- Paperback: 132 pages
- Publisher: Penguin USA; Reprint edition (14 Dec 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0141181230
- ISBN-13: 978-0141181233
- Product Dimensions: 20 x 13 x 1.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 367,466 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Synopsis
IN
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format: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.
Feel free to check out my blog which can be found on my profile page.
Feel free to check out my blog which can be found on my profile page.
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format: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.
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.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
35 reviews
59 of 59 people found the following review helpful
Masterpiece of western literature
2 Jan 2008
Format: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.
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
great if you're in the mood for a mid-life crisis
29 April 2005
Format: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.
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
An introspective classic, applicable to modern life
6 Oct 2003
Format: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.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
