Siddhartha is Hermann Hesse s classic account of one man s search for enlightenment. Siddartha is a young man born into a Brahmin family during the time of the Buddha. Rather than take up the mantle which his advantages of birth have afforded him, he begins a lifelong journey through the very extremes of existence. From asceticism and spiritual devotion to immersion in physical pleasure, Siddartha finds that life s meaning continues to elude him. A chance encounter at the river may hold the key. Hesse s allegory, while steeped in the religion and philosophy of the East, is a highly personal look at the world and our place in it.