, staying in the non-self. This is how it is, oh Govinda.”

A goal stood before Siddhartha, a single goal: to become empty, empty of thirst, empty of wishing, empty of dreams, empty of joy and sorrow. Dead to himself, not to be a self any more, to find tranquility with an emptied heard, to be open to miracles in unselfish thoughts, that was his goal. Once all of my self was overcome and had died, once every desire and every urge was silent in the heart, then the ultimate part of me had to awake, the innermost of my being, which is no longer my self, the great secret.

characterized by the practice of severe self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons; a person who practices such self-discipline and abstention

And among all the wise and wisest men, he knew and whose instructions he had received, among all of them there was no one, who had reached it completely, the heavenly world, who had quenched it completely, the eternal thirst.

Where was the knowledgeable one who wove his spell to bring his familiarity with the Atman out of the sleep into the state of being awake, into the life, into every step of the way, into word and deed?

Surely, many verses of the holy books, particularly in the Upanishades of Samaveda, spoke of this innermost and ultimate thing, wonderful verses. “Your soul is the whole world,” was written there, and it was written that man in his sleep, in his deep sleep, would meet with his innermost part and would reside in the Atman.

And where was Atman to be found, where did He reside, where did his eternal heart beat, where else but in one’s own self, in its innermost part, in its indestructible part, which everyone had in him self? But where, where was this self, this innermost part, this ultimate part? It was not flesh and bone, it was neither thought nor consciousness, thus the wisest ones taught. So, where, where was it? To reach this place, the self, myself, the Atman, there was another way, which was worthwhile looking for? Alas, and nobody showed this way, nobody knew it, not the father, and not the teachers and wise men, not the holy sacrificial songs!

A Verdi deity of Hinduism and he is a form of Brahma, the creator god.

Siddhartha had started to nurse discontent in himself, he had started to feel that the love of his father and the love of his mother, and also the love of his friend, Govinda, would not bring him joy for ever and ever, would not nurse him, feed him, satisfy him. He had started to suspect that his venerable father and his other teachers, that the wise Brahmans had already revealed to him the most and best of their wisdom, that they had already filled his expecting vessel with their richness, and the vessel was not full, the spirit was not content, the soul was not calm, the heart was not satisfied.

Dreams and restless thoughts came into his mind, flowing from the water of the river, sparkling from the stars of the night, melting from the means of the sun, dreams came to him and a restlessness of the soul…

He was a source of joy for everybody, he was a delight for them all.

But he, Siddhartha, was not a source of joy for himself, he found not delight in himself.

He already knew how to speak the Om silently, the word of words, to speak it silently into himself while inhaling, to speak silently out of himself while exhaling, with all the concentration of his soul, the forehead surrounded by the glow of the clear-thinking spirit. He already knew to feel Atman in the depths of his being, indestructible, one with the universe.

the spiritual life principle of the universe, esp. when regarded as inherent in the real self of the individual

the act of washing oneself; a ceremonial act of washing parts of the body or sacred containers

Herman Hesse

Herman Hesse's classic novel has delighted, inspired, and influenced generations of readers, writers, and thinkers. In this story of a wealthy Indian Brahmin who casts off a life of privilege to seek spiritual fulfillment. Hesse synthesizes disparate philosophies--Eastern religions, Jungian archetypes, Western individualism--into a unique vision of life as expressed through one man's search for true meaning.

An Indian tale

nanafark

“When someone seeks," said Siddhartha, "then it easily happens that his eyes see only the thing that he seeks, and he is able to find nothing, to take in nothing because he always thinks only about the thing he is seeking, because he has one goal, because he is obsessed with his goal. Seeking means: having a goal. But finding means: being free, being open, having no goal.”

I have always believed, and I still believe, that whatever good or bad fortune may come our way we can always give it meaning and transform it into something of value.

What could I say to you that would be of value, except that perhaps you seek too much, that as a result of your seeking you cannot find.

some good nuggets throughout, i find it a delight to read and not as cheesy as what everyone has been saying! a good first intro to herman hesse, a lovely read, proses are beautiful

mimi nguyen

An Indian Tale

A poetic and philosophical novel that follows a young man’s spiritual journey toward enlightenment. While not a retelling of the Buddha’s life, Hesse explores similar themes—self-discovery, experience, and inner peace—through the fictional Siddhartha.

The writing is rich and lyrical, and though slow at times, it rewards patient readers with deep insights. It’s a story that emphasizes learning through 

, not just study, making it resonate on a personal level.

