Siddhartha: A Novel
by By Hesse, Hermann
Category: Fiction , Classics

The classic novel of a quest for knowledge that has delighted, inspired, and influenced generations of readers, writers, and thinkers—a perennial favorite for graduation gifts.Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American ReadThough set in a place and time far  removed from the Germany of 1922, the year of the book’s debut, the novel is infused  with the sensibilities of Hermann Hesse’s time, synthesizing disparate philosophies–Eastern  religions, Jungian archetypes, Western individualism–into a unique vision of life  as expressed through one man’s search for meaning. It is the story of the quest  of Siddhartha, a wealthy Indian Brahmin who casts off a life of privilege and comfort  to seek spiritual fulfillment and wisdom. On his journey, Siddhartha encounters wandering  ascetics, Buddhist monks, and successful merchants, as well as a courtesan named  Kamala and a simple ferryman who has attained enlightenment. Traveling among these  people and experiencing life’s vital passages–love, work, friendship, and fatherhood–Siddhartha  discovers that true knowledge is guided from within.