Picture of author.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832)

Author of The Sorrows of Young Werther

3,038+ Works 51,378 Members 554 Reviews 129 Favorited

About the Author

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749-1832 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was born in Frankfurt am Main. He was greatly influenced by his mother, who encouraged his literary aspirations. After troubles at school, he was taught at home and gained an exceptionally wide education. At the age of 16, Goethe show more began to study law at Leipzig University from 1765 to 1768, and he also studied drawing with Adam Oeser. After a period of illness, he resumed his studies in Strasbourg from 1770 to 1771. Goethe practiced law in Frankfurt for two years and in Wetzlar for a year. He contributed to the Frankfurter Gelehrte Anzeigen from 1772 to 1773, and in 1774 he published his first novel, self-revelatory Die Leiden des Jungen Werthers. In 1775 he was welcomed by Duke Karl August into the small court of Weimar, where he worked in several governmental offices. He was a council member and member of the war commission, director of roads and services, and managed the financial affairs of the court. Goethe was released from day-to-day governmental duties to concentrate on writing, although he was still general supervisor for arts and sciences, and director of the court theatres. In the 1790s Goethe contributed to Friedrich von Schiller´s journal Die Horen, published Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship, and continued his writings on the ideals of arts and literature in his own journal, Propyläen. The first part of his masterwork, Faust, appeared in 1808, and the second part in 1832. Goethe had worked for most of his life on this drama, and was based on Christopher Marlowe's Faust. From 1791 to 1817, Goethe was the director of the court theatres. He advised Duke Carl August on mining and Jena University, which for a short time attracted the most prominent figures in German philosophy. He edited Kunst and Altertum and Zur Naturwissenschaft. Goethe died in Weimar on March 22, 1832. He and Duke Schiller are buried together, in a mausoleum in the ducal cemetery. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Disambiguation Notice:

Please be careful when combining Goethe's autobiographical works - the various editions of "From My Life: Poetry and Truth" (Aus Meinem Leben: Dichtung und Wahrheit) contain differing portions of the complete work. Vol. 5 in the Princeton Edition containing Part 4 is a DIFFERENT work from vol. 4 containing Parts 1-3, the latter being similar to most other editions which are allegedly complete but contain only those first three Parts.

Series

Works by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The Sorrows of Young Werther (1774) — Author — 9,225 copies, 151 reviews
Faust I & II (1808) — Author — 6,105 copies, 44 reviews
Faust, Part One (1808) — Author — 5,807 copies, 44 reviews
Elective Affinities (1809) 2,300 copies, 28 reviews
Faust, Part Two (1832) — Author — 1,901 copies, 13 reviews
Faust (1790) — Author — 1,706 copies, 34 reviews
Italian Journey: 1786-1788 (1816) 1,259 copies, 13 reviews
Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship (1795) 1,055 copies, 16 reviews
Faust: A Tragedy (Norton Critical Edition) (1976) 1,045 copies, 6 reviews
