Siddhartha is an allegorical novel by Hermann Hesse which deals with the spiritual journey of an Indian boy called Siddhartha during the time of the Buddha.
The book, Hesse’s ninth novel, was written in German, in a simple, yet powerful and lyrical, style. The word Siddhartha is made up of two words in the Sanskrit language, siddha (gotten) + artha (meaning or wealth). The two words together mean ‘one who has found meaning (of existence)’ or ‘he who has attained his goals’. The Buddha’s name, before his renunciation, was Prince Siddhartha Gautama, later the Buddha. In this book, the Buddha is referred to as ‘Gotama’.