Siddhartha, Demian and other writings by Hermann Hesse

Siddhartha:
This tells the story of a young man in the time of Buddha who seeks a personal transformation through first learning and consequently creating his own version of the journey through life.

Before beginning this book, some part of me didn't feel like I was educated enough to understand all the underlying meanings, however the way in which the books are written (remembering that they are translated) seemed to reverberate in me somehow. It is still completely possible though that I have entirely missed the point so I apologise in advance.

The book begins with Siddhartha leaving home to join the "ascetics" with his friend Govinda. This seems to be a sort of separate civilisation where spirituality and finding truth in one's own actions and surroundings becomes the most important goal of life.

Him and Govinda later leave to join Gotama "the illustrious one" who speaks and enlightens both of them. Siddhartha continues his journey still though, becoming certain that he cannot live his life through another's teachings.

To continue the entire book would give it away. I found the tone and the calmness of this book amazing though, the themes running through it seemed to me to suggest the importance of independence in one's spirituality or spiritual means. That to truly understand your spirituality, you must find it yourself rather than seek it in the words of others.

Demian
Demian to me seemed to be a novella on self-discovery and finding yourself as cliched as that sounds.

Through traumatic childhood experiences, friendships gained as a result and continual advice throughout his life; the protagonist, Emil begins to awake to his own self aided by the mentoring he receives throughout the book. Women in this book seem to be viewed as ideal, something to pull one out of destroying themselves. Women continue to be valuable throughout.

The book also refers to the long lost (as far as I'm aware) concepts of Gnosticism and the opening up of the mind to spirituality, in the same sort of way (but obviously different too) as in Siddhartha.

I would definitely recommend both of these. No matter what they give you, and they will give you something. I was very skeptical about these books as have not heard of them from anyone else but they relaxed me, they made me think.



Next up: Madness: A Bipolar Life by Marya Hornbacher