Siddhartha

Written by Hermann Hesse

Narrated by Seth Thompson

“It may be important to great thinkers to examine the world, to explain and despise it. But I think it is only important to love the world, not to despise it, not for us to hate each other, but to be able to regard the world and ourselves and all beings with love, admiration and respect.”

In an ancient Indian kingdom, a man named Siddhartha embarks on a journey from his home and family to seek spiritual enlightenment. Siddhartha gives up all belongings and wealth, becomes a homeless beggar, and focuses on meditating on the teachings of Buddha.

Siddhartha’s travels take him all around the country, meeting new people and living a life of contemplation, until he meets Kamala, the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. Love convinces him to return to his materialistic ways, and lives with her despite his soul wishing to return to his days of contemplation. Through the rest of the novel, Siddhartha is always caught between these two worlds, wishing to be a meditative ascetic but also live in the ways of the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Spotify Audiobooks
• Release date: Oct 13, 2020
• ISBN: 9781094244686

Hermann Hesse

Hermann Hesse was a highly acclaimed German author. He was known most famously for his novels Steppenwolfand Siddhartha and his novel The Glass Bead Game earned Hesse a Nobel prize in Literature in 1946. Many of his works explore topics pertaining to self-prescribed societal ostracization. Hesse was fascinated with ways in which one could break the molds of traditional society in an effort to dig deeper into the conventions of selfhood. His fascination with personal awareness earned himself something of a following in the later part of his career. Perceived thus as a sort of “cult-figure” for many young English readers, Hesse’s works were a gateway into their expanding understanding of eastern mysticism and spirituality. Despite Hesse’s personal fame, Siddhartha, was not an immediate success. It was only later that his works received noticeable recognition, largely with audiences internationally. The Glass Bead Game was Hermann Hesse’s final novel, though he continued to express his beliefs through varying forms of art including essays, poems, and even watercolor paintings.

Reviews for Siddhartha

[Coco's Lifestyle · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Really interesting story, i recommend it if you haven't read it.

[Korean miso soup한국미소국 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Read it three times already. No thoughts nor words. Just Deeds and Life.

[Praveen Kumar · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A wonderful book , worth the time
Loved it throughout .