Iphigenia in Tauris (1963) — Author — 688 copies, 7 reviews
Faust - A Tragedy in Two Parts / Urfaust (1790) — Author — 567 copies, 6 reviews
Theory of Colours (1810) 525 copies, 6 reviews
Goetz of Berlichingen of the Iron Hand (1773) — Author — 404 copies, 3 reviews
Maxims and Reflections (1833) 365 copies, 2 reviews
The Autobiography: Truth and Fiction Relating to My Life (-0001) — Author — 344 copies, 4 reviews
Hermann and Dorothea (1797) — Author — 265 copies, 3 reviews
The Story of Reynard the Fox (1973) — Author — 260 copies, 3 reviews
Egmont (1789) — Author — 256 copies, 4 reviews
West-East Divan (1819) 252 copies, 4 reviews
Urfaust (1775) 251 copies, 2 reviews
The Sorrows of Young Werther / Novella (1971) — Author — 238 copies, 4 reviews
The Metamorphosis of Plants [essay] (1790) 222 copies, 2 reviews
The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily (1795) — Author — 211 copies, 6 reviews
Complete works (1984) 211 copies, 1 review
Torquato Tasso (1985) — Author — 195 copies, 3 reviews
Roman Elegies [poem] (1795) 140 copies, 3 reviews
Wilhelm Meister's Travels (1821) — Author — 139 copies, 1 review
Romantic Fairy Tales (2000) — Contributor — 139 copies
The Essential Goethe (2016) — Author — 139 copies
The Sorrows of Young Werther / Elective Affinities / Novella (1994) — Author — 130 copies, 3 reviews
Letters from Italy (1996) 116 copies, 3 reviews
Novella + Fairy Tale (1980) — Author — 97 copies
Great Writings of Goethe (1958) 94 copies, 1 review
Faust / The Sorrows of Young Werther (1978) 93 copies, 1 review
The Man of Fifty (1821) 83 copies, 1 review
Gedichte (1988) 77 copies
Wilhelm Meister's Theatrical Calling (1977) — Author — 74 copies
Gedichte (1998) 67 copies, 1 review
The German Refugees (1991) — Author — 63 copies, 1 review
The Poems of Goethe (1974) 63 copies
Novella (1828) — Author — 62 copies
Tales for Transformation (1987) — Author — 56 copies
Gedichte (1974) 50 copies
Faust, Part One / Urfaust (2005) 49 copies
Clavigo (1774) — Author — 47 copies, 1 review
Werke (1986) 44 copies, 1 review
Romanzi (1980) 40 copies
Stella (1816) — Author — 39 copies, 1 review
Selected Poems (1998) — Author — 38 copies
Dichtung und Wahrheit. 1. und 2. Teil (1991) — Author — 34 copies
Die Leiden des jungen Werthers (1774) — Author — 33 copies
Werke (1974) 32 copies
The Permanent Goethe (1948) 30 copies
Goethe's Poems (1971) 30 copies
Faust: Text und Kommentar: 2 Bände. (1999) 30 copies, 1 review
The New Melusina (1991) — Author — 27 copies
Goethe on Art (1980) 26 copies
Goethe (2000) 26 copies
Goethe : Romans (1954) 25 copies, 1 review
Goethe (1987) 25 copies
Das Tagebuch (1976) 24 copies
Dichtung und Wahrheit. Eine Auswahl (1993) 24 copies, 1 review
Sämtliche Gedichte (2007) — Composer — 24 copies
De mooiste van Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1997) 24 copies, 2 reviews
Die natürliche Tochter (1990) — Author — 24 copies, 2 reviews
Classics Illustrated: Faust (1808) 23 copies
J. W. Goethe (Obras selectas series) (1963) — Author — 22 copies, 3 reviews
Dichtung und Wahrheit. 3. und 4. Teil (1991) — Author — 22 copies
Goethe : sein Leben in Bildern und Texten (1982) — Author — 21 copies
Werke. Bd. 2. Dramen - Novellen (1986) — Author — 21 copies
Novellen (1979) 20 copies
Erlkönig [poem] (1999) 20 copies
»Ich bin so guter Dinge«: Goethe für Kinder (1998) — Author — 19 copies
Suhrkamp BasisBibliothek : Goethe : Faust I (2009) — Text — 19 copies
