Hermann Hesse's Philosophy about Eastern Religions as Reflected in Siddhartha

When Hermann Hesse was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1946, the English- speaking world barely knew who he was. His few translated works had not been well received. Demian (translated into English in 1923) was brushed aside as a “nightmare of abnormality, a crazed dream of a paranoiac.” Steppenwolf (translated in 1929) was disposed of as “a peculiarly unappetizing conglomeration of fantasy, philosophy, and moist eroticism.” In the 1950s, after Hesse won the Nobel Prize, publishers began scrambling for translations of his work, including Siddhartha, which was translated in 1951. Hesse himself was doubtful that the American public would ever be taken by his inward-directed individualism and, for a time, he seemed correct. In the 1960s, however, the readers became intrigued by Hesse. Those in middle age were disenchanted and the youth were rebellious. Skepticism and cynicism were widespread. Hesse’s individualism – his disparagement of modern society but firm faith in the meaningfulness of life – were a welcome antidote to the twentieth century’s bleaker view of things. Hesse became a rallying point for protest and change, a kindred soul, an inspiration for an enthusiastic following of dissidents, seekers, and estranged loners who were drawn from both the establishment and the counterculture. In the following paper, an attempt has been made to explain that while Siddhartha draws heavily from Eastern religions in its themes, Hesse’s philosophy diverges in some ways, and the author concludes that one’s philosophy is a personal journey for each individual to discover.