Siddhartha (A New Directions Paperback)
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4.6 • 83 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
By the Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature
A book—rare in our arid age—that takes root in the heart and grows there for a lifetime.
Here the spirituality of the East and the West have met in a novel that enfigures deep human wisdom with a rich and colorful imagination.
Written in a prose of almost biblical simplicity and beauty, it is the story of a soul's long quest in search of he ultimate answer to the enigma of man's role on this earth. As a youth, the young Indian Siddhartha meets the Buddha but cannot be content with a disciple's role: he must work out his own destiny and solve his own doubt—a tortuous road that carries him through the sensuality of a love affair with the beautiful courtesan Kamala, the temptation of success and riches, the heartache of struggle with his own son, to final renunciation and self-knowledge.
The name "Siddhartha" is one often given to the Buddha himself—perhaps a clue to Hesse's aims in contrasting the traditional legendary figure with his own conception, as a European (Hesse was Swiss), of a spiritual explorer.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Actor Ansdell guides listeners in his firm and gentle voice through Hesse's lyrical prose depicting the self-discovery journey of his protagonist, Siddhartha. Ansdell's pacing and English accent give his reading for the audiobook an air of philosopher's wisdom. Ansdell is especially good at pauses and inflections that express Siddhartha's moods of exaltation and utter despair at various points in his life as a young Brahman, an ascetic, a lover, businessman, and then as a father and elderly recluse who sits by the river and finally experiences the peace and tranquility he has always sought. Published in German in 1922 and in English in 1951, the revival of Hesse's novel in this era of widespread interest in Eastern religions offers Ansdell a vehicle for his diverse narrative talents.
Customer Reviews
Nirvana is Just a Word
Siddhartha, while fiction, serves as a vessel for Hermann Hesse to imagine how the Gautama Buddha reached enlightenment. His fictional character, Siddhartha, shares the Buddha’s name, which he renounced upon achieving Nirvana. This fantastic novella broadened my horizons by exposing me to eastern culture - albeit from a western perspective via Hesse.
The writing flowed perfectly, and it was hard to put down. The philosophical lessons resonated deeply, and I found ample comparison between Siddhartha’s journeys and conclusions to my own. All the more remarkable to see these similarities, as I’m not a Buddhist. Siddhartha presents many truths in very simple, digestible terms, but it’s all the more powerful for it. To hear the voice that Siddhartha hears within himself, to understand the futility in teachers and words compared to the world - it’s heartening.
Couldn't stop reading this astonishing book........
The entire Buddhist philosophy inscribed on a few pages...