Siddhartha

The modern classic for generations of readers

Siddhartha, the young son of a Brahmin, turns his back on a life of privilege and comfort in search of wisdom and spiritual fulfillment. His journey takes him from the company of ascetics to an encounter with the Buddha, from the discovery of love to a life immersed in wealth and sensual pleasure. Yet no doctrine and no teacher can show him the path he must ultimately find for himself.

It is the ferryman Vasudeva who finally helps Siddhartha understand that wisdom cannot be taught. It must be discovered through experience and lived for oneself. Each of us must find our own way and make our own mistakes. As Hesse writes: »Wisdom cannot be imparted. One can find it, live it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it.«