Nobel prize-winning author Hermann Hesse imagined life in India during the lifetime of the Buddha to create this memorable tale about a restless seeker of enlightenment. First published in 1922, Siddhartha employs powerful symbolism to impart its timeless teachings. The story concerns a young Brahman who quits his comfortable home to join a roving group of holy men in striving to empty their hearts of passion and desire through self-denial and meditation. Discouraged by his failure to find Nirvana after three years of the strictest asceticism, the young seeker turns to the fleshly world, where he becomes a wealthy merchant and partakes of sensual pleasures with a sophisticated courtesan. Years of materialistic self-indulgence numb Siddhartha's soul, but at his moment of greatest despondency, he begins to experience his long-sought spiritual awakening. True enlightenment, he realizes, cannot be received from the lessons of others; it must be attained through individual struggle. This handy dual-language edition — with its excellent line-for-line English translation on pages facing the original German text — offers students an outstanding opportunity to hone their German-language skills while discovering a literary classic.

Specially chosen for their power to evoke German life and culture, these short, simple readings include poems, stories, essays, and anecdotes by Goethe, Hesse, Heine, Schiller, and others.

Siddhartha ? Bilingual Edition, German & EnglishFacing Page TranslationHermann Hesse?s Siddhartha is a literary classic. It continues to be the most popular of the many novels by the prolific Nobel Prize laureate. The touching story of one man?s search for the meaning of life, for enlightenment and knowledge is related with a graceful simplicity that is common only to great literature.Written in German, Siddhartha has been translated into most of the world?s languages and has enjoyed great success. Hesse?s style of writing - clear, straightforward and direct - has made the tale of Siddhartha?s search for truth and wisdom accessible to a wide variety of readers around the globe.To assist students, scholars and others who might be interested in a better undertstanding of Hesse?s elegantly simple prose, this bilingual edition has been assembled with the English translation on the facing page ? mirroring the German text paragraph by paragraph. Those familiar with both languages will appreciate the opportunity to read this great work in both languages and will surely marvel at the directness with which Hermann Hesse?s German translates into English. Those not familiar with both languages will be surprised at how very similar the two languages are. Those wishing to improve their own language skills, in either language, could hardly choose a better example of fine writing than that of Hermann Hesse?s Siddhartha.

Herman Hesse's classic novel has delighted, inspired, and influenced generations of readers, writers, and thinkers. In this story of a wealthy Indian Brahmin who casts off a life of privilege to seek spiritual fulfillment. Hesse synthesizes disparate philosophies--Eastern religions, Jungian archetypes, Western individualism--into a unique vision of life as expressed through one man's search for true meaning.

DIVFive great stories in original German with new, literal English translations on facing pages: "The Metamorphosis," "The Judgment," "In the Penal Colony," "A Country Doctor" and "A Report to an Academy." /div

"All I really wanted was to try and live the life that was spontaneously welling up within me. Why was that so very difficult?" Generations of readers have recognized the impassioned cry that introduces the young narrator of Demian, and embraced this tale of a troubled young man's struggle toward self-awareness. Initially published in Berlin in 1919, the novel met with instant critical acclaim, as well as great popular success among people seeking answers amid the devastating aftermath of World War I. A brilliant psychological portrait of an individual's departure from social conventions in the search for spiritual fulfillment, Demian encompasses many of the themes associated with Hermann Hesse, its Noble Prize–winning author, particularly the duality of human nature and the quest for inner peace. Considered an important work in the evolution of twentieth-century European literature, this perceptive coming-of-age novel enjoys a particular resonance with young adults, a fact that has made Demian a perennial favorite in schools and colleges all over the world. This inexpensive edition, featuring an excellent new English translation, is sure to be welcomed by teachers and students, and by the legions of confirmed Hesse fans.

"Ideal for students, this affordable anthology features expert new translations of a dozen works previously unavailable in English. The translations appear alongside the original German text of such stories as "Beauty and the Beast" by Irmtraud Morgner, Gabriele Wohmann's "Good Luck and Bad Luck," and tales by other modern authors, including Grunert, Inneberger, and Klockmann"--