by Hermann Hesse
Published 1922
132 pages
Format: Novel
Nationality: German-Swiss
Original Language: German
Obtained: ?
Started: April 1st, 2012
Finished: April 8th, 2012
Notes: The word Siddhartha is made up of two words in the Sanskrit language, siddha (achieved) + artha (meaning or wealth). The two words together mean "he who has found meaning (of existence)" or "he who has attained his goals". The Buddha's name, before his renunciation, was Prince Siddhartha Gautama.
A major preoccupation of Hesse in writing Siddhartha was to cure his 'sickness with life' by immersing himself in Indian philosophy. The reason the second half of the book took so long to write was that Hesse "had not experienced that transcendental state of unity to which Siddhartha aspires". In an attempt to do so, Hesse lived as a virtual semi-recluse and became totally immersed in the sacred teachings of both Hindu and Buddhist scriptures. His intention was to attain to that 'completeness' which, in the novel, is the Buddha's badge of distinction." The novel is structured on three of the traditional stages of life for Hindu males (student (brahmacarin), householder (grihastha) and recluse/renunciate (vanaprastha)) as well as the Buddha's four noble truths (Part One) and eight-fold path (Part Two) which form twelve chapters, the number in the novel.
Comments: Wow. What a surprise favourite. This book was phenomenal. It was written in a very parabolic style, like a fable, much like many of the texts in Buddhism. I'm sure that was intentional. I'm also head-over-heels upon learning that Hesse actually immersed himself in Eastern philosophy and asceticism in order to write this and obtain his own truth. It's one of those books that is deceptively simple yet incredibly deep, much like my ever-beloved Little Prince. I wasn't particularly enthused about picking this book up but I'm supremely glad that I did. I highly recommend it.
