Character guide

Harry Haller

major

Also known as Haller, Harry, dear Harry, The old Harry, the old Harry, the little new young Harry, old Harry, Brother Harry, Herr Haller, The late Herr Haller, this Herr Haller, Mr. Harry, Mr. Haller, Herr Harry

A self-styled Steppenwolf who rents attic rooms in respectable bourgeois houses he claims to despise, dividing his nights between books, wine, and the ache of belonging nowhere.

Hermine

major

Also known as the beautiful Hermine

A mysterious woman who becomes Harry's guide to pleasure and self-discovery in the Magic Theater.

Pablo

supporting

Also known as the charming young Herr Pablo, Herr Pablo, the beautiful Pablo

A saxophonist whose easy charm and unembarrassed sensuality unsettle Harry's contempt for jazz, offering pleasures that require no intellectual justification.

Maria

supporting

Also known as Molly, the lovely Maria, lovely Maria, this Maria

A warm, uncomplicated woman who takes Harry as a lover and teaches him that the body's pleasures need no philosophy to be worth having.

Mozart

supporting

The composer, appearing with unsettling cheerfulness, treats Harry's despair as a joke and insists that eternity is a moment one must learn to laugh in.

Goethe

minor

Also known as old Goethe, Herr von Goethe

The poet appears in a dream-like encounter, debating immortality with Harry Haller.

Rosa Kreisler

minor

Also known as Rosa

A woman from Harry's past, briefly recalled in his memories and reflections.

Gustav

minor

An old school friend of Harry's, encountered during a nostalgic walk.

Erica

minor

A former lover of Harry, mentioned in his recollections of past relationships.

Herman

minor

Also known as this Herman

A minor acquaintance from Harry's past, briefly referenced.

Dora

minor

A woman from Harry's youth, mentioned in his autobiographical reflections.

Agostino

minor

A character in the Magic Theater, part of a surreal vignette.

Irmgard

minor

A woman briefly mentioned in Harry's memories of his past.