Siddhartha

Herman Hesse's novel chronicles one man's search for enlightenment in the age of the historical Buddha. The novel's action is as internal as it is external, and we're drawn, no doubt by the echo of our own longing, into Siddhartha's restlessness and his determined pursuit of a spiritual path. The narrator, English-born James Langton, offers a measured, unhurried reading that's an effective rendering of the spare, lyrical prose Hesse crafted for this quiet novel. One quirk dimmed the experience for this listener: Langton gives an atypical twist to the protagonist's name, trilling what sounds like an extra "r" in the final syllable. It may have been a reach for authenticity, but it comes across as an affectation and clouds the transparency of the reading. M.G. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine


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. The title character, a contemporary of Gautama Buddha, unable to embrace the teachings of others, goes on a spiritual quest for personal truth that brings him all the way to the River of Life. 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. Y.R. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

February 27, 2017
Actor Ansdell guides listeners in his firm and gentle voice through Hesse’s lyrical prose depicting the self-discovery journey of his protagonist, Siddhartha. Ansdell’s pacing and English accent give his reading for the audiobook an air of philosopher’s wisdom. Ansdell is especially good at pauses and inflections that express Siddhartha’s moods of exaltation and utter despair at various points in his life as a young Brahman, an ascetic, a lover, businessman, and then as a father and elderly recluse who sits by the river and finally experiences the peace and tranquility he has always sought. Published in German in 1922 and in English in 1951, the revival of Hesse’s novel in this era of widespread interest in Eastern religions offers Ansdell a vehicle for his diverse narrative talents.