A book that is 'For Madmen Only'!

'Steppenwolf' by Hermann Hesse is the semi-fictional, semi-autobiographical tale of Harry Haller, a man whose nature is part man and part wolf. Hesse wrote this (his 10th novel) in 1927 during a prolonged existential crisis caused by the Great War, marriage problems and a severe depression. It explores themes of suicidal depression, the plurality of inner voices/desires and intense loneliness.

I summarised the book as follows. "It's rather gloomy and sad with parts of ecstatic exuberance. It does explore some deep (rather unpleasant) aspects of the human condition and for certain types of people I think will really connect. However, I really didn't like the character of Haller, in fact I detested him. He displayed such bad personal qualities that I found it hard to empathise with him and the ending in the magical theatre was just a bit too weird for me.

I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Kyrin out!

If you would like to support the channel, you can grab yourself a copy of the book here!

https://amzn.to/3DNXHZ1

Timeline:

(0:00) - Intro & Synopsis

(4:02) - Plurality of inner voices

(8:26) - The importance of direction

(10:00) - Personal Observations

(14:54) - Summary

(16:09) - Pragmatic Takeaway: Read more Hermann Hesse!

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