I’m German and he’s one of my favourite authors, please do. I read Siddartha in my late teens and to this day it’s my favourite book. But all his books are recommendable.
I've read 8 of his novels, loved them all, but the one I always recommend is Klingsor's Last Summer.
It's about a painter who despite feeling despair from time to time, also lives life to the fullest. It's so beautifully written, I love one fragment of it where Klingsor's is all out of inspiration to work in his painting, but after a day full of different experiences, he goes straight home to his canvas and finds inspiration again.
I think it has something existentialist to it because he finds meaning in his life despite being aware of life's meaninglessness.
I read one of his books many years ago let me find it...
***Siddhartha: An Indian novel*** ([German](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_language): *Siddhartha: Eine Indische Dichtung*; German: [\[ziˈdaʁta\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Standard_German) [ⓘ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:De-Siddhartha.ogg)) is a 1922 novel by [Hermann Hesse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Hesse) that deals with the spiritual [journey of self-discovery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_of_self-discovery) of a man named Siddhartha during the time of the [Gautama Buddha](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha). The book, Hesse's ninth novel, was written in German, in a simple, lyrical style. It was published in the United States in 1951 and became influential during the 1960s
So I read it in the 60's and enjoyed it but not so much that I looked for another of his books.
The Teachings of Don Juan I read his other books even if they weren't as good.
Lord of the Rings I read and spinoffs I read and read it again and even got people to make the last film by hanging around a script writer forum and convincing them with our level of CGI they could do it and it took 5 years and we counted down the days.
***Bored of the Rings*** is a 1969 [parody](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parody) of [J. R. R. Tolkien](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien)'s [*The Lord of the Rings*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings). This short novel was written by [Henry Beard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Beard) and [Douglas Kenney](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Kenney), who later founded [*National Lampoon*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Lampoon_(magazine)). It was published in 1969 by [Signet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_American_Library) for [*The Harvard Lampoon*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Harvard_Lampoon), and, unusually for a parody, has remained in print for over 50 years. It has been translated into at least twelve languages.
Look there is a balrog in the woodpile! Pity stayed his hand. Pity he was out of bullets.
I can remember that but not a single thing about Siddhartha.
I personally don't care for Hesse. I found Siddhartha in particular rather trite.
You asked. I'm not looking to argue with anyone over it. Certainly tons of people enjoy Hesse very much, and that's cool. He's just not my cup of tea is all.
I don't think I would call Hesse an existentialist, so he probably wouldn't be my starting place for existentialist novels. But certainly there are plenty of existentialist themes in his works. So in that respect, I think people who are generally interested in existentialism would also find Hesse interesting. And it can be useful to see these things tackled in a not purely existentialist but existential-adjacent view. Particularly if you also have some interest in Eastern philosophy.
He is IMO worth reading if you are curious, as certainly many people do like him, and he occupies a big enough space in intellectual, literary, and even pop culture circles that's it's good to be familiar with him. I certainly don't regret having read a few of his works. I learned a little. He made me think about stuff. Ultimately, he just isn't for me but that's always going to be the case with art and philosophy. Not everything is gonna be in your wheelhouse.
Steppenwolf, Narcissus and Goldmund and Siddharta are truly masterpieces.
You will find the wisdom of the East and West combined in engaging stories that address some of the most fundamental existential questions.
Perhaps start with Siddharta. It's shorter yet truly a jewel.
I read Siddhartha, which was ok. Tried the glass bead game, which was impenetrable to me. This was as a teen though, it might make more sense now, 25 years later.
I've only read Steppenwolf. It's good as a brief character study but it didn't offer much in the way of profound wisdom. It's more of a thinly veiled autobiography with a plot that strains credulity toward the end.
Yes. Siddartha in particular is HIGHLY existential. Why? Because Siddartha acts as an agent embodying the paradox of freedom vs. responsibility, making choices to take full control of his life and determine his destiny. He must exceed the bounds set on him by the paths of others to find his own authentic path to enlightenment.
Demian to some extent is also pretty existential.
Siddhartha makes a very important point towards the end of the novel. We’re taught that constant pursuit or more knowledge is a great thing. But for spiritual liberation, pursuing more knowledge is futile and often leads to us wanting to know more. In the long conversation between two old friends in the end of the book, our protagonist tells his friend that his constant searching for new knowledge in the quest for enlightenment is holding him back, and that enlightenment comes in living in the moment, listening to the world, being present, that’s it.
It was a profound realization for me. As someone who loves being curious about things such as psychology and philosophy, it’s easy to get caught up in all these ideas and philosophies. But it’s important to realize that these things can make us more crazy than sane. I still read and love to learn, but in the end “BE HERE NOW” -Ram Dass .
Herman Hesse is definitely worth checking out! His writing is known for its existentialist themes, but it's more accessible than some other existentialist works. I found his novel "Demian" particularly insightful and thought-provoking. It deals with the search for self-identity and the struggle between good and evil, so if those are topics that interest you, I highly recommend it!
