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Sign up todaySiddhartha - Abridged
An Indic Poem
Narrator
Derek Jacobi
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Translator
Hilda Rosner
Length
2 hours 59 minutes
Language
English
This compelling spiritual quest by Hermann Hesse, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946, is considered one of the most important works of twentieth century fiction.
Siddhartha's search for enlightenment leads him to the river of life itself. On his journey he learns from many teachers: the ascetic Samanas, the all-knowing Gotama, the Buddha, Kamala the lovely courtesan, and Vasudeva the simple ferryman. Unwilling to accept the wisdom of others, Siddhartha comes to an understanding of himself and his place in the universe, finally achieving the enlightened state of mind in which he can say to his lifelong friend, "The world, Govinda, is perfect at every moment."
Hermann Hesse (1877–1962) was born in Germany and later became a citizen of Switzerland. As a Western man profoundly affected by the mysticism of Eastern thought, he wrote many novels, stories, and essays that bear a vital spiritual force that has captured many generations of readers. In 1946 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Sir Derek Jacobi has had a long and distinguished career. He has toured in Becket and Uncle Vanya, and he received a Tony Award for his performance as Benedick in the RSC’s production of Much Ado about Nothing. His work in television includes the lead roles in Cadfael and I, Claudius, and his film credits include Henry V, Gosford Park, and Hamlet. His narrations have won him eleven Audiofile Earphones Awards.
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Reviews
“No living English-speaking actor outshines Derek Jacobi, nor any audiobook reader for that matter. He sings, rather than speaks, with extraordinary lyricism, expressiveness, and depth. Here he interprets the justly famed mystical novel by Nobelist Hermann Hesse…Jacobi approaches the text with a direct, childlike fervor. He brings home the subtleties of Siddhartha’s inner journey with amazing clarity and resonance, which he makes more exciting than the most thrilling thriller—for this is a detective story par excellence, a hunt for the mystery of self with eternity hanging in the balance. An AudioFile Earphones Award winner.”
“One could even hope that Hesse’s readers are hungrily imbibing Siddhartha and that they will be so wisely foolish as to live by it.”
“In Siddhartha the setting is Indian and we encounter the Buddha, but the author’s ethos is still closer to Goethe.”
“The cool and strangely simple story…should be read slowly and with savor, preferably during the lonely hours of the night.”
“The theme of the novel is the search for self-realization by a young Brahman.”
“Noted actor Derek Jacobi interprets this material wonderfully, and the package, despite abridging a Nobel prize winner’s prose, can be highly recommended.”
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