1922High Modernism
Siddhartha
Hermann Hesse · 1877–1962 · Germany / Switzerland
Originally Siddhartha (German)
Why it matters
A seeker leaves the Buddha's own teaching to find enlightenment through the world, the flesh, and a river. Hesse's spare fable of the search for meaning, and his most beloved book worldwide.
At a glance
philosophical novelbildungsroman
Difficulty 3/10medium pace152 pagesSpare, parable-like prose written in deliberately simple, accessible sentences.
Deep dive
A rich man's son tries asceticism, then sensuality, then commerce, then a riverbank — and Hesse structures the whole novel to argue that none of his teachers could have gotten him there faster.
Where to go next
Hermann Hesse · 1919DemianLvl 5Slow burn
Hermann Hesse · 1927SteppenwolfLvl 6Medium pace
Hermann Hesse · 1930Narcissus and GoldmundLvl 4Slow burn
Hermann Hesse · 1943The Glass Bead GameLvl 7Slow burn
Thomas Mann · 1912Death in VeniceLvl 6Slow burn
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe · 1774The Sorrows of Young WertherLvl 3Medium pace