Sign in with Facebook
William2's Reviews > Siddhartha
Siddhartha
by
by
Set on the Gangetic Plain some 2,600 years ago, Siddhartha is about one man's search for enlightenment. Siddhartha, son of a Brahmin, even in the presence of Gautama Buddha himself, is unable to find a way if it depends on the teachings of others. There is, Siddhartha comes to believe, no single illuminated path for all men and women to follow. We must each of us make our own mistakes. We must all suffer, and no warning against it will ever help us. For to live some kind of bizarre life of comfort that prevents suffering also prevents our finding peace. The novel's especially illuminating if you have some understanding of and how it fed developments in Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. The writing style is very honed, lean, without abstruse digressions. It fulfills for me the fundamental requirement of all good fiction: that it reveal a fully imagined world. And isn't that what we really require from narrative: that it takes us out of ourselves; that, to paraphrase John Gardner (The Art of Fiction, Grendel, Mickelsson's Ghosts, Nickel Mountain, October Light, etc.), it perpetuates the dream? Highly recommended. I much prefer it to Steppenwolf. Up next Journey to the East and The Glass Bead Game.
Sign into Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ to see if any of your friends have read
Siddhartha.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
November 15, 2011
– Shelved
November 15, 2011
– Shelved as:
germany
November 15, 2011
– Shelved as:
20-ce
November 15, 2011
– Shelved as:
translation
November 22, 2011
– Shelved as:
fiction
February 6, 2014
–
Started Reading
February 7, 2014
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-24 of 24 (24 new)
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Greg
(new)
-
rated it 5 stars
Feb 07, 2014 04:30PM
Have you read Journey to the East? I read it around the time I read Siddhartha, in the early 1970s. I'm thinking lately that I want to revisit old favourites as much as titles on the to-read-list.
reply
|
flag
I have it on my list. That and The Glass Bead Game.
I am very looking forward to see how you like The Glass Bead Game. Now I have to read Journey to the East again soon so to refresh my memory for your review. It's a slim book.
Yes, about 90 pages I think. :-)
I've just been searching in Groups to see if there is a Herman Hesse discussion group. I couldn't find any.
Reading Herman Hesse was my first intellectual rebellion against the provincial orthodoxy of my rural upbringing. I pretty much loved what I understood of it then. I have no desire to reread it now. Hesse served his purpose and moved me on
Excellent. For me, I'm enjoying reading him strictly on the merits. I was surprised by strength of the writing here.
As always I wonder what belongs to the writer and what to the translator. I don't remember if the Hesse books I read had a common translator. Read on. I remember liking Damien.
Yes, that's always a question.
Great review William! I will be reading Journey to the East soon. I'll make sure to see what you think of it.
Good stuff William. I recommend Hesse for all young people who quest.
I completely agree （╹◡╹）♡
Yes. It is perfect for the young who quest. Jesse started me on a long journey of reading that hasn't stopped. (I'm taking recommendations on books for old people who quest.)
I agree, I much preferred it over Steppenwolf.
William1: I read "Siddhartha" three and a half years back and loved it. However, I haven't read any other Hesse book. I intend reading "Narcissus and Goldmund" this year.
William1 wrote: "Let us know what you think of that, Moshin. I was thinking of reading The Glass Bead Game."I certainly will, William. Do let me know what you think of The Glass Bead Game. Have a superb week.
Belated, but nonetheless sincere, thanks, Jaewan.
