Will I love Siddhartha?

This Hesse classic cemented his fame as an author, and has influenced students every since, not just in the 1960 hippie era. I read it mostly due to my interest in Buddhism, and as such Hesse more or less accurately follows the story of Buddha and his road to wisdom. Truly a classic that you should not pass by.

Simple, lyrical, beautiful.

Siddhartha is the story of an epic journey of a man traveling through ancient India, with life lessons subtly woven through the narrative.

Ultimately, this book is about how all things are connected through nature, and more specifically, how attaching too much weight to individual events—good, bad, happy, sad—misses the totality of appreciating how those events work together to make a more joyful, meaningful life.

Alongside a generation of boomers totally fed up with politics and religion, I fell in love with Hesse’s poetic 1922 masterpiece charting the spiritual journey of a young man in ancient India, Siddhartha, whose quest for freedom and independence timelessly mirrors my own struggle to break free from convention and control.

This novella is on every list you’ll find of the best spiritual fiction books ever, and it tops mine because it speaks to me like no other and inspired me to write The Sannyasin.

I loved the arduous human journey that became a great spiritual one. It was about how Buddha became Buddha. That can only happen when one goes beyond their own comforts and reaches within for faith to continue to understand yourself and others. This book deeply influenced my writing and my life.

I fell in love with the characters, their foibles, and their search for answers. I feel lost at times, not seeing the forest for the trees, but this book showed the path of the protagonist who goes through many phases in his life, coming out the other end renewed, content, and with a revealing of his own spirit and accumulation of experience and knowledge which I found to be profound.

He deals with contemporary issues in a myth-like setting. I do not know much about Buddhism, but this book has those elements. It’s a wonderful read. Something I would pick… show more.

Siddhartha is a profound exploration of spirituality, self-discovery, and the pursuit of meaning in life.

It encourages readers to seek their own paths, embrace the present moment, and develop a deep sense of interconnectedness with the world around them. The books protagonist Siddhartha encounters various forms of suffering throughout his journey, and he comes to recognize the necessity and inevitability of pain and hardship in life.

The novel teaches that true wisdom and growth can arise from embracing and accepting suffering rather than trying to escape or avoid it.

One of the first books I had ever read in both English and the original language, this book can best be described by a comment I received from a fellow passenger when reading it; “That is the type of book which you read once and shouldn’t keep, pass it on to someone else.”

That is because this story has so much to teach any and everyone uniquely and individually. The story of the eponymously named Siddhartha who mirrors the life of the ancient Indian prince turned spiritual leader. This is an exploration into the meaning of every facet of life,… show more.

This narrative approach took me on a profound exploration of the human experience that offers valuable insights into the nature of wisdom, self-discovery, and the balance between worldly pleasures and spiritual fulfillment.

It helps remind me that wisdom and enlightenment can only be found within ourselves, and that the personal journey of self-discovery/connection is crucial to living a fulfilling life. I thoroughly enjoyed the poetic and philosophical style of Hesse’ writing and would consider this book a timeless classic that continues to inspire. 

Herman Hesse’s Indian tale follows the ancient journey of Siddhartha, a fictional character on a spiritual path to find meaning in a world full of suffering and greed by renouncing his family and all worldly possessions to become a wandering holy man (Samana).

Along his journey he discovers and meets the actual Buddha (Gautama Buddha), and although he was deeply impressed with the Buddha’s honorable teachings, Siddhartha, disappointed, chose instead to follow his own path believing that one cannot find enlightenment by only following the words of a teacher but instead by experiencing and embracing all aspects of life personally… show more.

Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha is the story of a young Brahmin boy who abandons the comfort of his wealthy family to seek illumination. Written in rich, seductive prose, it helps the reader to understand that the spiritual journey doesn’t prevent the seeker from living. Siddhartha lives fully—which allows him to release the things of this world and find salvation. One of the greatest lessons of the novel is that there are no shortcuts on the spiritual path. You will lose and find your way many times. What matters is that you don’t give up.