Perhaps Hermann Hesse’s best-known novel,
Der Steppenwolf(1927) has for years been a favourite among readers protesting the status quo, the establishment, and middle-class values. A mix of fiction, fantasy, and essay, this work at times seems to defy classification, and even though it is imbued with the spirit of the Weimar Republic and its many critics of Western civilization, it has managed to cross the borders of both time and space, becoming popular in America in the 1960s and doing a great deal to establish Hesse’s reputation outside of German-speaking Europe.
Like Hesse’s two other great novels from the 1920s, Demian and Siddhartha, Steppenwolf was closely connected to its author’s own life and struggles. Hesse’s second marriage of 1924 was short-lived, and he was often
1194 words
Citation: Skidmore, James M.. "Der Steppenwolf". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 February 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=11491, accessed 23 November 2024.]