Campagne in Frankrijk 1792 (1972) — Author — 19 copies, 1 review
Märchen (1992) 19 copies
Goethes Liebesgedichte (1977) 17 copies
Dramen (1980) 16 copies
Ballate (1999) 16 copies
Wisdom and experience (2000) 15 copies
Sämtliche Gedichte (1988) 15 copies
Xenien (1985) 15 copies
Gedichte : eine Auswahl (1988) 15 copies, 1 review
Runoja (1980) 15 copies
Leben und Welt in Briefen (1978) 15 copies, 1 review
Inni (1981) — Author — 15 copies
Das Hexeneinmaleins (1998) 15 copies
Das römische Carneval (1789) — Author — 15 copies, 1 review
Novels and tales (2008) 15 copies
Der junge Goethe (1973) 14 copies
Aforisme (1984) 14 copies
Gedichte 1756 - 1799 (1987) 14 copies
Werther. Suivi de Hermann et Dorothée. (1901) — Author — 14 copies
Goethe : Théâtre complet (1988) 14 copies, 1 review
Annals (1992) — Author — 13 copies
Suhrkamp BasisBibliothek : Goethe : Götz von Berlichingen (2001) — Commentary; Text — 13 copies, 1 review
Die Geschwister (2009) 13 copies, 1 review
Die Mitschuldigen (1769) — Author — 13 copies
Die schönsten Gedichte (1988) 13 copies
Écrits sur l'art (1997) 13 copies
Gedichte (2001) 12 copies
El juego de las nubes (2003) — Author — 12 copies
Trost bei Goethe (1994) 12 copies, 1 review
Die Geschwister / Die Laune des Verliebten (1986) — Author — 12 copies
Obras completas (1991) 12 copies, 1 review
Escritos sobre arte (1999) 12 copies
Opere (1989) — Author — 11 copies
Mietelmiä (1999) 11 copies
Obras completas. Tomo I (1901) 11 copies
Goethes schönste Gedichte (1982) 11 copies
Versek (1982) 11 copies
Poems (2014) 11 copies
Sagan (1795) 10 copies
Poesie 10 copies
Gedichte (Works Volume 10) (1999) 10 copies
Elégie de Marienbad et autres poèmes (1993) 10 copies, 1 review
Handzeichnungen von Goethe 9 copies, 1 review
Obras completas 9 copies, 1 review
Hundert Gedichte (2007) 9 copies
Lektüre für Augenblicke (1982) 9 copies
Der Groß-Cophta (1989) 9 copies
Fausto - Vol.1 (2013) 8 copies, 1 review
Letters from Goethe (2010) 8 copies
Pandora (1997) — Author — 8 copies
Roman Elegies / The Diary (1988) 8 copies, 1 review
Obras Completas Tomo II (1991) 8 copies
Parable [poem] (2004) 8 copies
Goethe y la ciencia (2002) 8 copies, 1 review
Venezianische Epigramme (1989) 8 copies
Mit Goethe durch das Jahr (1981) 8 copies
OBRAS COMPLETAS TOMO III (1973) 8 copies
Tutte le poesie vol. 1 (1997) 8 copies
Obras completas (2004) 7 copies
Vier Jahreszeiten. Gedichte. (1996) 7 copies, 1 review
Goethes Werke in zwei Bänden - Zweiter Band (1953) — Author — 7 copies
Briefe aus der Schweiz (1989) 7 copies
Goethe : Conversations and Encounters (1966) 7 copies, 1 review
Hedda Gabler — Author — 7 copies
Wilhelm Meister Vol.II (1944) 7 copies
Poesie d'amore (1997) 7 copies
Goethe im Gespräch (1997) 7 copies
Frühe Dramen (1988) 6 copies
Who Is Goethe? (1983) 6 copies
Goethe - Lesebuch. (1986) 6 copies
Goethe's Plays (1980) 6 copies
Gedichte : ein Lesebuch (1979) 6 copies
Luuletusi 6 copies
Valitut teokset. 2 (1774) 6 copies
Jugenddramen (1957) 6 copies
Selected poems 6 copies
Faust I 6 copies
Sämmtliche Werke (1925) 5 copies
Goethes schönste Briefe (1936) 5 copies
Goethes Werke (1.Band) (1914) 5 copies
Escritos sobre literatura (2000) 5 copies
Mein Goethe (1998) 5 copies, 1 review
Gedichte (Bd. 1). (1994) 5 copies
Tutte le poesie vol. 3 (1997) 5 copies
Belagerung von Mainz (2009) — Author — 5 copies
Ieri i Beteli 5 copies, 1 review
