Steppenwolf

By: Hermann Hesse

Narrated by: Peter Weller

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

*Yawn* Beware the monotone narrator

The story "Steppenwolf" is interesting to me but I could not get deep into the story because of the narrator's extremely monotone and utterly boring voice. Not one I'll be recommending. If you can handle monotone, give it a try. But if you prefer the narrator's to give in to a little drama and help bring the story to life, I suggest you try something else.

Steppenwolf

A good presentation of a classic. I enjoyed it.

Extremely thoughtful discovery

A very honest and thoughtful discovery of how we torture ourselves, can discover things we’ve overlooked and rediscover joy and passion. But done through the lens of an overly intellectual cynic - or in other words, most of us.

Excellent

Deeply original and thought provoking, with spot on narration. Can see the influence on surrealist novels of the 20th century to come. Highly recommended.

timeless and contemporary

What made the experience of listening to Steppenwolf the most enjoyable?

I enjoyed the setting of the novel and it's raw psychoanalytic theme. As a person who lived through the 1960's and 1970's, I've always been curious about the impact this 1920's novel had on that era. Now I understand what that was all about.

What other book might you compare Steppenwolf to and why?

Steppenwolf is unique but I'd compare it to some of Kafka's works and Mary Shelly's Frankenstein.

Have you listened to any of Peter Weller’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. But I enjoyed it very much.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No way.