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PRODID:-//Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam//NONSGML v1.0//EN
NAME:Book Club: Steppenwolf #3
METHOD:PUBLISH
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART:20261006T181500
DTEND:20261006T194500
DTSTAMP:20261006T181500
UID:book-club-steppenwolf-3@8F96275E-9F55-4B3F-A143-836282E12573
CREATED:20260824T194430
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SUMMARY:Book Club: Steppenwolf #3
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html: According to&nb
sp;Hermann Hesse himself, Steppenwolf is the most
misunderstood of all his books. In writing the b
ook, the Nobel Prize winning author not only composed
one of the greatest pieces of modernist writing; he also shares an&nb
sp;account of a personal, existential crisis. Almost 100&nb
sp;years old, and influential still, it’s a ‘classic’
by all means.
The Library Book Club is everybody’s book
club. Fancy a refreshing read, a change of scenery and a nourishing
encounter? Come and read Steppenwolf with us!
;
About the book and its author
German-Swiss author Hermann Hesse (1877 – 1962) was
well-read during his lifetime in German speaking countries; but
his interest in Asian religions, spirituality and psychoanalysis made
that he resonated particularly well with a new young generation
;in the 1960s in the Global North. Many of his books centre an i
ndividual’s search for authenticity, self-knowledge and s
pirituality.
Steppenwolf (1927)
is no exception, although compared to his other work, it might b
e especially personal — if not autobiographical. Written
in the period of a three-year marriage with Ruth Wenger&nbs
p;in which he found himself driven into isolation and livin
g an increasingly recluse life, Steppenwolf is&nbs
p;a compelling account of modernity, alienation and a possibility of
transcendence and healing.
Practicalities
Schedule&n
bsp;
5:30 p.m. walk-in: you’re welcome
to come in early, to bridge time or to bring and have dinner. <
/p>
6:15 p.m. opening: we kick off with a rou
nd of introductions, and a brief introduction of the book.
<
p>6:25 p.m. group discussion: we share our expe
rience and findings reading the book so far. 7:25
p.m. summarising: we look ahead to the next session an
d summarise today’s session.
7:45 p.m.
end or socialising: we end the session, although you’re welco
me to stick around until the building closes.
Ab
out the Library Book Club
The Library Book Club
is for anyone roaming VU’s campus. We read a few books each y
ear, and try to throw something new into the mix each time; pass
ing fiction and non-fiction, poetry and prose, short stories&nbs
p;and longer ones along the way. Our librarians select three candidat
es for a season and you get to vote. If you’d l
ike to engage with this group more often, the easiest way to get invo
lved is through the group chat (WhatsApp). Information on future
sessions can be found on our VU webpage.
DESCRIPTION: According to Hermann Hesse himself, S
teppenwolf is the most misunderstood of all his books.
In writing the book, the Nobel Prize winning aut
hor not only composed one of the greatest pieces of moderni
st writing; he also shares an account of a personal, existe
ntial crisis. Almost 100 years old, and influential still,&
nbsp;it’s a ‘classic’ by all means. The Library Book Club
is everybody’s book club. Fancy a refreshing read, a change of scen
ery and a nourishing encounter? Come and read Steppenwolf with us! About the book and its author
German-Swiss author Hermann Hesse (1877 – 1
962) was well-read during his lifetime in German speaking countr
ies; but his interest in Asian religions, spirituality and psych
oanalysis made that he resonated particularly well with a new young g
eneration in the 1960s in the Global North. Many of his boo
ks centre an individual’s search for authenticity, self-knowle
dge and spirituality. Steppenwolf (1927
) is no exception, although compared to his other work, it
might be especially personal — if not autobiographical. Writte
n in the period of a three-year marriage with Ruth Wen
ger in which he found himself driven into isolation an
d living an increasingly recluse life, Steppenwolf
;is a compelling account of modernity, alienation and a possibil
ity of transcendence and healing. Practicalities
- We’ve picked the P
enguin Modern Classics edition of 2012 as a r
eference point (ISBN 9780141192093), so page numbers refer
to that edition.
- Each session, we’ll&n
bsp;be discussing about a third of the book.
During the first session, that�
�s pages 1 till 70; during the secon
d, pages 71 till 159 (before the asterisk, after “…
mentioned in the Steppenwolf tract.”); and during the third f
rom page 159 till 240 (so we include the author’s postscript).
Make sure to read these pages beforehand.
- This book club season consists of three bi
weekly sessions on Tuesdays 8 and 22 September and
6 October; you’re not obliged to participat
e all sessions.
- The location is the Library Lounge, at the entry of the University Library in t
he Main Building (HG-01A01).
- There’s n
o need to sign up. If you’d like to receive
updates and to vote for books in the future, you can join
the g
roup chat (WhatsApp).
Schedule
5:30 p.m. walk-in: you’re welcome
to come in early, to bridge time or to bring and have dinner. <
strong>6:15 p.m. opening: we kick off with a round of i
ntroductions, and a brief introduction of the book. 6:25
p.m. group discussion: we share our experience and fin
dings reading the book so far. 7:25 p.m. s
ummarising: we look ahead to the next session and summarise today’s
session. 7:45 p.m. end or socialising: we
end the session, although you’re welcome to stick around until the
building closes. About the Library Book Club
The Library Book Club is for anyone roaming VU’s campu
s. We read a few books each year, and try to throw somethin
g new into the mix each time; passing fiction and non-fiction, poetry
and prose, short stories and longer ones along the way. Ou
r librarians select three candidates for a season and you g
et to vote. If you’d like to engage with this group more
often, the easiest way to get involved is through the group chat (WhatsApp
). Information on future sessions can be found on our VU web
page.
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