Siddhartha (Warbler Classics Annotated Edition) by by Herman Hesse (Author), Gunther Olesch, et al (Translator), Alan Watts (Contributor)

Siddhartha takes place in the ancient Indian kingdom of Kapilavastue and follows the spiritual journey of a man who embarks on a quest for enlightenment. Along the way he becomes a wandering beggar, a rich businessman, a lover, a Buddhist convert, and, ultimately, a wise man. Herman Hesse’s most inspirational and beloved work, Siddhartha integrates Eastern and Western spirituality, psychology, and sensibilities in a simple, moving tale that has influenced generations since its original publication in 1922.

This Warbler Classics edition includes Alan Watts’s essay The Way of Liberation in Zen Buddhism, which offers a clear, compelling overview of the history and philosophy of Buddhist thought.

Herman Karl Hesse (1877–1962) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. Along with Siddhartha, his best-known works include Demian (1922), Steppenwolf (1927), Narcissus and Goldmund (1933), and The Glass Bead Game (1943), each of which explores an individual’s search for authenticity, self-knowledge, and spirituality. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1946. He died on August 9, 1962.

Alan Wilson Watts (1915–1973) was an English writer, theologian, and speaker known for interpreting and popularizing Buddhism, Taoism, and Hinduism for a Western audience. He wrote more than twenty-five books and articles on religion and philosophy, including The Way of Zen (1957), one of the first bestselling books on Buddhism. He died on November 16, 1973, at his cabin in Druid Heights, California.

Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read.