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Steppenwolf

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Steppenwolf

By: Hermann Hesse
Narrated by: Peter Weller
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About this listen

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 Classics Thought-Provoking Scary

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All stars
Most relevant  
An ephemeral rollercoaster journey through the human condition read expertly by Robocop's Peter Weller.

Introspective, thought provoking, and at certain points uncomfortable - but an experience worth undertaking. As the story itself concedes: not for everyone!

A masterpiece both of author and reader

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One of my new favourite books! Waited till I was 57 and practicing zen bhuddism! I think that helped in finding this book so magical, transformative and overal amazing. Great performance too. Pablo awaits, time for a laugh.

wow, I was ready for that

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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.

Fascinating and great

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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.

Steppenwolf

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I’ll have whatever HH is smoking please...

I was pleased with the narration, a good fit.

Hesse’s preface was useful as there were many occasions during my listen that I felt lost or disinterested. I suspect some of the content is a mystery to me, lacking the pre-requisite experiences and logos. I could also certainly see how many would identify with the early descriptions of the Steppenwolf.

Mysterious

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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!

Superb

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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.

Loved every moment of it.

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I loved the voice of the reader, deep sonorous and intoxicating.

The storyline is very engaging too as HH explores his authentic self and defines himself in opposition to the herd. The struggle for meaning, the ladder of selves as well as the polarization of the Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde syndrome is well played out. I’m definitely going to be listening to this a few times over. Like all good books it changed my welt anschaung in the here and now each moment the chapters unfolded before me

Brilliant listening!!!

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The story started with an aroma of mystery but in the middle I got bored then the book came to an abrupt ending.Overall it was ok not brilliant as Siddhartha.

It started great

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How this book was written in 1927, almost a century ago, I do not know. Prophetic and sublime. The romantic style can become overwhelming, but it is worth it.

Hesse a visionary

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