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My Penguin Steppenwolf
Penguin Classic : My Penguin
Paperback : 02 Aug 2007
£5.00
Synopsis
We've published seven more Classics with naked front covers and this time there's a twist... The seven titles have been chosen by seven bands (including Razorlight, Beck and Ryan Adams) and they've all done their own covers for them.
Why not design your own cover for My Penguin? Visit www.penguin.co.uk/mypenguin to find out more!
Goldspot have done a cover for Steppenwolf
See Goldspot's cover
Read an interview with Goldspot
Harry Haller is the Steppenwolf: wild, strange, shy and alienated from society. His despair and desire for death draw him into a dark, enchanted underworld. Through a series of shadowy encounters – romantic, freakish and savage by turn – the misanthropic Haller gradually begins to rediscover the lost dreams of his youth. This blistering portrayal of a man who feels himself to be half-human and half-wolf was the bible of the 1960s counterculture, capturing the mood of a disaffected generation, and remains a haunting story of estrangement and redemption.
Goldspot's cover
Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse
Cover Design: Goldspot
Goldspot on Hermann Hesse defining a hero and how you can judge a person by how good-looking they are...
Why did you choose this book?
Because Steppenwolf is such a great band. I mean, "Born to be wild" is such a great song. In all seriousness, I like how Herman Hesse defines a hero. Several of Hesse's novels depict the protagonist's journey into the inner self, and these "heroes" often spend their existence trying to save themselves. I think that's cool.
Talk us through your cover...
Working on it.
Why did you want to be a part of My Penguin?
Because I haven't had a reading assignment since school, and it was nice to add some structure back into my life for a couple of weeks.
What are your top 5 favourite books of all time?
Master and Margarita (Bulgakov)
Siddhartha (Hesse)
On the Road (Kerouac)
Hundred Years of Solitude (Marquez)
Which My Penguin would you give to a friend as a present?
I need to see the full list first...
Why was your choice of book the best My Penguin to cover?
I think that on the most basic level, I can relate to Hesse's approach to his writing. Eastern philosophy is in the ink, as I feel old Indian film music is to my songwriting.
Do you think your having taken part in My Penguin will encourage your fans to cover their own favourite book?
Probably not. I don't think that most people would take this time to do this, although they probably should. I know that reading and working on this has taken my eyes off youtube for an entire week.
A book cover is very different from your usual work, how did you find the contrast?
I can't draw worth s**t, so I found this quite challenging. I think the last time I drew something was in third grade, and it was a stick figure of a tall black guy playing basketball.
Can you judge a book by its cover?
Absolutely. Just like you can judge a person by how good-looking they are.
Which book will you never have on your bookshelf?
Anything by Deepak Chopra.
What are you reading at the moment?
The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins
Which other writers do you most admire?
Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Which Classic have you always meant to read but never got round to it?
Lolita (Nabakov)
Which fictional character would you most like to meet?
Jay Gatsby
Which literary character do you most identify with?
I really can't say. I probably should read more than I do.
