Haller encountered many people who pointed out his misguided way of perceiving his existence.

However beyond that there was so much to obtain from this novel, that at times I felt just like a sponge, soaking up Hesse’s ideas and responding to them entirely positively. The scene with Mozart seemed quite unique and because of this made it even easier to attach one’s attention to the story. Hesse did not embellish the story by twisted and complicated phrases in his writing, he was not pretentious even though he referred to many writers, composers and philosophers – rather he incorporated them into the story gracefully and subtly. This may sound absurd, but to me it was exactly that. What captured me in this novel was the misleading simplicity of it. The novel is a whirlwind of revelations and it provides a journey in a man’s life, which changes his conception of reality. She shows him that there is pleasure to be derived from indulging in the activities which Harry was convinced he despised, most importantly dancing and laughing. Then his life takes a turn when he meets Hermione, someone who understands him and has ‘ mastered the art of living‘.

He feels alienated from modern society, despises all of its innovations and ideas, and spends his time reading books, drinking heavily and contemplating his suicide. To briefly explain the plot – the book mainly consists of notes left behind by Harry Haller, a self-proclaimed Steppenwolf. There was something so soothing and honest in the reading of it, that I wish it had continued. Upon finishing this novel, which I did with regret, I immediately placed it on my favourites’ shelf. This was so surprising and refreshing, but most of all thought-provoking, that I constantly returned to parts of the book again and re-read them, finding new ideas. Not only my personality, but those of others close to me, and I thought that this book might be an interesting insight into the life of a solitary and very unhappy man.ĭespite my expectations the novel was not limited to just the mundane depiction of this sad character, but rather explored the remedies for someone in his situation. The summary of Steppenwolf which I read immediately appealed to me, because I could see elements of my own personality in the description which was provided for Harry Haller, the main protagonist. In my review for ‘ The Glass Bead Game‘ I said I would not quite give up on Hesse just yet, and I am so glad that I did not.

Steppenwolf hermann