- Paperback: 176 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Classics (31 Dec 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0142437182
- ISBN-13: 978-0142437186
- Product Dimensions: 21.8 x 14.2 x 1.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,191,201 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
"Siddhartha" is perhaps the most important and compelling moral allegory our troubled century has produced. Integrating Eastern and Western spiritual traditions with psychoanalysis and philosophy, this strangely simple tale, written with a deep and moving empathy for humanity, has touched the lives of millions since its original publication in 1922.
Translated by Joachim Neugroschel
Introduction by Ralph Freedman
Translated by Joachim Neugroschel
Introduction by Ralph Freedman
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Siddhartha,
By
This review is from: Siddhartha (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics) (Paperback)
`Siddhartha' is one of those books that is both simple to read and yet powerful and profound at the same time. Following a young Brahmin's son as he tries to find his spiritual path in life, this book manages to weave a tale that is both captivating and enlightening. This book is so good I could read the first 30 pages alone and put the book down a happy man, the remainder is purely icing on the cake! Hesse manages to write in a deceptively simple style that belies the depth to the message he shows us and the skill behind his writing. He won the nobel prize for good reason. This may be a short book, but it is one that will stay with you long after you have read it and will bring you back to rediscover it's delights at regular intervals. Beautiful prose, beautiful message and highly recommended indeed.
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3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
beautyful,
By A Customer
This review is from: Siddhartha (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)
this is a wonderful book. I first read it in school, but come back to it every now and again. It is so brilliantly, poetically written, full of wisdom and nice words. A book that makes you think about your own life, and that is still very polite, not theatening or whatever.It is a (or the) story of siddharta, who later becomes Buddha, a young, rich prince, who wants to find the meaning of his life, is wandering around, and never finds what it really is he wants. It is a journey of questioning the world, of being restless to finally find peace in mind and body. However, this book is very "slow" and has lots of flowery words and descriptions. If you dont like this in general, you might not at all enjoy this book.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars (34 customer reviews) 55 of 55 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Masterpiece of western literature,
By Kedar Deshpande - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Siddhartha (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)
Siddhartha is both a western and eastern tale. Though it was written by a westerner, it has the soul and power of an ancient eastern myth. It is at once a timeless story and one that the reader will wish to continually revisit at different phases in his or her life.
Hesse does a remarkable job in capturing the tone, cadence and moral complexity of ancient Indian religious stories. His "revisionist" take on the life of Buddha is at once fresh and familiar to anyone who has read the sermons of the Buddha or who has studied ancient Hinduism and Buddhism. The themes of self-doubt, denial, asceticism and spiritual rejuvenation are both profoundly and cleverly handled in Hesse's superb narrative. In many ways, this is a book that serves as a summation, and improvement on, all of the religious texts one has read. The fictional aspect allows Hesse to interweave common literary devices, such as heroic journeys and coming-of-age revelations, to make the text, as a whole, much stronger and more impacting than a dry sermon. Siddhartha's narrative works as a cycle, with each chapter offering commentary on the vices and victories of mankind and the ultimate futility of the material world. Like the river that Siddhartha comes to love, the book flows, and never missteps or hesitates in reaching remarkable insights into the nature and philosophy of humanity. This is a book that will stay with the reader for a lifetime. Its simple structure belies a greater complexity; be sure that this book leaves the reader with no easy answers, but it is sure to inspire thought and joy. *A note on translations: -For readability, flow and consistency, I find the Joachim Neugroschel translation to be the best of the many options. It never feels forced or awkward and the introduction by Ralph Freedman is also a wonderful asset to understanding the importance of the story. Neugroschel seems to best capture the ebbing German of Hesse's original, while also capturing the tone of an Indian sermon. -The Sherab Chodzin Kohn translation is also well-done, though I find it slightly overstated in certain parts. -The oldest translation, by Hilda Rosner, is the most commonly available version, though I find it to be clunky, awkward and halting. Avoid it, if possible. -A newer translation by Susan Bernofsky has received good reviews, but I have yet to read it. -Finally, two low-grade translations by Applebaum and Edwards should be avoided. 18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
great if you're in the mood for a mid-life crisis,
By Caraculiambro - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Siddhartha (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)
Seriously, if you're gonna read Siddhartha, this is certainly the edition to get -- the slightly oversized Penguin Classics one.
It features a useful (35-page!) introduction by Ralph Freedman, which includes suggestions for further reading. The translation by Joachim Neugroschel -- a new one -- also reads swiftly and naturally. There are no footnotes for the text itself, however. 7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An introspective classic, applicable to modern life,
By Ted - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Siddhartha (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics) (Paperback)
This is a book that will appeal to anyone who wonders "what it's all about." Hesse has masterfully captured the essence of a wandering soul in Siddhartha's character, someone who seeks meaning and understanding in all its forms. This book is even more applicable to modern day society than when it was written. We are confronted with millions of choices in our lives and it can often be difficult to discern the correct path; often with respect to the materialism and consumerism that permeates American society. So, take a few hours and peruse Siddhartha...forget about the rat race and imagine life as an ascetic. Truly a sublime book, highly recommended. |
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