Steppenwolf

By: Hermann Hesse

Narrated by: Peter Weller

Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Harry Haller is a sad and lonely figure, a reclusive intellectual for whom life holds no joy. He struggles to reconcile the wild, primeval wolf and the rational man within himself without surrendering to the bourgeois values he despises. His life changes dramatically when he meets a woman who is his opposite, the carefree and elusive Hermine.

With its blend of Eastern mysticism and Western culture, Steppenwolf, Hesse' best-known and most autobiographical work, originally published in English in 1929, continues to speak to our souls as a classic of modern literature.

©1927 S. Fischer Verlag A. G., Berlin. Renewal copyright 1955 Hermann Hesse. English translation copyright B 1929 Henry Holt and Company. Renewal copyright 1957 Hermann Hesse. Revised translation copyright 1963 Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, Inc. Author's note copyright 1961 Suhrkamp Verlag, Frankfurt Am Main (P)2008 BBC Audiobooks America

Different than I remembered

I read this as a youth of the Counter Culture. Hesse was an important influence in my development for which I’m grateful. However listening in my advanced years I found long stretches painfully tedious. .

the downside of over intellectualizing

very interesting story about the downside of an overly intellectual outlook. I liked the focus on having many aspects to one's personality or many personalities.

Hesse's prelude to Glass Bead Game

Great read. Eludes to what becomes the Glass Bead Game. Eludes to previous work like Peter Camenzind. Steppenwolf allows us to see Hesse's personal spiritual growth and transcendence.

Absolutely Amazing

What did you love best about Steppenwolf?

This is the perfect combo of wonderful introspective writing and a great delivery on the read of the book.

What did you like best about this story?

The mix of philosophy in a narrative and entertaining storyline.

Which character – as performed by Peter Weller – was your favorite?

There's really only 1 main character: The Steppenwolf. The others are small in comparison.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The first encounter of the love interest is one of the most moving scenes I've ever heard. It takes a long time to get too, but is all that more sweet once you get to it.

Any additional comments?

I would love to hear more books like this. Wish Audible could show me more.

FANTASTIC!! i WANT MORE HERMAN HESSE!!

Ageing intellectual Harry Haller checks out of his attic rooms in a post-WWI German city leaving behind his "records" which constitute the bulk of this novel. They begin as the musings of a divided man: Harry struggles to reconcile the wild primeval "wolf" inside him and the rational, well-mannered, civilized self he presents to the world. He despises the banality of bourgeois life and yet nonetheless longs for its numbing comforts. Each side of his divided nature loathes the other, leaving him hovering between them in spiritual and social paralysis. He can do little more than wander the streets at night, too afraid to go home because he might take the razor to his throat. But everything changes when he meets the mysterious Hermine who wants to teach him to dance... As Hesse points out in a note to this Picador edition, his best loved work is also his most commonly misunderstood one. It isn't so much the book of a man despairing, as of a man believing. Through his relationships with Hermine, Maria and the handsome musician Pablo - and a climactic visitation to the Magic Theatre which has all the depraved beauty, nightmare logic and existential resonance of a David Lynch film - Harry comes to understand and accept the multiplicity of the personality as being ultimately inconsequential. There is a second, higher, indestructible world beyond the Steppenwolf and his problematic life. Ultimately, this novel is a call to connect with the positive, serene, super-personal and timeless reality behind the ridiculous play of life's daily round. It's there all the time, just as we can still hear the genius of Mozart though his music be channelled through a phonograph. Genius survives the transmission, and so it is with the human spirit.

Masterpiece

This is one of those books that need not really have a plot. The writing is so superb, so rich, even in translation, that the concept of a storyline is almost superfluous. That said one has to admit that the story is less than riveting, however the intellectual richness of the writing requires little else to support it. This is one of the classics, brilliantly narrated and a true masterpiece. I won't spoil it for you by giving a summary of the content, just read it and lose yourself in the (now sadly uncommon) luxury of superb writing.

fair warning, not about your typical werewolf

it also starts off really slowly but worth it and then ends abruptly and confusingly.

Exceptionally well narrated

The narration by Peter Weller is exceptional and the story is great as well. I highly recommend this book. For madmen only.
Not for everybody.

Good book, not a good narrator

I hate leaving bad reviews, but the narrator was mind-numbingly dull. Not quite monotone, but one sentence ran into the next nonetheless. Don't listen while driving or operating heavy machinery.

not as good as I remembered

I recall this book impressed me back when I was younger. If I could find my copy it would have lots of underlined passages. But now, it's ok, but nothing special. The narrator is dull, but the story isn't as good as I recall either.
I note that this happens often when I listen to stories that impressed me when I was younger.