Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha. Eine indische Dichtung

James M. Skidmore (University of Waterloo)
Download PDF Add to Bookshelf Report an Error

Siddhartha is a Sanskrit word meaning “the one who has accomplished his goal”. The eponymous protagonist of

Siddhartha

(1922) eventually achieves his goal, and Hesse’s novel is essentially the story of Siddhartha’s voyage of self-discovery. As with Hesse’s other important novels of the 1920s,

Demian

and

Der Steppenwolf

,

Siddhartha

is a tale about the quest for enlightenment, about finding one’s way in a world that marginalizes the more serious-minded.

Hesse wrote Siddhartha between 1919 and 1922. Set in India, the novel reveals the author’s interest in and familiarity with the subcontinent and its religious and cultural practices. Hesse’s grandfather had been a missionary in India, and his father had spent time as a missionary in southeastern Asia as well. Hesse himself

1274 words

Citation: Skidmore, James M.. "Siddhartha. Eine indische Dichtung". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 February 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=11490, accessed 19 March 2024.]

11490 Siddhartha. Eine indische Dichtung 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

If you need to create a new bookshelf to save this article in, please make sure that you are logged in, then go to your 'Account' here

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.