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Steppenwolf cover art

Steppenwolf

By: Hermann Hesse
Narrated by: Peter Weller
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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

What listeners say about Steppenwolf

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Superb

Steppenwolf is an outstanding classic. I had no preconceptions about this book - with no previous idea what the book was about. It’s now one of my favourites. The story is about a man who is clearly fed up with life and while he finds some things stimulating is numb to most of life and the world around him. The story evolves from there and really is superb. I loved the part where Hesse describes us as half wolf, half human: when the wolf is in charge it is happy but the human despises it; when the human is in control the wolf despises it. He’s suggesting that whether doing what we think is right OR whether following our animal instincts we’re never fully happy. He then challenges this. Brilliant. And superb narration!

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great

A fantastic, moving book. A timeless tale and the best I've listened to so far. Great narration too. A+

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Brief rev.

Once you loose yourself in the character of steppenwolf, the story flows beautifully. Especially with the soothing deep voice of this particular narrator.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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great listen!

Excellent reading of a powerful book. Highly recommended for all Hesse fans and those new to his work.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Profound but ultimately not interesting enough

What disappointed you about Steppenwolf?

Several of Hesse's novels rank among my very favourites and at first I thought this would be another. As I went on, the weight of it gradually wore me down. It is more of an essay than a narrative and though I admired it and liked it in principle, after a while it became too dull and I returned it.

What does Peter Weller bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Something about German literature in a drawling American accent grates. More importantly, the story feels monotonous because the narration is literally monotonous.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Sympathy then ultimately boredom

Any additional comments?

This is a profound study of a lonely, unhappy man suffering from a detached intellect and incurable cynicism. The book is intelligent both in the depth of its character study and the manner of the writing. You get the feeling as soon as you read the introduction by Hesse discussing the meaning of the book - a dangerous topic for a critic, let-alone the author, and yet Hesse handles it safely and adroitly.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved every moment of it.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes I have a list of friends I will tell about it and to get a copy to.

What did you like best about this story?

the descriptions and the nature of Harry

What does Peter Weller bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

it was easy to submerge instantly. his voice is perfect for this work this book.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

no neither I smiled one maybe but it enriched me and I feel more solid in the world and more expanded and safer somehow.

Any additional comments?

I wish it was written by a woman and spoke of women and used non gender language when talking about people but it is very gender bias and actually it is misogynistic but that is the blindness of the times it was written the limitation of the logos of the age and I forgive it for that I just need to remember to reinstate myself back into the world when I finished it. I will follow up a lot on the mention of the other works Harry was studying too. I will submit this but I hate speaking out Im sure I have spelt very badly and not expressed myself well or even close to what I would like to do, but this work make me want to be courageous . I hope I will find lists of the other books mentioned in Steppenwolf.

I'd love to know who was the lecturer in the first chapter.. I was thinking it could be Rudolf Steiner. But I hope not.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Steppenwolf

Very interesting for it's time, not quite sure what kind of drugs this guy was on writing this but the fantasy world he create towards the end of the novel was beautifully morbid.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Fascinating and great

Amazing highly enjoyable and fascinating story revealing so much of a man's tormented internal struggles. Started from become less interested in the final few chapters when he enters the masked ball and everything becomes surreal, unreal and from his own imagination or drug induced hallucinations. I like the 90% of the book before the end when the struggles seem real and believable, whether true or not. The masked ball finale began to lose me as it was obviously completely unreal.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A life changing book under the right circumstances

Very well read. An example of high art and philosophy rarely seen. a staggering read.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A fascinating book!

This is a fascinating, original and well-written piece of work. I can see now why it has the reputation it has. I enjoyed it so much that when I finished I listened to it again right away. I disagree with some reviewers about the narrator. I actually thought he read very well (aside from his mispronunciation of Hermine which was really irritating). I’d recommend this book.

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