A classic story of the search for enlightenment, Buddhist-style. Translation by Hilda Rosner I reread this for my book club more than 30 years after my first read, and found it less compelling than it was then.

Siddhartha is a strange little book. It tells the life story of a Buddha-like figure who spends his entire life seeking enlightenment, and I don't feel like it's much of a spoiler to reveal that in the end he finds it. But though it longs to achieve a high level of profundity, I found it to be too brief and simplistic to make, at least on me, the kind of impact that the book is renowned for.

Perhaps it was a poor choice of edition for me, but I was dismayed after reading the back of the book to find that the first sentence of the blurb essentially summarized the entire first half of the book. The young Siddhartha, a young Brahmin, endeavors to discover enlightenment when his education and pursuit of knowledge leave him feeling empty. He follows the ascetic lifestyle of the Samanas with his friend Govinda, but is again left unsatisfied. He then pursues a life of the flesh, which (unsurprisingly) doesn't do it for him either. How he does find his true enlightenment I shall leave the reader to discover.

My own description of the plot, which admittedly mirrors the aforementioned blurb, highlights what I feel is the novel's weakness. It reads overly simplistically, presenting each conflict and situation that Siddhartha faces as a decision to follow the opposite path when one path runs empty. The move from Samana to wealthy businessman, for instance, feels particularly forced, for it feels like someone as devoted as Siddhartha (even if he is dissatisfied) would find it difficult to go so completely against his character. Hesse, I think, wants us to find the journey a challenge, but his insistence on relying on extremes makes the impact feel hollow and forced.

The result is of Siddhartha's lack of complexity is that the Eastern life, the major theme of the book, feels overly simple and uncomplicated as well. Siddhartha's rearing as the son of a Brahmin, one of the higher castes, allows him the kind of freedom that is not entitled to the lower castes, and Hesse does not give us a good sense of the sacrifices he makes when he abandons all of his possessions to pursue the Samana's lifestyle. There is also very little sense of the excess that he experiences as an associate of Kamaswami.
It is as if Hesse is more satisfied to tell, rather than show, what things are like for Siddhartha throughout the story, and this diminishes the impact significantly.

What the book lacks in impact, however, it does make up for in readability, which is why my assessment is so mixed. The book is written in simple, straightforward language and is very easy to digest, which I'm sure is a huge part of its appeal. But I can't help thinking that a book that deals with such a serious and involved topic would take such a common, simplistic approach. I was left expecting more from Siddhartha--and for a novel that wants so badly to be complete, that is perhaps its strongest downfall.

Auf der Suche nach dem Ich: Siddharta ist auf der Suche. Nach dem eigenen Ich, Erkenntnis, Erfüllung, Glück. Auf seiner Suche probiert er viele Wege aus: Von der Askese bis hin zum Leben im Überfluss...Wird Siddharta sich selbst finden?

Ein Buch zum Genießen. Hermann Hesse lässt den Leser in einer wunderschönen Sprache an seiner Gedankenwelt teilnehmen. "Siddharta" ist kein Buch, das man mal so eben verschlingen kann. Es braucht Zeit die Geschichte aufzunehmen und zu verarbeiten und manchmal kann auch erneutes Lesen erforderlich sein. Vor allem das Ende hat mich persönlich sehr zum Nachdenken gebracht und ist mir trotzdem noch nicht ganz klar geworden. Dafür offenbart das Buch nach jedem neuen Lesen auch wieder neue Erkenntnisse, von denen ich persönlich einige als sehr hilfreich empfand, einige Ansätze jedoch gar nicht teilen kann.

All die Leser, die von der hektischen Welt einmal Abstand nehmen wollen und die Ruhe finden sich "dem Suchen" zu öffnen, werden es mögen.

A very inspiring story about Siddhartha's transcendence to become the Buddha. This novel takes the reader through Siddhartha's entire journey starting from his decision, as a child, to trade in his life of luxury, for a more simplistic one as he sets off to reach enlightenment. A very intriguing book. I felt enlightened as i read it! Enjoy :) ( )

(unabridged audiobook read by Firdous Bamji): Usually I can't bring myself to be interested in others' quests for enlightenment, but this is surprisingly good. The excellent reader is of course a big part of that, but the story itself left me with quite a bit of food for thought. While Siddhartha himself finds the Right Path eventually, the reader is left to find his own way. After all, without trying many paths in life, Siddhartha would not have reached his goal. I can imagine one getting different things out of this book depending on where in life they are. I may have to pick it up again in a decade or two. ( )

It's difficult to know how well ms rosner translated Hesse's manuscript but it is written true and wel in her translation and that brings it to four stars. ( )

I remember this being a mind-expanding book when I first read it as a teenager. That memory led me to reread it recently but, sad to say, it didn't deliver the same punch that I remember from earlier. Maybe that's because Siddhartha's journey to enlightenment seemed to offer a relatively little-known and exotic path to a harmonious, peaceful existence in my young impressionable mind. I think I now see that path as well-worn and less enticing. That jaded insight aside, the prose is very digestible, and the idea that true enlightenment is discoverable in the daily routine is a powerful concept. I'm glad I first read it at a more impressionable age since I think it helped to distill my lifelong values. ( )

It appears I'm relatively alone in liking this book. I love Buddhism and other philosophy/theology, so I loved this. Siddhartha was a bit arrogant, and very irritating, but all in all, I loved it.

