Written in a prose of almost biblical simplicity and beauty, <em>Siddhartha</em> is the story of a soul's long quest for the answer to the enigma of man's role on earth. As a youth, the young Indian Siddhartha meets the Buddha but isn't content with the disciple's role. He must work out his own destiny--a torturous road on which he experiences a love affair with the beautiful courtesan Kamala, the temptation of success and riches, the heartache of struggling with his own son, and finally, renunciation and self-knowledge. <br /><br />The name “Siddhartha” is often given to the Buddha himself--perhaps a clue to Hesse's aims contrasting the traditional legendary figure with his own conception.<br /><br />This new edition of the classic Siddhartha includes <em>The Dhammapada</em> (“Path of Virtue”), the 423 verses attributed to the Buddha himself, which forms the essence of the ethics of Buddhist philosophy.