52 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Masterpiece of western literature, January 2, 2008
Siddhartha is both a western and eastern tale. Though it was written by a westerner, it has the soul and power of an ancient eastern myth. It is at once a timeless story and one that the reader will wish to continually revisit at different phases in his or her life.
Hesse does a remarkable job in capturing the tone, cadence and moral complexity of ancient Indian religious stories. His "revisionist" take on the life of Buddha is at once fresh and familiar to anyone who has read the sermons of the Buddha or who has studied ancient Hinduism and Buddhism. The themes of self-doubt, denial, asceticism and spiritual rejuvenation are both profoundly and cleverly handled in Hesse's superb narrative. In many ways, this is a book that serves as a summation, and improvement on, all of the religious texts one has read. The fictional aspect allows Hesse to interweave common literary devices, such as heroic journeys and coming-of-age revelations, to make the text, as a whole, much stronger and more impacting than a dry sermon.
Siddhartha's narrative works as a cycle, with each chapter offering commentary on the vices and victories of mankind and the ultimate futility of the material world. Like the river that Siddhartha comes to love, the book flows, and never missteps or hesitates in reaching remarkable insights into the nature and philosophy of humanity.
This is a book that will stay with the reader for a lifetime. Its simple structure belies a greater complexity; be sure that this book leaves the reader with no easy answers, but it is sure to inspire thought and joy.
*A note on translations:
-For readability, flow and consistency, I find the Joachim Neugroschel translation to be the best of the many options. It never feels forced or awkward and the introduction by Ralph Freedman is also a wonderful asset to understanding the importance of the story. Neugroschel seems to best capture the ebbing German of Hesse's original, while also capturing the tone of an Indian sermon.
-The Sherab Chodzin Kohn translation is also well-done, though I find it slightly overstated in certain parts.
-The oldest translation, by Hilda Rosner, is the most commonly available version, though I find it to be clunky, awkward and halting. Avoid it, if possible.
-A newer translation by Susan Bernofsky has received good reviews, but I have yet to read it.
-Finally, two low-grade translations by Applebaum and Edwards should be avoided.
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
great if you're in the mood for a mid-life crisis, April 29, 2005
Seriously, if you're gonna read Siddhartha, this is certainly the edition to get -- the slightly oversized Penguin Classics one.
It features a useful (35-page!) introduction by Ralph Freedman, which includes suggestions for further reading.
The translation by Joachim Neugroschel -- a new one -- also reads swiftly and naturally.
There are no footnotes for the text itself, however.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An introspective classic, applicable to modern life, October 5, 2003
This review is from: Siddhartha: An Indian Tale (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)
This is a book that will appeal to anyone who wonders "what it's all about." Hesse has masterfully captured the essence of a wandering soul in Siddhartha's character, someone who seeks meaning and understanding in all its forms.
This book is even more applicable to modern day society than when it was written. We are confronted with millions of choices in our lives and it can often be difficult to discern the correct path; often with respect to the materialism and consumerism that permeates American society. So, take a few hours and peruse Siddhartha...forget about the rat race and imagine life as an ascetic.
Truly a sublime book, highly recommended.
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