Siddhartha vs The Light of Asia: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Buddha, Buddhism, Religion, Fiction
Siddhartha
Hermann Hesse wrote Siddhartha after he traveled to India in the 1910s. It tells the story of a young boy who travels the country in a quest for spiritual enlightenment in the time of Guatama Buddha. It is a compact,…
1 film adaptation
vs
The Light of Asia
“Thus came he to be born again for men.”
In this poetic masterpiece, Sir Edwin Arnold describes the life and teachings of Buddha. The man who was to become known as Buddha to the world was born as Prince Gautama of India but he rejected the worldly riches and…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Siddhartha is the quickest read — about 2 hours vs 4 for The Light of Asia.
- Siddhartha has the widest readership — 912012 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Siddhartha | The Light of Asia | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.1 (912012) | 4.1 (375) |
| Hardcover | 4.0 (1) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (109) | — |
Reception
| Siddhartha | The Light of Asia | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 912012 | 375 |
| Editions | 206 | 115 |
| Citations | — | 26 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 585732 | 1518 |
| Reading it now | 34903 | — |
| Written reviews | 37480 | 45 |
| Wikipedia attention | 31996 | 50 |
| Pages | 124 | 238 |