Siddhartha is a book written by Hermann Hesse which will make you reflect about life, death and your role in it.
Content
A young Brahman, called Siddhartha, is going on a long journey to find himself and the purpose of existence. On his journey he goes through different phases and meets a lot of people who all have a significant impact on him. He even meets Buddha and comes to the realisation, that by following Buddha he will never be able to find what he is looking for, since he will have to get to that point himself and not by someone showing him the way.
This is why Siddhartha decides to live life in the city and become a business man, to go through the ups and downs of the regular people. He enjoys a life filled with wealth and sexual satisfaction. At one point he comes to the realisation that this life is not fulfilling but merely distracting from reality. It is a game that is being played by the majority of the civilisation and only leads to greed, lust, egomania and dissatisfaction.
This realisation leads him to leave the city again and find a place where he can resume his work on finding himself.
Personal Opinion
This book is written in such a beautiful way, I could hardly stop reading. As always, Hermann Hesse managed to put this meaningful story in artistic words.
As a Hermann Hesse fan, I must say that this book is my most favourite one of his, next to Steppenwolf.
I read this book once every year and every time I find new angles and insights I did not recognise the first time.
