Siddhartha is the most famous and influential novel by Nobel prize-winning author Hermann Hesse. The novel deals with the spiritual journey of self-discovery of a man named Siddhartha during the time of the Gautama Buddha. His quest takes him from a life of decadence to asceticism, through the illusory joys of sensual love with a beautiful courtesan, and of wealth and fame, to the painful struggles with his son and the ultimate wisdom of renunciation.
The story takes place in the ancient Indian kingdom of Kapilavastu. Siddhartha decides to leave behind his home in the hope of gaining spiritual illumination by becoming an ascetic wandering beggar of the Samanas. Joined by his best friend, Govinda, Siddhartha fasts, becomes homeless, renounces all personal possessions, and intensely meditates. He argues that the individual seeks an absolutely unique, personal meaning that cannot be presented to him by a teacher.