Customer Reviews

Siddhartha: An Indian Tale (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)

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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.

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.

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.

Did you ever feel sensational beauty about every word you read? This is the book that returned me the harmony of my inner world.

Like many people, I first read Siddhartha in high school as a part of my study of Buddhism and Hinduism. It wasn't until this second reading that the book made an impression on me. Siddhartha is a young man who spends his life looking for the way to Nirvana. He begins in the forest, living a life of a samana, a wandering ascetic, begging for food and spending his days in meditation. His eventual meeting with the Buddha has an unexpected effect on him: he realizes that teachers cannot really teach him anything. Therefore, it is up to him to find his own way to salvation.

The book is short, and is made up of two parts, before the Buddha, and after the Buddha. Each chapter has a very particular meaning, and the plot is very well contained within. This adds to the story and gives it the feeling of a sacred text. Although most of the minor characters are not well-developed, it is very clear that their very existence is only to help Siddhartha on his journey. Otherwise, they are not important. Each character has something to give Siddhartha, and each adds to his understanding of the world and of himself.

This book will appeal to anyone interested in Eastern religions and philosophies, or to anyone who is themselves a spiritual pilgrim. It is very similar to Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist in its plot and feeling. It's also easy for even a reader who is not familiar with religious doctrines or language - Hesse does a beautiful job of making the spiritual and philosophical content very clear and easy to understand. However, this does not mean that it has been "dumbed down" in any way. In fact, the writing is intelligent and evocative, and the story is wholly engrossing.

This book is your road map to ultimate inner-peace and an understanding of what this whole existence is all about. It will make you realise that there's really little need for religions of any kind. No need for the latest Guru or Teacher. No need to be anything other than who you are, because as you are, you are already there. Get this, you get a life. Not everyone will "get it" but those who do will never need anything else.

If you're really interested in finding out about it all, then get this book. It's the only one you'll ever need, providing you "get it".

I have always had a fascination with religion and philosophy and have studied western thought extensively, but have only scratched the surface of eastern thought. I have been working my way through a variety of literature and decided to give Siddhartha a try. I realized that it was written by a westerner, but knew it had good reviews by many easterners.

I initially expected this novel to be a fictionalized retelling of the Buddha story, since Siddhartha is one of the names of the Buddha. But it turns out that this is a story of a contemporary of the Buddha that meets him and his story actually follows many of the elements of the Buddha's life.

This is an allegorical tale that packs a lot of meaning into a fairly short novel. The introduction by Freedman was helpful in showing many of the hidden meanings that I wasn't aware of. I also thought the translation was very easy for me to follow and understand.

Overall, I gained many insights from reading this book. There were several character traits highlighted that I don't think are discussed in our society enough. When he talked of his ability to think, fast, and wait; I though of how important these characteristics are. In our society, thinking is highly valued, but fasting and waiting are almost totally neglected at this point. I think of these as self control and patience. There were several other gems in this book that caused me to think and reflect.

As a westerner, there were some thought processes that I didn't agree with. I don't believe in extreme asceticism. I believe in learning self control, but not to the extent where you are totally focused on yourself. I believe that the true path to peace and happiness is losing oneself in the service of others. The best method to do that is by raising a family and participating in your community. Having said that, I believe that this book did bring out several profound truths for me. I highly recommend this short book.

I really enjoyed Siddhartha's journey, especially the way in which he rejects being "told" the meaning of life, the secret of happiness, etc. One cannot learn by being lectured or taught; instead, it is important for all of us to find the message on our own through experience. It is only through exposure to the world -- the good, bad, and ugly -- that we can find what is truly important. I found this spiritual message pertinent and worthwhile. This is definitely a book that will appeal to a large audience, no matter what your religious or spiritual beliefs...

this book is simply amazing! and when i say simply, i also mean that it is an interestingly simple book... very short and concise... and yet filled with so much knowledge and meaning... it really is a treatise on life itself.

this book truly is a two way conversation. you just cant help wondering, asking new question you've never asked before... some books are strictly written for the excitement, making them a one way conversation, the author just telling you things and there is nothing you can say that will make what he (or she) said better... but this book, as i said, truly is the opposite of that.

read the book and you will know where I am coming from... it is a great book and worthyto be read by everyone...

Hesse's best-known and best-loved work introduces Hesse's own understanding of Eastern philosophy and his own struggle to integrate his poetic soul with the world around him. Siddhartha is not the story of the similarly-named Gautama Buddha; rather, Siddhartha is a kind of mirror of the Buddha, who like him is born into a rich Indian Brahmin family and becomes dissatisfied with his privileged priestly life. Unlike Buddha, Siddhartha passes back and forth between the world of asceticism and aestheticism, eventually finding that there is no different between the two - indeed, no difference between anything. Some of Siddhartha's final words sum up his own findings and Hesse's suggested position as well: "The world, my friend, Govinda, is not imperfect or developing slowly toward imperfection. No, the world is perfect at every moment, all sin already contains grace, all youngsters already contain oldsters, all babies contain death, all the dying contain eternal life."

Hesse intentionally subtitled his work a "tale," or Dichtung, because of its poetic and lyrical nature. Reading this in translation can be a little tiring, so keep that in mind. Ralph Freedman's introduction, while a little rhapsodic at points, provides a helpful orientation toward the intersection of Siddhartha's story and Hesse's, including Hesse's psychological work with Jung during a year-long writer's block in the composition of this very novel. Once you're done with this one, go on to read Steppenwolf, Demian, Narcissus and Goldmund, and finish with The Glass Bead Game, and you'll have exposed yourself to the best of Hesse's writing and Romantic philosophy as well.