Although, I am being subjected to reading a poor translation of this in my English class :(
I suppose language is important.

Full review: http://faerytalemalice.blogspot.com/2... ( )

En klassikker som må læses. En filosofisk lille historie om at søge efter sandheden. ( )

Didn't really dig this so much. Wasn't sure there was a point to it -- which may, itself, be the point I suppose? ( )

000400 ( )

It was difficult to understand why this book is liked so much. And I don't think I have the stamina to try it again, unless I get so curious I just have to try it again. ( )

1174. Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse (read 29 Jul 1972) This was quite different but did not make me enamored of Indian philosophy. ( )

To some people this book, as I understand, could be life changing. This wasn't so for me because the Buddha is not my saviour. And if you take away that layer, which says 'this book is my all-time favourite because its story has the deepest impact possible on my life of all books out there', if you take away that, then this book's writing is about average. It doesn't have the best stuff in it. In fact sometimes I thought to myself that I'd much rather learn about what Siddartha was hearing, say, from listening to the river, than just knowing that he heard something life-changing and be left with just that bit. In many ways the book presented me very interesting and important observations, but it has left a lot of unsatisfactory holes and questions. It's a very good introductory book into Buddhism, but I suspect if I am genuinely interested in the subject I should pick up a real Buddhist philosophy book and start digging.

Comparisons that I drew with this book include one to The Alchemist, which, come to think of it, I'll need to put a little underneath Siddartha in terms of philosophical value, but The Alchemist was a bit more interesting to read I think. There's an element of Garcia Marquez in Siddartha as well, which I enjoyed. Anyhow the book is thin and very easy to read. It's the Buddhist stuff that's the hard part.

But I suppose I didn't like it as much as other people have, nor did I like it as much as I've for other books. ( )

everyone reads Sid. what's important is what cover you had and whether you chose to read any other Hesse or not. I did, and the choice lead to discovering a life-changing author. this however, is not his best it is simply a fairytale. something germans always dug. ( )

One of my all time favorite books. Very provocative yet peaceful. I introduced my daughter to Hesse and her feelings mirrored mine. ( )

Incredible little novel, which from an atheist's perspective appears to be a magical realist work without even trying. Apart from that, some fantastic insights are to be found here; one of which I am particularly fond is the one about knowledge being something that you can teach and communicate, but that cannot be said of true wisdom. ( )

A fictionalization of the life of Buddha. Truly thought-provoking book. ( )

Generally, Hesse is one of those authors whose ideas I like but whose writing puts me off. (Aldous Huxley, Joan Didion, and Paul Goodman are others). But there are scenes in this particular Hesse book that recur to me so often that I have to at least give it four stars. ( )

Thoughtful ( )

This slim novel is a good attempt at understanding Buddhist philosophy by following the journey of a man named Siddharta who tries asceticism, hedonism, and other lifestyles until finally attaining wisdom. Oddly enough, Siddharta reminds me a lot of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. These books share a similar quest for self-knowledge with the ultimate realization that what one is looking for was with you all the time. After all, "there's no place like Om". ( )

SIDDHARTHA is a heroic adventure of personal growth. In its characterization of a hero's journey--a soul's journey--it's even more universal than a Joseph Campbell discourse.

As Campbell taught us, many works of fiction serve as symbolic case studies of personal growth. But I think SIDDHARTHA is the best, the most deliberate, the most allegorical, of all. SIDDHARTHA's narrative and metaphors never stray from the title character's self-exploration and development. Due to this tight focus, SIDDHARTHA actually reads and behaves like a quite simple tale.

Most importantly (here's Hermann Hesse's genius), it improves upon the standard "monomyth" by giving us a peculiar, placid denouement that better shows how heroes are profoundly transformed by their quests. ( )

perfect ( )

Awesome. Fantastic. Life Changing. Written in an lyrical but yet easy to read style. The story and its themes are compelling. 5/5. ( )

Earlier this summer I read Paulo Coelho's 'The Alchemist' and wondered to myself, 'Why am I not having to think right now?' I read the whole book, trying to think about thinking about it, and I was continually blocked. Perhaps, I concluded, there isn't as much to think about here as there is supposed to be.

'Siddhartha,' on the other hand, is a book that demands that you think whilst reading it. It doesn't give you any real answers, but instead lets you think of your own. It is instructive, it is difficult in places, it is irksome, it is enlightening. It isn't always wonderful, and some of the writing is heavy-handed by today's standards. Hesse's is a style often copied or imitated, though not usually to any degree of success.

If you want a spiritually compelling book, read this, not 'The Alchemist.' Or, better yet, take a weekend and read both, and compare - I wonder if you'll come to the same conclusions that I did. ( )