Hermann Hesse began writing Siddhartha in 1919 and finished it in 1922. He was fascinated with India as his parents had lived there as Christian missionaries. He even tried to travel to India to live but became ill on the ship in Southeast Asia and returned to Switzerland where he had been living. The book was immediately successful in his native Germany but he probably never thought that it would become popular with the hippie culture of 1960s America.
The story begins with Siddhartha going on a spiritual journey with his best friend Govinda where they eventually meet Gautama Buddha. Govinda stays with the Buddha and becomes his disciple but Siddhartha leaves, still in search of finding his true self. He continues to be a self-denying samara until he figures out how to be made whole. Just when Siddhartha finds himself he meets a woman named Kamala. Kamala is a prostitute who Siddhartha falls in love with but she will have nothing to do with him as he has no money, fine clothes or possessions. Siddhartha gives up his samara ways, gets a job with a merchant and and becomes one of Kamala's lovers. He becomes wealthy, buying a house and a garden. After 20 years he leaves her as he realizes that he has changed from what he has sought to be his whole life. He does not recognize his soul.
He begins to walk back to where he originally started from and runs across Govinda. Govinda does not recognize him. They have a short talk and then Govinda leaves him. Siddhartha comes across a boatman he met 20 years ago and finds him to have become wise from the river that he plies his trade from. Siddhartha moves in with him and regains his soul. There is more to the story but for Siddhartha he has learned that he had to err in life in order to find wholeness.
While this book was written 100 years ago it is still relevant today. The character Siddhartha found that there was no happiness in following the ideas of others, that you must find it within yourself. After he endured a period of suffering Siddhartha was able to pull himself up out of his pit and make a new life for himself. There is a lesson for us all here.
Siddhartha is a short 80 page book whose words flow beautifully making it a wonderful read. I highly recommend it.