A short, timeless read—worth it for anyone interested in the search for meaning.

A poetic and philosophical novel that follows a young man’s spiritual journey toward enlightenment. While not a retelling of the Buddha’s life, Hesse explores similar themes—self-discovery, experience, and inner peace—through the fictional Siddhartha.

The writing is rich and lyrical, and though slow at times, it rewards patient readers with deep insights. It’s a story that emphasizes learning through living, not just study, making it resonate on a personal level.

A short, timeless read—worth it for anyone interested in the search for meaning.

One of those books that makes u think, but not in a way that blows your mind. It’s the kind of story that explores the whole “search for meaning” vibe, following Siddharta’s journey to find enlightenment. But if you’re into deep, spiritual stuff and don’t mind a slower pace, it’s worth a read. 🤍

Karel Marccenaro

Maria

not explaining, but my favorite book. i felt seen and not alone whith siddharta, i hold this book near to my heart

Kirsten Kim

wrote 3+ essays and socratic seminared every sentence of the book. still dont know what its about

anjali

Siddartha is an allegory; a story wrapped around the ultimate premise 'Happiness for Dummies'. Okay, maybe not so simplistic, but it deals with the attainment and nature of happiness nonetheless.

Premise

Like its eponymous protagonist, the novel breaks down in several milestones or turning points that signal the development of the story and the growth of the character, marking the changes that have been wrought at each stage by happenstance or when the central character experiences, what they generally call, 'awakening.'

Now, I have generally never been fond of that word; I look upon it with slightly cynical eyes that have been tainted long ago with the endless and ubiquitous New Age slogans and advertising jingles and other such byproducts of a spiritually-hungry-but-commercially-eager-to-cash-on-in-that-hunger culture that is so pervasive. For that reason, any word (especially buzzwords like awakening, purpose, destiny, soul - to name just a few, which must surely count as eternal favourites of those who specialise in Spiritual Quests) - any word bearing resemblance or connection to this New Age school of thought immediately props up red flags in my mind and, in response to that, my mind reciprocates my sentiments with a certain two-syllable word, namely, 'bullshit'.

However, being as wary of this as I am, I am compelled to acknowledge that Siddhartha does not bear resemblance to those works proffering liberation and claiming to offer answers to your spiritual questions, at least, not in the typical sense. Hesse is not trying to sell you happiness in a How-To-Guide book form wrapped with a ribbon on top. Hesse isn't trying to sell you anything. What he is doing, though, is telling a story that puts this search, this spiritual hunger in an allegory form and examines the ways it comes about and the way it is resolved.

A historical perspective

We must put Siddhartha in its historical context to achieve a full perspective towards understanding this work. Herman Hesse was a German writer who, aside from being a pretty depressive kid and showing signs of serious depression even in childhood, was also the winner of Nobel Prize in literature. Bam. His parents had served as Christian missionaries in India. His exposure to the work of Arthur Schopenhauer, the German philosopher, renewed his interest in Indian culture. Hesse's work is informed with tenets of Buddhist and Hindu philosophy and, in the case of Siddartha, forms the setting of the story itself.

Siddhartha is important because, published in 1922, way before the Beat movement and the hippiedom of the 60s, it was the first major work dealing in Eastern philosophy and thought written in the West. What many of the world now knows or may appreciate as Buddhist/Zen philosophy as a school of thought, Siddhartha put forward first. Hesse influenced the work of Jack Kerouac, and many others of the Beat Generation ahead of its time. It witnessed a resurgence in the counter-culture movements of the sixties.

Underlying themes and meaning

Hesse examines the search for spiritual fulfillment by having his characters embody aspects of personality and living that are unified, at various stages, by the protagonist Siddhartha himself. Govinda, like Siddhartha, is a seeker and then a Samana, or an ascetic who has renounced all wordly possesions. Kamala, the woman who instructs Siddhartha in the art of physical love and later, the mother of his child, embodies hedonism and sensuality. Kamaswami, the merchant, signifies the chief example of the 'child people', the materialist. The ferryman, Vasudeva, exemplifies quiet understanding and wisdom, just like the Gautama Buddha, the Sublime One.

