Cathedral Classics

2 total works

The Journey to the East

by Hermann Hesse

Published 1 January 1956

The narrator of this allegorical tale travels through time and space in a search of ultimate truth. This pilgrimage to the "East" covers both real and imagined lands and takes place not only in our own time but also in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Again, fellow travelers are both real and fictitious--Plato, Pythagoras, Don Quixote, Tristram Shandy, and Baudelaire. Like Siddartha, Journey to the East is a timeless novel of broad appeal, particularly among younger readers, stemming from an affinity with the lasting effects of the author's own youthful rebellion against the strictures of a classical education and his pacifist instincts, combined with an easy lyricism and a well-composed symmetry of style. Part of the new look Peter Owen Modern Classics range featuring a logo crafted by graphic design icon Alvin Lustig.

Siddhartha

by Hermann Hesse

Published 1 March 1922

Hermann Hesse's moving and inspirational chronicle of spiritual enlightenment, with an introduction by Paulo Coehlo

Siddhartha is perhaps the most important and compelling moral allegory our troubled century has produced. Integrating Eastern and Western spiritual traditions with psychoanalysis and philosophy, this strangely simple tale, written with a deep and moving empathy for humanity, has touched the lives of millions since its original publication in 1922. Set in India, Siddhartha is the story of a young Brahmin's search for ultimate reality after meeting with the Buddha. His quest takes him from a life of decadence to asceticism, from 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.

If you enjoyed Siddhartha, you might like Hesse's Steppenwolf, also available in Penguin Classics.