BOOK 140: STEPPENWOLF: HERMANN HESSE
Steppenwolf (orig. German Der
Steppenwolf) is the tenth novel
by German-Swiss author Hermann Hesse.
Originally published in Germany in 1927, it was first translated into English
in 1929. Combining autobiographical
and psychoanalytic
elements, the novel was named after the lonesome wolf of the steppes. The story in
large part reflects a profound crisis in Hesse's spiritual world during the
1920s while memorably portraying the protagonist's split between his humanity
and his wolf-like aggression and homelessness. Hesse would later assert that
the book was largely misunderstood.
From the very beginning, reception
was harsh. American novelist Jack Kerouac dismissed it
in Big Sur
(1962) and it has had a long history of mixed critical reception and opinion at
large, Already upset with Hesse's novel Siddhartha,
political activists and patriots railed against him, and against the book,
seeing an opportunity to discredit Hesse. Even close friends and longtime
readers criticized the novel for its perceived lack of morality in its open
depiction of sex and drug use, a criticism that indeed remained the primary
rebuff of the novel for many years. However as society changed and formerly
taboo topics such as sex and drugs became more openly discussed, critics came
to attack the book for other reasons; mainly that it was too pessimistic, and
that it was a journey in the footsteps of a psychotic and showed humanity
through his warped and unstable viewpoint, a fact that Hesse did not dispute,
although he did respond to critics by noting the novel ends on a theme of new
hope.
Popular interest in the novel was
renewed in the 1960s – specifically in the psychedelic movement – primarily
because it was seen as a counterculture book, and because of its depiction of
free love and explicit drug usage. It was also introduced in many new colleges
for study, and interest in the book and in Hermann Hesse was feted in America
for more than a decade afterwards.
Hesse's 1928 short story "Harry,
the Steppenwolf" forms a companion piece to the novel. It is about a wolf
named Harry who is kept in a zoo, and who entertains crowds by destroying
images of German cultural icons like Goethe and Mozart.
The name Steppenwolf has become
notable in popular culture for various organizations and establishments. In
1967, the band Steppenwolf,
headed by German-born singer John Kay,
took their name from the novel. The Belgian band DAAU (Die Anarchistische
Abendunterhaltung) is named after one of the advertising slogans of the novel's
magical theatre. The innovative Magic Theatre Company,
founded in 1967 in Berkeley and which later became resident in San Francisco,
takes its name from the "Magic Theatre" of the novel, and the Steppenwolf
Theatre Company in Chicago,
founded in 1974 by actors Terry Kinney,
Jeff Perry,
and Gary Sinise,
took its name from the novel. The lengthy track "Steppenwolf" appears
on English rock band Hawkwind's
album Astounding
Sounds, Amazing Music and is directly inspired by the novel,
including references to the magic theatre and the dual nature of the
wolfman-manwolf (lutocost). Robert Calvert had
initially written and performed the lyrics on 'Distances Between Us' by Adrian
Wagner in 1974. The song also appears on later, live Hawkwind CD's and DVDs.
Danish acid rock band Steppeulvene
(1967-68) also took their name from this novel.
"Be Here Now"(1971),
by author and spiritual teacher Richard Alpert (Ram Dass) contains an
illustration of a door bearing a sign that reads "Magic Theatre - For
Madmen Only - Price of Admission - Your Mind." This references an
invitation that Steppenwolf's Harry Haller receives to attend an
"Anarchist Evening at the Magic Theatre, For Madmen Only, Price of
Admission Your Mind."
The Black Ice, by Michael Connelly, has J.
Michael Haller making a reference to the author when he
mentioned that, if his illegitimate son took his surname, he'd be "Harry
Haller" instead of Harry Bosch.
Paula Cole references the
concept of the steppenwolf in her song 'Pearl' on her 1999 album Amen.
Steppenwolf was also referenced in
the film Mall (2014).
Lobo da Estepe by the brazilian
band Os Cascavelletes was also inspired by the book.
(Information taken from Wikipedia)
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