Steppenwolf (novel)
1927 novel by Hermann Hesse
Steppenwolf (originally 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. The novel was titled from the German word for the steppe wolf. The story in large part reflects a profound crisis in Hesse's spiritual world during the 1920s.
Steppenwolf was wildly popular and has remained a perpetual success, but Hesse later said the book was largely misunderstood.
Background and publication history
In 1924, Hermann Hesse married singer Ruth Wenger. After several weeks, he left Basel, only returning near the end of the year. Upon his return, he rented a separate apartment, adding to his isolation. After a short trip to Germany with Wenger, Hesse almost completely stopped seeing her. The resulting isolation and inability to make lasting contact with the outside world led to increasing despair and the return of Hesse's suicidal thoughts.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Steppenwolf (novel)” is 1927 novel by Hermann Hesse. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Steppenwolf, novel and Hermann, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “1927 novel by Hermann Hesse” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q217073. VIAF identifies the subject as 210995942. The Library of Congress control number is no2015117467. 4 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1927, 1929 and 1924.
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This entry incorporates text from “Steppenwolf (novel)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.