Theaterstücke (1969) 5 copies
Gedichte (1998) 5 copies
Band 2 Faust Zweiter Teil. Iphigenie auf Tauris (1984) — Author — 5 copies
Fiaba. Conversazioni di profughi tedeschi (2006) — Author — 5 copies
Gedichte (1994) 5 copies
Biographische Schriften (1962) 4 copies
Drámák (1982) 4 copies
Sprookjes (1990) 4 copies
Goethes Feste. (1993) 4 copies
Il flauto magico (1989) 4 copies
Racconti (1995) 4 copies
Viaggio a Napoli (2014) 4 copies, 1 review
Dramen (1995) 4 copies
Der klassische Goethe (1951) 4 copies
Gedichte (1994) 4 copies
Wilhelm Meister: v. 1 (1977) 4 copies
Fausto: El manga (2016) 4 copies
Cien poemas (1999) 4 copies
1.1 (1989) 4 copies
Walpurgisnacht (1982) 4 copies
Obras completas (2003) — Author — 4 copies
Goethes Ehe in Briefen. (1994) 4 copies
Tutte le poesie (1994) 4 copies
Pensaments de Goethe (2008) 4 copies
@ (1993) 4 copies
Poemas (1998) 4 copies
Dramen (1999) 4 copies
Escritos politicos (1982) 4 copies
Alemania (1984) — Contributor — 3 copies
Narrativa (2006) — Author — 3 copies
Schriften zur Morphologie (1987) 3 copies
Les Nouvelles (1998) 3 copies
Poesies (1901) 3 copies
Goethe's Approach to Color — Author — 3 copies
Gefunden. (2003) 3 copies
Briefwechsel (1980) 3 copies
Wilhelm Meister: v. 3 (1982) 3 copies
1.2 (1989) 3 copies
Il cenacolo di Leonardo (2004) 3 copies
Torquato Tasso (2013) 3 copies
Poems of Goethe (2016) 3 copies
Ecrits sur l'art (1991) 3 copies
Poemas (2022) 3 copies
The Wayward Lover (2015) 3 copies, 1 review
Obras completas (2004) 3 copies
Epen (1962) 3 copies
Opere (1993) 3 copies
Gedichte (1997) 3 copies
Obras completas 3 copies
Poemas 3 copies, 1 review
Die Reisen (1978) 3 copies
Epigramas Venecianos (2014) 3 copies
Achilleide (1998) — Author — 3 copies
Tutte le poesie (1997) 3 copies
Versek 3 copies
Tasso : Clavigo (2003) 3 copies
Goethes Sämtliche Werke (1957) 3 copies
Der alte Goethe (1949) 3 copies
Goethe's Works 3 copies
Liebesgeschichten. (2003) 3 copies
Goethes Briefe (4 vols.) (1976) 3 copies
Goethe erzählt (1982) 3 copies
Gedichte. 1 (1949) 3 copies
Klassisches Theater (1982) 3 copies
Aforismi sulla natura (1994) 3 copies
Sehnsucht nach Indien (2006) 3 copies
Elegías y epigramas (1978) 3 copies
Dzieła wybrane (1983) 3 copies
Besuche in Heidelberg (1966) 2 copies
Frühes Theater (1982) 2 copies
Über die Liebe (2007) 2 copies
Goethes erotica (2017) 2 copies
Pesme 2 copies
Werke. Bd. 1. Gedichte (1968) 2 copies
Tagebücher 2 copies
Memoirs of Goëthe (2005) 2 copies
The Fellow Culprits (2015) 2 copies, 1 review
Lettere da Napoli (1983) 2 copies
Goethe's Autobiography (2017) 2 copies
Briefe (2017) 2 copies
Gedichte II 2 copies
Pesmi 2 copies
Romane 2 copies
Berliner Ausgabe (1990) 2 copies
Goethe für jeden Tag (1992) 2 copies
L'aprenent de bruixot (2010) 2 copies
Faust I + II - Die Theater Edition [4 DVDs] (2007) — Author — 2 copies
Italya Seyahati (2014) 2 copies
Obras completas (2005) 2 copies
Obras completas (2005) 2 copies
Vampiros, Historias I (2007) 2 copies
Algunas poesías (2009) 2 copies
Digte — Author — 2 copies
Schriften zur Biologie (1984) 2 copies
Goethe, Hderlin, Heine versei (2005) 2 copies, 1 review
Gedichte. 2 (1964) 2 copies
Faust [1988 film] (2005) 2 copies
Goethe voor kinderen (1999) 2 copies
Heath's Modern Language Series : Goethe's Egmont (1904) — Writer — 2 copies
Pasakos 2 copies
Carteggio 2 copies
Suhrkamp BasisBibliothek : Goethe : Egmont (2012) — Text — 2 copies, 1 review
