Siddhartha
(Book)

Siddhartha (first published in 1922) is a novel based on the early life of Buddha, inspired by the author's visit to India before the First World War. The novel is about the young Brahmin Siddhartha's search for self-realization. Disturbed by the contradictions between his comfortable life and the harsh reality around him, he takes to the life of a wanderer. But the shunning of all temptation in an ascetic life does not give him a sense of fulfillment wither. Despairing of his condition, he goes to the riverbank, sitting there quietly. And then in the silence, he is able to hear himself, his inner self. In the end, he grasps the wholeness of lie, experiencing the sense of fulfillment and wisdom that come with it.