Autorentext

Hermann Karl Hesse (2 July 1877 - 9 August 1962) was a German-born Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include Demian, Steppenwolf, Siddhartha, and The Glass Bead Game, each of which explores an individual's search for authenticity, self-knowledge and spirituality. In 1946, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Towards the end of his life, German (born Bavarian) composer Richard Strauss (1864-1949) set three of Hesse's poems to music in his song cycle Four Last Songs for soprano and orchestra (composed 1948, first performed posthumously in 1950): "Frühling" ("Spring"), "September", and "Beim Schlafengehen" ("On Going to Sleep").
In the 1950s, Hesse's popularity began to wane, while literature critics and intellectuals turned their attention to other subjects. In 1955, the sales of Hesse's books by his publisher Suhrkamp reached an all-time low. However, after Hesse's death in 1962, posthumously published writings, including letters and previously unknown pieces of prose, contributed to a new level of understanding and appreciation of his works.[50]
By the time of Hesse's death in 1962, his works were still relatively little read in the United States, despite his status as a Nobel laureate. A memorial published in The New York Times went so far as to claim that Hesse's works were largely "inaccessible" to American readers. The situation changed in the mid-1960s, when Hesse's works suddenly became bestsellers in the United States.[51] The revival in popularity of Hesse's works has been credited to their association with some of the popular themes of the 1960s counterculture (or hippie) movement. In particular, the quest-for-enlightenment theme of Siddhartha, Journey to the East, and Narcissus and Goldmund resonated with those espousing counter-cultural ideals. The "magic theatre" sequences in Steppenwolf were interpreted by some as drug-induced psychedelia although there is no evidence that Hesse ever took psychedelic drugs or recommended their use.[52] To a large part, the Hesse boom in the United States can be traced back to enthusiastic writings by two influential counter-culture figures: Colin Wilson and Timothy Leary.[53] From the United States, the Hesse renaissance spread to other parts of the world and even back to Germany: more than 800,000 copies were sold in the German-speaking world from 1972 to 1973. In a space of just a few years, Hesse became the most widely read and translated European author of the 20th century.[51] Hesse was especially popular among young readers, a tendency which continues today.

Klappentext

Esta novela cuenta la historia de Siddhartha, un joven brahmán (los brahmanes son los sacerdotes, la casta más importante de la India) en busca de la verdad y la sabiduría. Pero Siddhartha no se conforma con seguir las doctrinas establecidas ya por otros, desde bien joven él siente que necesita seguir su propio camino, pero como todavía no existe, tendrá que crearlo él mismo. En esta búsqueda espiritual, Siddhartha atraviesa por varias etapas. Primero, como ya he dicho, es hijo de un brahmán respetado, por tanto tiene una vida cómoda, no le falta de nada. pero las respuestas que le dan los sabios no le sirven, no responden sus preguntas. Por tanto, decide abandonar su vida cómoda y se va a vivir con un grupo de samanas (mendigos, ascetas).. Durante los años que pasa con ellos, Siddhartha aprende a vivir sin nada y, según sus propias palabras, conseguirá dominar tres artes: el ayuno, la espera y la meditación. Visto que habiendo renunciado a todo lo material tampoco era capaz de encontrar las respuestas adecuadas a sus preguntas, Siddhartha se instala en una ciudad y al cabo de un tiempo consigue reunir cierta riqueza. Al principio esto para él es sólo un juego, pero poco a poco se va dando cuenta de que el dinero lo ha ido convirtiendo en una mala persona. Se ha transformado en todo lo contrario a lo que él siempre quiso ser. Un día decide, por tanto, volver a renunciar a todo lo que posee y huye de la ciudad. Intenta incluso suicidarse en un río, pero en el último momento reacciona y comienza la última etapa de su búsqueda espiritual. Esta última parte la vivirá junto con un barquero que le enseñará todo lo que sabe. Bueno, en realidad será el río el que le enseñe todo lo que sabe, como hizo en su día con el propio barquero. Pasan los años y Siddhartha, ya anciano, parece encontrar las respuestas a sus preguntas, por fin encuentra la sabiduría y la felicidad.