Steppenwolf

First published in German in 1927, and first translated into English in 1929, Hermann Hesse's "e;Steppenwolf"e; is the author's semi-autobiographical novel concerning the themes of isolation and despair in the face of an inability to make lasting connections with others. Framed as a manuscript written by a middle-aged man named Harry Haller, the novel recounts Harry's aimless wanderings amongst the city's bourgeois society. Mirroring Hesse's own spiritual crisis of the time, Harry finds himself ill-suited for the world of his time and contemplating suicide. At the heart of the protagonist's dilemma is the struggle between his high-minded spiritual nature and his animalistic desires, like those of a "e;wolf of the steppes"e;. Harry befriends a young woman named Hermine, who, seeing his desperation, tries to help Harry find meaning in life. Hermine teaches him to dance, finds him a lover, Maria, and introduces him to casual drug use, and a mysterious saxophonist, Pablo, all in an attempt to make Harry see the worthy aspects of life. In retrospect, Hesse felt that "e;Steppenwolf"e; was one of his most misunderstood works, not merely an exposition on one man's spiritual malaise, but also one for the possibility of transcendence.