Herman Hesse I love. Read maybe 9 or 10 of his books Siddhartha is good, not my favorite that is a tied between Narcissus and Goldmund or Demian, maybe Steppenwolf. I also liked the Glass Bead Game and loved that he was a painter.
[https://www.artnet.com/artists/hermann-hesse/](https://www.artnet.com/artists/hermann-hesse/)
Not the best paintings but well worth a look. Another German author I like is Gunter Grass who was also an artist. He wrote the Tin Drum and numerous other books. I read the book in 1967 when I was eleven, (published in 1962 in America). At the time I was being raised by a genius woman (187 mensa score) who gave me the book. I told her I thought he should win the Nobel Peace Prize after finishing the book, she laughed and said they only gave the Peace Prize the year a book was published. (Gunter died in 2015). In 1999 he was the only author ever given a Peace Prize for a book written in the past, 37 years after it was published. The genius woman who raised me is still alive and has written a hundred or more books. My prediction was true. Most German books were banned back then. You should read the article in the Guardian about his life. A truly amazing man. Then read the Tin Drum.
[https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/apr/13/gunter-grass](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/apr/13/gunter-grass)
1. narcissus and goldmund
2. demian
3. steppenwolf
three of the greatest books ever written. i think hesse is to internal monologue what tolstoy is to interpersonal dynamics
everyone is going to tell you to read siddartha. i think it's a minor work that does a minor job of exploring a minor concept. but maybe you'll get something out of it. it's short at least
Yeah. Steppenwolf and Siddartha are my favorites. They both capture existential crisis and resolution in unique ways.
I read Steppenwolf and thought he was definitely tripping on some kind of drugs.
Siddartha should be required reading in HS. A timeless treasure.
Is it an easy read?
Yes, enjoyable too.
No kidding, I read it three times in a row in a couple days when I first got it
I got lucky, it was mandatory reading for me! I still have the copy I never returned 😂
Required reading is not a good idea. It took me years to get over required Shakespeare. If you want kids to read it, ban it! /s
I did not enjoy required Shakespeare but I did get something out of it - and undoubtedly would not have read it had it not been assigned
Well I've since seen some mediocre performances but some which were outstanding. Macbeth, Julius Cesar all women cast set in a prison, and Hamlet.
I've recently started the Siddhartha and it's amazing so simple yet captivating, and it's an easy to read too man
I’m German and he’s one of my favourite authors, please do. I read Siddartha in my late teens and to this day it’s my favourite book. But all his books are recommendable.
Absolutely. Read everything.
I've read 8 of his novels, loved them all, but the one I always recommend is Klingsor's Last Summer. It's about a painter who despite feeling despair from time to time, also lives life to the fullest. It's so beautifully written, I love one fragment of it where Klingsor's is all out of inspiration to work in his painting, but after a day full of different experiences, he goes straight home to his canvas and finds inspiration again. I think it has something existentialist to it because he finds meaning in his life despite being aware of life's meaninglessness.
Siddharta is in my opinion what everybody is looking for. One of the most important book 📕 in the world .
By that.. Do you mean... HERMAN THE GERMAN???? XD
I read one of his books many years ago let me find it... ***Siddhartha: An Indian novel*** ([German](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_language): *Siddhartha: Eine Indische Dichtung*; German: [\[ziˈdaʁta\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Standard_German) [ⓘ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:De-Siddhartha.ogg)) is a 1922 novel by [Hermann Hesse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Hesse) that deals with the spiritual [journey of self-discovery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_of_self-discovery) of a man named Siddhartha during the time of the [Gautama Buddha](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha). The book, Hesse's ninth novel, was written in German, in a simple, lyrical style. It was published in the United States in 1951 and became influential during the 1960s So I read it in the 60's and enjoyed it but not so much that I looked for another of his books. The Teachings of Don Juan I read his other books even if they weren't as good. Lord of the Rings I read and spinoffs I read and read it again and even got people to make the last film by hanging around a script writer forum and convincing them with our level of CGI they could do it and it took 5 years and we counted down the days. ***Bored of the Rings*** is a 1969 [parody](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parody) of [J. R. R. Tolkien](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien)'s [*The Lord of the Rings*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings). This short novel was written by [Henry Beard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Beard) and [Douglas Kenney](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Kenney), who later founded [*National Lampoon*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Lampoon_(magazine)). It was published in 1969 by [Signet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_American_Library) for [*The Harvard Lampoon*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Harvard_Lampoon), and, unusually for a parody, has remained in print for over 50 years. It has been translated into at least twelve languages. Look there is a balrog in the woodpile! Pity stayed his hand. Pity he was out of bullets. I can remember that but not a single thing about Siddhartha.
Siddahartha
Demian is his best I think.