At various stages of his life, Siddhartha experiences the different aspects of these different personalities himself; he changes and grows as a person by becoming and unbecoming these traits. He is first and foremost, a seeker, who leaves his home to become a Samana, an ascetic giving up the ways of 'the child people'. He is then the lover, basking in the pleasures of love and sex. Then he is the trader, the materialist, consumed by worldly woes. He is the gambler, giver and taker of riches, losing sight of what he was before. Then he is the suicidal depressive who has reached a breaking point, a crises in life, realised that the journey he traced out until this point left him empty, hollow, broken. Then he is the awakened, the conscious, the curious. He is the child, born-again, who laughs to himself realising that he has been given a blank slate to begin anew.

Siddhartha's journey is one of trial and error. He sets of with the one goal of escaping the 'ego', the vanquishing of the Self to achieve oneness with the universe, the Brahman. Yes, that sounds a bunch of wish-washy terms strung together to sound fancy. Admittedly, they wouldn't look that great on a resume, or seem out of place in daily conversation. 'What do you want to do with your life?' 'Oh, you know, just vanquish the Ego and stuff...and become one with the Universe. Can you pass the ice-cream, please?' Yup. However, let's give the Brahmin kid a break.

To that end, he traces out a path that wavers between two extremes - two opposite paths that might lead to one destination that is his goal. The first path, of course, is the one of renouncing of the worldly wealth, the path of the Samanas, the path of hermits, one of patience and fasting and suffering and simple living to overcome material wants and excesses. The second path, which he embarks upon after meeting Kamala, is directly opposite to his former one: instead of giving up pleasures and possessions, it encourages him to pursue them with active desire. When it turns out that this was not working either, Siddhartha runs away from it too and reaches that dreaded dead-end, suicide. This breakdown is the culmination of another lesson, heralding a new beginning, a clean start.

Siddhartha's mistakes are numerous and his teachers many; from his Samanas, the Buddha, Kamala, Kamaswami, the ferryman, and ultimately the river. His loves, much like his paths and means to the journey of fullfilment, know many faces and forms. At one point in the novel, Siddhartha asserts to Kamala: 'Maybe people like us cannot love,' and yet in time he himself comes to experience the many aspects of love. He knows platonic love, in relation to his best friend Govinda, brotherly love suffused with profound respect to Vasudeva, romantic love to Kamala, and familial, fatherly but unrequited love to his son.

Conclusion

Compared to other books tackling existential angst such as the likes of The Stranger by Albert Camus, or Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Siddhartha is different in that it is uplifting and somberly optimistic in tone. Hesse's prose is languid and well-written, with a tendency to become simple at times, but not simplistic. The central message of the novel is exemplified in the final meeting of Siddhartha and Govinda, fraught with the difficulty of Govinda seeking to glean understanding from the learning of Siddhartha, and Siddhartha asserting its impossibility: Wisdom cannot be taught. Knowledge can be passed on, but wisdom cannot. That Siddhartha spent his entire life trying to learn it himself, and made many mistakes along the way, but fumbling and falling, made it through, underlies this claim.

Different people will interpret novel differently. Some might think it is trite, some might think it changed their life. It didn't change mine. But it gave me some nice things to think about.

Blends elements of psychoanalysis and Asian religions to probe an Indian aristocrat's efforts to renounce sensual and material pleasures and discover ultimate spiritual truths.

An Indian Poem

Lindy

This was constantly referred to me as something along the lines of That Buddhism Novel but really it's so Christian it's not even funny.

roman

Ubeyd Gencer

"Arama bir amaci olmak demektir.Bulmaksa,ozgur olmak,disa acik bulunmak,hicbir amaci olmamak" hayatin tamamina farkli bir pencereden bakan bir eser.

read this in a gasping gulp, so well written & so profound. here to learn & love, truly 🪻

farro

An incredible read... love is the most important thing

egle trovato

Laura Mauler

Probably 1.5 stars, but we round up in my family. 

Just not my cup of tea.

Blends elements of psychoanalysis and Asian religions to probe an Indian aristocrat's efforts to renounce sensual and material pleasures and discover ultimate spiritual truths

Arya Bhushan

The book is written in many long, but poetic, proses. It did take me some time to adjust to Hesse's writing style, but once I did, I couldn't help but love the way he wrote.

rakshu

no words will ever be able to describe how beautiful and meaningful this book is

Siddhartha, a young man, leaves his family for a contemplative life, then, restless, discards it for one of the flesh. He conceives a son, but bored and sickened by lust and greed, moves on again.

