The Steppenwolf
The Steppenwolf
By Hermann Hesse
Translated from the German by Kurt Beals
"A sharp, erudite new translation of Hesse’s moody classic."―Susan Bernofsky, Columbia University, and translator of The Metamorphosis
This revolutionary translation is the only way to experience the novel as Hesse envisioned it nearly one hundred years ago.
The quest for self-discovery never ends, especially for Harry Haller—better known as the Steppenwolf. After a life spent in self-imposed isolation, Harry meets the mysterious Hermine and becomes captivated by her intoxicating power. Through their nighttime adventures, the Steppenwolf experiences the decadent underbelly of the bourgeois society he always despised. Harry becomes a man divided—lost in a surreal underground world of pleasure and set on a collision course with his innermost desires.
There has never been a translation that fully captures the essence of Hermann Hesse’s own spiritual questioning until now. Kurt Beals restores the original meaning of this hallucinatory German tale in a recognizably modern voice. Beals’s expert introduction traces the impact of The Steppenwolf for readers seeking meaning during the upheaval of world conflicts, the onslaught of new technologies, and life’s uncertainties.
Hardcover
256 pages
Originally published in 1927
W.W. Norton & Company, 2023
5.8 x 1 x 8.6 inches
ISBN 9781324036814
German Literature