Siddhartha

A short, calm novel that works as a chain of conversations, with the river as its one big image. The first half is brisk and the middle drags a little in the merchant years, but the last three chapters carry it. The language is simple and repeats on purpose. Four out of five (draft). Read it if: you like short novels about a search for meaning; you want a book with one strong image, a river, that comes back; you are curious how a novel handles buddhist and hindu ideas without a lecture. Skip it if: you want a plot-driven story: much of it is talk and reflection; repeating phrases and slow, ritual sentences wear you down; you expect a retelling of the buddha's life: he is a side character.

Our ending explained covers the final chapters in full, with spoilers. What happens at the end of Siddhartha? The son who runs, Vasudeva's leaving, the kiss on the forehead and what Govinda sees. Full spoilers. Siddhartha Ending Explained →

Siddhartha summary, chapter by chapter, following the three skills he claims: think, wait, fast. Kamala, the river, Vasudeva and the ending. Full spoilers. Siddhartha Summary: Chapter by Chapter, Three Skills Tracked →

Siddhartha is a novel by Hermann Hesse, subtitled An Indian Tale, about a Brahman's son who leaves his comfortable home to search for the true self. He tries the life of an ascetic, meets the Buddha, and then tries wealth and love before he finds his answer by a river. It runs twelve chapters in two parts in the Project Gutenberg text.

No. In the novel, Siddhartha is a Brahman's son who meets the Buddha, who is called Gotama, in chapter three. He admires him, but he chooses not to follow his teaching.

The Project Gutenberg text, ebook number 2500, has twelve chapters in two parts. By our count the story is about 39,000 words, which is roughly two to three hours at an average reading pace.

Hermann Hesse. The Gutenberg file prints his name on the title page, dedicates part one to Romain Rolland and part two to Wilhelm Gundert, and does not name a translator.

You can follow the story without it. Terms like Samana, Atman, Om and Sansara come up early, and the Buddha's teaching is only mentioned in one scene in chapter three (the four doctrines and the eightfold path), because the book is mostly about one man's search.