Herman Hesse

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Herman Hesse

• Siddhartha

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Herman Hesse

• German Writer
• Born July 2, 1877
• His parents hoped he would follow the family
  tradition of theology
• In his own way, he did.
• His novels explore the duality of the spirit and
  nature as well as the individuals spiritual
  search outside the restrictions of society.

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• Hesse focuses on the protagonists journey into
  the inner self in many of his novels.
• In several works, a spiritual guide assist the
  hero in his quest for self-knowledge.
• He was awarded the Noble Prize for Literature in
  1946 for Siddhartha.

4

• After a trip to India in 1911, Hesse became
  interested in studying Eastern religion, which
  led to Siddhartha(1922), a fictional account of
  the life of Buddha, Siddhartha Guatama.
• The culture of ancient Hindu and ancient Chinese
  had a great influence on Hesses works.

5

• Hesse married three times throughout his life.
• Maria Bernoulli (married 1904)- severe mental
  disabilities caused the couple to divorce in 1924
  (they had three sons)
• Ruth Wenger(1924)- marriage only lasted several
  months
• Ninon Doblin (1931)- stayed married until his
  death in 1962

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• Hesse died peacefully in his sleep on August 9th,
  1962 from a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of
  eighty-five.

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Hesses Beliefs

• In each individual the spirit is made flesh, in
  each one the whole of creation suffers, in each
  one a savior is crucified
• Siddhartha

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Background on Novel

• Spiritual Journey of a young man in India
• 6th century B.C.
• Era of historical Buddha
• He who has attained his goals
• True understanding is the sum of all life
  experience
• Not merely spiritual, intellectual, carnal but
  totality of all

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Key Terms

• Brahmin
• The educated caste in Indian society
• Ascetic
• One who lives a life free of worldly pleasures
  for spiritual growth
• Samsara
• The cycle of death and rebirth
• Maya
• The material world of illusion
• Nirvana
• Stage of supreme enlightenment for Buddhists
• Om (Aum)
• A sacred syllable in the Hindu and Buddhist
  religions