Henry Avila's Reviews > Steppenwolf

This book can be great or bad depending on your taste buds, silly or a stupendous trip in enlightenment , about that man of self- pity , Harry Haller maybe too educated for his own good . His hatred of himself would become tiresome to all those unlucky to know him. He dreams as Steppenwolf a creature of the steppes in Russia roaming alone never joining other wolves but living always as though the last animal with four legs on earth. As a human the feelings are the same , seeing but not living , preferring to die but a coward to do anything about this. Harry is 50 , a German between the wars when everyone enjoys the exciting 1920 's, Herr Haller only despises the world around... planning suicide , a rather pompous, conceited individual who enters taverns, cinemas, concerts watching people hating them, however envious. Meeting women who strangely like the not attractive, depressive Harry , especially Hermine a pretty , young girl of rather dubious, (but very perceptive, a talented woman) with flaws in ...
shall we say her background in a bar ( tavern).She even teaches the shy man to dance and introduces her amusing friend , affable Maria. Pablo a seemingly shallow yet charming man that plays the saxophone will surprise later on. Dinners in restaurants, drinking , drugs and parties he begins to act like others from the now remote but interesting age of the boisterous flapper, the crazy music of Jazz and anything goes, old traditions gone lost forever in the new
era, thinking of life not death yet still unsure of the future, will this last. A very influential novel which became quite popular in the counter culture of the 1960's. Nevertheless in the Magic Theater a place where nightmares and dreams are shown to the uneasy Harry by Pablo his mysterious friend where appears Mozart the laughing musician that tells Mr. Haller not to be such a wet blanket , is the best part of the entire fantasy...A odd novel for any .... some will discover what?