Steppenwolf, by Hermann Hesse

Steppenwolf is a poetical self-portrait of a man who felt himself to be half-human and half-wolf.

This Faust-like and magical story is evidence of Hesse's searching philosophy and extraordinary sense of humanity as he tells of the humanization of a middle-aged misanthrope.

Yet his novel can also be seen as a plea for rigorous self-examination and an indictment of the intellectual hypocrisy of the period.

As Hesse himself remarked, "Of all my books Steppenwolf is the one that was more oft...