I was a teen during the late 1960s, and like many of my generation my first awareness of the name Steppenwolf came by way of the Canadian-American rock band that burst upon the scene in 1968. After awhile, we learned that the band had taken their name from a novel written by "some German guy". Some of us would eventually get around to reading the novel.
As best as I can recall, I was 19 or 20 when I first read Hermann Hesse's Steppenwolf and then only after I had been introduced to his earlier novel, Siddhartha. Being 19 or 20, I couldn't really understand the story of a fifty year old man going thru a spiritual crisis. Of course, I recognized Hesse's talent, but frankly, the novel was not written with 20 year olds in mind.
I would go on to reread Steppenwolf in 2014. Although I had made note of having reread the book at that time, I failed to write a review. I've just finished reading the novel for the third time and I won't let a review slip by this time.
This time around, I read a relatively recent translation of the book by Kurt Beals. Beals notes that he preferred to follow the original German title Der Steppenwolf. Beals goes with The Steppenwolf. I agree with Beals.
Now I'm 72 and I can better appreciate Harry Haller's struggle. The character was 50 at the time of the story and I suppose 70 is the new 50. A fifty year old man in 1927 was much older than a fifty year old man today. Of course, my life doesn't exactly parallel the life of the main character in the novel, but there are similarities. I can relate to having difficulties sleeping at night as my mind replays my earlier life choices. While The Steppenwolf may not be for mad men only, it is not for the young either.
Hesse once said that Der Steppenwolf was widely misunderstood. I'd like to think that I am at a point where I can better understand and appreciate this brilliant novel.
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