Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

society, culture, history, arts · EN-US

Once regarded as a cult book in the 1960s by the Flower Power generation, Siddhartha by Herman Hesse remains even today a simple and fresh tale of a man's spiritual quest. Penned by a deeply spiritual German author, Siddhartha explores multiple themes of enlightenment, thinking beyond set rules, love and humanity. Siddhartha is a young contemporary of the spiritual master Gautam Buddha who lived in India at some time during the 4th century BC. The story has striking parallels to Buddha's own life story in which he abandons his wealth and status as the young prince of Kapilavastu, his wife and young son and his family to embark on a voyage of self discovery. Siddhartha in the book is the son of a respected Brahmin priest and leaves the comfort and security of his home to seek the meaning of life. His close friend, Govinda, joins him and the two wander as mendicants seeking alms and spiritual guidance. They meet Gautam Buddha and are drawn to his teachings, but whereas Govinda decides t