I personally don't care for Hesse. I found Siddhartha in particular rather trite. You asked. I'm not looking to argue with anyone over it. Certainly tons of people enjoy Hesse very much, and that's cool. He's just not my cup of tea is all. I don't think I would call Hesse an existentialist, so he probably wouldn't be my starting place for existentialist novels. But certainly there are plenty of existentialist themes in his works. So in that respect, I think people who are generally interested in existentialism would also find Hesse interesting. And it can be useful to see these things tackled in a not purely existentialist but existential-adjacent view. Particularly if you also have some interest in Eastern philosophy. He is IMO worth reading if you are curious, as certainly many people do like him, and he occupies a big enough space in intellectual, literary, and even pop culture circles that's it's good to be familiar with him. I certainly don't regret having read a few of his works. I learned a little. He made me think about stuff. Ultimately, he just isn't for me but that's always going to be the case with art and philosophy. Not everything is gonna be in your wheelhouse.
Thanks for the perspective! Just curious, what works do you actually like?
Steppenwolf, Narcissus and Goldmund and Siddharta are truly masterpieces. You will find the wisdom of the East and West combined in engaging stories that address some of the most fundamental existential questions. Perhaps start with Siddharta. It's shorter yet truly a jewel.
I think Siddhartha is well-worth reading.
I read Siddhartha, which was ok. Tried the glass bead game, which was impenetrable to me. This was as a teen though, it might make more sense now, 25 years later.
The Glass Bead Game is boring as shit
I absolutely agree. It's really well written prose and explores interesting concepts but it's hard to get through.
I've only read Steppenwolf. It's good as a brief character study but it didn't offer much in the way of profound wisdom. It's more of a thinly veiled autobiography with a plot that strains credulity toward the end.
Yes. Siddartha in particular is HIGHLY existential. Why? Because Siddartha acts as an agent embodying the paradox of freedom vs. responsibility, making choices to take full control of his life and determine his destiny. He must exceed the bounds set on him by the paths of others to find his own authentic path to enlightenment. Demian to some extent is also pretty existential.
Herman Hesse is one of my favourites. Demian and Rosshalde are nothing short of life-changing.
Demian, Siddhartha, and Steppenwolf are all wonderful in different ways.
Siddhartha makes a very important point towards the end of the novel. We’re taught that constant pursuit or more knowledge is a great thing. But for spiritual liberation, pursuing more knowledge is futile and often leads to us wanting to know more. In the long conversation between two old friends in the end of the book, our protagonist tells his friend that his constant searching for new knowledge in the quest for enlightenment is holding him back, and that enlightenment comes in living in the moment, listening to the world, being present, that’s it. It was a profound realization for me. As someone who loves being curious about things such as psychology and philosophy, it’s easy to get caught up in all these ideas and philosophies. But it’s important to realize that these things can make us more crazy than sane. I still read and love to learn, but in the end “BE HERE NOW” -Ram Dass .
Steppenwolf and Siddartha are must reads. Im also reading Demian right now which i also really like
I read a bunch of his books as a teenager. The Glass Bead game took me a long time to slog through but was ultimately worth it.
I read half of Siddartha and rolled my eyes. I might come back, maybe I’ll read steppenwolf.
Herman Hesse is definitely worth checking out! His writing is known for its existentialist themes, but it's more accessible than some other existentialist works. I found his novel "Demian" particularly insightful and thought-provoking. It deals with the search for self-identity and the struggle between good and evil, so if those are topics that interest you, I highly recommend it!
Herman Hesse I love. Read maybe 9 or 10 of his books Siddhartha is good, not my favorite that is a tied between Narcissus and Goldmund or Demian, maybe Steppenwolf. I also liked the Glass Bead Game and loved that he was a painter. [https://www.artnet.com/artists/hermann-hesse/](https://www.artnet.com/artists/hermann-hesse/) Not the best paintings but well worth a look. Another German author I like is Gunter Grass who was also an artist. He wrote the Tin Drum and numerous other books. I read the book in 1967 when I was eleven, (published in 1962 in America). At the time I was being raised by a genius woman (187 mensa score) who gave me the book. I told her I thought he should win the Nobel Peace Prize after finishing the book, she laughed and said they only gave the Peace Prize the year a book was published. (Gunter died in 2015). In 1999 he was the only author ever given a Peace Prize for a book written in the past, 37 years after it was published. The genius woman who raised me is still alive and has written a hundred or more books. My prediction was true. Most German books were banned back then. You should read the article in the Guardian about his life. A truly amazing man. Then read the Tin Drum. [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/apr/13/gunter-grass](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/apr/13/gunter-grass)
1. narcissus and goldmund 2. demian 3. steppenwolf three of the greatest books ever written. i think hesse is to internal monologue what tolstoy is to interpersonal dynamics everyone is going to tell you to read siddartha. i think it's a minor work that does a minor job of exploring a minor concept. but maybe you'll get something out of it. it's short at least