TBC Season 2: Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
The Bibliosopher's Club returns on October 1st! Here are the details, reading schedule, and a special deal.
Hello and welcome and welcome back!
Thanks for bearing with me for such a long time. It’s been a month since we finished our last pick (Dopamine Nation), and since then, I’ve been head-over-heels occupied with a term paper on a 12th-century Islamic philosophical novel (yes, it was as hard to wrap my head around it as it sounds).
The other reason I took so long to resume The Bibliosopher’s Club is that I got swept away by the amount of new subscribers. I’m immensely grateful and would’ve never expected this little project to take off as rapidly as a jump jet. And yet, strangely, this taste of success raised the stakes.
I thought: now my posts must get even better—no, flawless.
I thought: uh oh, now I’ll get called out as a charlatan.
I thought: I really gotta deliver or else...
Yeah, or else what? It’s so strange how we sometimes put all this imaginary pressure on ourselves. So here’s the deal: while I can’t promise to deliver weekly posts or monthly picks, I can promise that our book selections will be meaningful and the chapter rundowns high-quality.
With that in mind, here’s our next pick: Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse.
What’s Siddhartha About?
Siddhartha is a novel that explores the self-discovery process and spiritual awakening of a young man during the time of the historical Buddha (ca. 5th century BCE). That said, the novel isn’t overly esoteric or cryptic. Quite the opposite: the writing style is simple and speaks directly to the heart.
Hesse wrote this book more than 100 years ago and placed it in an era of 2500 years ago—and yet, I dare to say it’s more relevant than ever. The themes are highly practical—no matter how spiritual you are. Siddhartha deals with the meaning of life, figuring out a life path, finding love, losing love, coping with death, attaining peace of mind.
In other words, it deals with fundamentally human topics—topics that we all ask ourselves at some point in our lives.
Typically, I aim to read books for The Bibliosopher’s Club gradually as I write the chapter rundowns. But Siddhartha? I devoured it in two days. That’s how impactful it was for me.
Anyway, I don’t want to take too much away. Here’s our reading schedule.
Our Reading Schedule
I’ll use the 2008 version by Penguin Books (the one with an introduction from Paulo Coelho). It’s the same one you can borrow and read here for free. If you have any doubts about the page numbers, use the chapters as a reference.
As we go along, I’ll update this post with new links to the chapter rundowns.
PART ONE
PART TWO
PART THREE
These dates won’t be binding. Siddhartha is a short book, but I want us to take our sweet, sweet time with it. So, see this less as a strict schedule and more as a sloppy compass. (Of course, you can always trailblaze your own reading adventure. One alternative way might be reading the book in one go on your own and then going back through it with our chapter rundowns).
How to Get a (Free) Copy
Generally, I’m a big fan of physical books since they allow me to get away from screens, take notes, and flip and fold pages. If you can relate, I encourage you to get a second-hand copy or pick up a new one at your local bookstore.
Luckily, there are also lots of ways to read Siddhartha for free:
Read, borrow, and download for free at the Internet Archive.
Listen to the audiobook with a free audible trial (this is an affiliate link, which means I earn a small commission if you sign up—at no extra cost to you, of course!)
Special Deal: Unlock Bonuses for The Bibliosopher’s Club
The essential writings of The Bibliosopher’s Club are for free. I don’t earn a penny for writing these posts—the project is an end in itself. That said, if you do get value out of this book club, your support would mean the world to me. Patron plans start at less than $1 per week, granting you unlimited access to the archive and exclusive bonus material.
Plus, to celebrate the next reading season, I’m running a special offer that grants you a 30% lifetime discount to The Bibliosopher’s Club. Only available until October 2nd.
Comments?
What do you think? Do you look forward to this pick? Have you already heard of or even read Siddartha? Do you have special wishes or requests for this book?
Whatever it is—I want to hear about it!
And I’ll see you here on October 1st for the first chapter of Siddartha by Hermann Hesse.
That is one of the few books that deeply impressed me and so was allowed to stay in my very small bookshelf. I'm looking forward to reread it together with the Bibliosophers. :)