Siddhartha: An India Tale by Hermann Hesse

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse follows a young Brahmin searching for wisdom in ancient India. Encounters with ascetics, the Buddha, a courtesan and a ferryman lead him through desire, worldly success and renunciation.

This Penguin edition is translated by Joachim Neugroschel, with an introduction by Ralph Freedman. A novel of spiritual inquiry, not a historical biography of the Buddha or a step-by-step Buddhist practice manual.