He never attended university and became an apprentice at a bookshop. He was an intensely serious young man who rebelled against his parents, tried to commit suicide, was sent to mental homes and then a boys’ institution, leaving school as soon as he could. Hesse had been born in 1877 into a devout Swabian Pietist household ‘with the Pietist tendency to insulate believers into small, deeply thoughtful groups’. In the mango grove, shade poured into his black eyes, when playing as a boy, when his mother sang, when the sacred offerings were made, when his father, the scholar, taught him, when the wise men talked. The sun tanned his light shoulders by the banks of the river when bathing, performing the sacred ablutions, the sacred offerings. In the shade of the house, in the sunshine of the riverbank near the boats, in the shade of the Salwood forest, in the shade of the fig tree is where Siddhartha grew up, the handsome son of the Brahman, the young falcon, together with his friend Govinda, son of a Brahman. I read it in the beautifully clear and rhythmic English translation by Hilda Rosner, which was first published in 1951. Siddhartha is told in simple, lucid prose and has, from start to finish, the feel of a fable, or of a certain kind of old-fashioned children’s story. The book describes his life and experiences as he follows his own personal path to enlightenment.

Hesse synthesizes disparate philosophies-eastern religions, Jungian archetypes, Western individualism-into a unique vision of life as expressed through one man's search for true meaning.Siddhartha is a brief (119-page) telling of the life story of a (fictional) contemporary of the Buddha, a fellow seeker after truth and spiritual enlightenment. His eventual attainment of Nirvana does not come from someone imparting the wisdom to him but instead through an internal connection to the river, which he finds contains the entire universe. Siddhartha blends in with the world, showing the reader the beauty and intricacies of the mind, nature and his experiences on the path to enlightenment. He sets out on his journey, not realizing that he is fulfilling the prophecies proclaimed at his birth. We are invited along on Siddhartha's journey experiencing his highs, lows, loves and disappointments. This book chronicles the spiritual evolution of a man living in India at the time of the buddha-a tale that has inspired generations of readers. This is the story of a wealthy Indian Brahmin, Siddhartha who casts-off a life of privilege to seek spiritual fulfilment. Herman Hesse's classic novel has delighted, inspired and influenced generations of readers, writers and thinkers.

Siddhartha hermann hesse review