- Hardcover
- Publisher: New Directions Publishing Corporation
- Publication Date: 1951
- ISBN: 9780811202923
A young Indian mystic, a contemporary of Buddha, sacrifices everything to search for the true meaning of life.
In the novel, Siddhartha, a young man, leaves his family for a contemplative life, then, restless, discards it for one of the flesh. He conceives a son, but bored and sickened by lust and greed, moves on again. Near despair, Siddhartha comes to a river where he hears a unique sound. This sound signals the true beginning of life - the beginning of suffering, rejection, peace and, finally, wisdom.