Traci Wilbanks

A short book that says so much. 
I will definitely read it again in a few years

Wederom een groots boek van Herman Hesse. Het boek is vrij kort maar met veel inhoud. Het is ook moeilijk om te beschrijven wat het boek nu zegt, want het zegt heel veel. Het boek gaat ook over jezelf vinden en loslaten van dingen. Dit is zeker een aanrader

Bart Veldhuijsen 

José Saramago

um poema indiano

Siddharta

Erik Wallace

Jacob Medure

This book is one of the books I feel like everyone should read. Similar to Pualo Coelho's Alchemist, but much more profound, this book artistically tells the story of enlightenment. The punchline here is that many lessons in life are only derived through experience, despite what you may have learned without experience. After reading, I feel as though that just may be the key to life, to live it.

heleen de boever

um poema indiano : romance

Faith Ho 

"But one cannot love words. Therefore teachings are if no use to me; they have no hardness, no softness, no colours, no corners, no smell, no taste - they have nothing but words. Perhaps that is what prevents you from finding peace, perhaps there are too many words [...]"

Slightly ironic, given this is a book. But - not really ironic. A man's journey to nirvana and the spiritual insights he has along the way. And yet it isn't an epic; he doesn't travel very far, there aren't exciting extreme circumstances - rather it is a careful process of psychological and spiritual development. 

There're probably debates over its literary or intellectual merits, but what I can say, and why the quote isn't really ironic is: it touched something in me. Perhaps that's why I read, to experience, for a ephemeral moment, of something beyond "my reality". A thirst for finding that "something" that Siddhartha starts off with, and eventually finds; but that perhaps the rest of us will spend our lives, and may never achieve. This book leaves much for me to think about, but also the contradictory point that thinking is not the way to things; knowing not just with intellect (here I admit I am often tired of thinking; because my thoughts eat themselves up, a negation, exaggerate and yet extinguish everything)- "finding means: to be free, to be receptive, to have no goal."

"And if time is not real, then the dividing line that seems to lie between the world and eternity, between suffering and bliss, between good and evil, is also an illusion [...] his future is already there [...] to leave [the world] as it is, to love it, and to be glad to belong to it."

An incredible piece of fiction about a man who sets out on a spiritual journey to discover a higher state of being. I originally left this book on hold, but after giving it another go, I couldn’t put it down. The last few chapters were thought-provoking, particularly when it touches on misaligned values and fate. It’s beautifully written, the poetic style and imagery made it easy to appreciate.

Aakankaha Dwivedi

"The purpose and essential properties were not somewhere behind the things, they were in them, in everything."

The classic novel of a quest for knowledge that has delighted, inspired, and influenced generations of readers, writers, and thinkers. Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read Though set in a place and time far removed from the Germany of 1922, the year of the book’s debut, the novel is infused with the sensibilities of Hermann Hesse’s time, synthesizing disparate philosophies–Eastern religions, Jungian archetypes, Western individualism–into a unique vision of life as expressed through one man’s search for meaning. It is the story of the quest of Siddhartha, a wealthy Indian Brahmin who casts off a life of privilege and comfort to seek spiritual fulfillment and wisdom. On his journey, Siddhartha encounters wandering ascetics, Buddhist monks, and successful merchants, as well as a courtesan named Kamala and a simple ferryman who has attained enlightenment. Traveling among these people and experiencing life’s vital passages–love, work, friendship, and fatherhood–Siddhartha discovers that true knowledge is guided from within. Susan Bernofsky’s magnificent translation brings out Hesse’s inspired lyricism and his elegant, melodious cadences, illuminating the novel’s universal themes and timeless wisdom about the human condition. This original Modern Library edition includes a lively new Introduction by Tom Robbins and a glossary of Indian terms.

Vishwa

Interesting read, but not life-changing. Spurred a bit of thought in the realm of what internal happiness is.

It's clear that Hesse derived from his eastern endeavors, and then melded it with western philosophy (stoicism mostly), so this was a cool read to understand that landscape.

This edition has a NEW introduction by PAULO COELHO. Siddhartha is perhaps the most important and compelling moral allegory our troubled century has produced. Integrating Eastern and Western spiritual traditions with psychoanalysis and philosophy, this strangely simple tale, written with a deep and moving empathy for humanity, has touched the lives of millions since its original publication in 1922. Set in India, Siddhartha is the story of a young Brahmin's search for ultimate reality after meeting with the Buddha. His quest takes him from a life of decadence to asceticism, from the illusory joys of sensual love with a beautiful courtesan, and of wealth and fame, to the painful struggles with his son and the ultimate wisdom of renunciation

Siddhartha

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