# Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse

4 Hacker News commenters recommended Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 5 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** People recommend it for its wit and its honest, lasting insight into difficult relationships, and they often return to it after reading it as teenagers.

## Why people recommend it

- Funnier than remembered on rereading (1 comments): "I remember reading Steppenwolf for the first time since teens and only then I realized how funny it was all around." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46486627))
- Insight into relationships still resonates (1 comments): "his thoughts on the difficulties of interpersonal relationships resonate even now" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46367592))
- Memorable passages and writing (1 comments): "There's a wonderful passage from the Hesse's Steppenwolf" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49497780))
- Admired alongside The Glass Bead Game (1 comments): "I also loved The Glass Bead Game, and Steppenwolf" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49902794))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/crime-and-punishment.md): 39 recommend
- [The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/brothers-karamazov.md): 28 recommend
- [Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace](https://hackerapproved.com/p/infinite-jest.md): 26 recommend
- [The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://hackerapproved.com/p/great-gatsby.md): 24 recommend
- [Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand](https://hackerapproved.com/p/atlas-shrugged.md): 23 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0141033452?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780141033457) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse", https://hackerapproved.com/p/steppenwolf/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).