O Rei de Thule 2 copies
FAUST NCE 1E PA (1976) — Author — 2 copies
Gedichte und Balladen (1995) — Author — 2 copies
Faust (1972) — Author — 2 copies
Das Schönste aus seinem Werk — Author — 2 copies
Nausikaa (2014) 2 copies
Valskyldskapane (2019) 2 copies
In allen Wipfeln ... (1984) 2 copies
Le ballate 2 copies
Die Aufgeregten (2008) 2 copies
Teatro 2 copies
Goethe, warum? (1989) 2 copies
2.1 (1994) 2 copies
Der Junge Tag. (1944) 2 copies
Ich bin Goethe (1998) 2 copies
Goethes Werke. Erster Band : Gedichte — Author — 2 copies
Goethe 1 copy
Faust výber (1999) 1 copy
Vérité et Poésie (2014) 1 copy
Faust Gounod (1886) 1 copy
Elegies romanes (2024) 1 copy
Goethes Faust Part 2 (1969) 1 copy
Marienbad Ağıdı (2001) 1 copy
Le Affinità 1 copy
Faust, Volume 2 (2010) 1 copy
Fust 1 copy
La Marguerideta: Escenes del Faust (2022) — Author — 1 copy
Ausgewählte Prosa (2010) 1 copy
Sprüche in Prosa. (1999) 1 copy
Die Wahlverwandt schaften — Author — 1 copy
Prometeu 1 copy
Problems 1 copy
Polarity 1 copy
Opere 1 copy
Erzählungen (1989) 1 copy
Faust - Band 1: Texte (2003) 1 copy
Goethe to go (2018) 1 copy
Bajka 1 copy
Die Märchen 1 copy
IL FAUST 1 1 copy
IL FAUST 2 1 copy
IL FAUST 3 1 copy
Torquato Tasso (2022) 1 copy
Goethenin Mektuplari 1 copy, 1 review
teatro 1 copy
Correspondance de Bettina et de Goethe (1835) — Author — 1 copy
WERTHER (10) 1 copy
Színtan 1 copy
Ferdinand [Erzählung] (1795) 1 copy
Found [poem] 1 copy
Faust I & II (2004) 1 copy
Werke II 1 copy
Complete Poetry (2019) 1 copy, 1 review
Goethe 1 copy
Gedichte I 1 copy
Gedichte III 1 copy
Joyas vampíricas (2024) 1 copy, 1 review
Novellen (1968) 1 copy
Verse Plays 1 copy
Sämtliche Märchen (1988) 1 copy
A napló 1 copy
Gedichte 1 copy
Fausts 1 copy
Faust: Erster und zweiter Teil (2023) — Author — 1 copy
Faust 1 copy
Digte (1999) 1 copy
Faust etc 1 copy
Faʼusṭ (2006) 1 copy
Poeme epice 1 copy
Proza 1 copy
Nouvelles completes (1999) 1 copy
Masal (2020) 1 copy
Lila (2013) 1 copy
Faust 1 copy
Obras completas, vol. 3 1 copy, 1 review
De Natuur 1 copy
Werke... 1 copy
Prometeu 1 copy
Goethe 1 copy
Pensées 1 copy
Pisma 1 copy
Pjesme 1 copy
פרוזה 1 copy
Märchen, 1 Audio-CD (2004) 1 copy
Zeit Leben Werk (1999) 1 copy
Granite (F) 1 copy
Твори 1 copy
Goethe-Brevier (1999) 1 copy
Bd. 1. [1764 - 1786] (1973) 1 copy
Über die Frauen. (1959) 1 copy
Worte der Liebe (2010) 1 copy
Ganymed — Author — 1 copy
Gedichte : Auswahl (1923) 1 copy
Gedichte ; 3 1 copy
En antologi 1 copy
Három mese (1976) 1 copy
Reden 1 copy
Erlinde 1 copy
Mignon 1 copy
All`alta memoria di howard — Author — 1 copy
About Art (1994) 1 copy
Der Triumph der Empfindsamkeit (2011) — Author — 1 copy
The Tales of Dr. Faustus, Sorcerer (2010) — Author — 1 copy
Poesia 1 copy
Novellen und Märchen — Author — 1 copy
Gedichte II, Die (1999) 1 copy
Buch 13 - 16 1 copy
Buch 25 - 28 1 copy
Buch 29 - 32 1 copy
Buch 37 - 38 1 copy
Buch 39 - 40 1 copy
Buch 5 - 8 1 copy
Werke 1 copy
Urfaust. CD (2007) 1 copy
Goethe's Works: Vol. 4 — Author — 1 copy
Goethe. Novellen. (1973) 1 copy
Ur-Goethe 1 copy
Der Ginkgo 1 copy
Obras completas TOMO III-IV 1 copy, 1 review
April 1 copy
Goethe für Anfänger (1998) 1 copy
Lieder (2000) 1 copy
Words of Goethe (1933) 1 copy
Märchen 1 copy
Frühling (2018) 1 copy
Goethe 1 copy
Goethe [Gedichte] — Author — 1 copy
Rozprávka (2020) 1 copy
Gli amori 1 copy
Wilhelm Meister Volume I — Author — 1 copy
Mitt hjarta slo (1999) 1 copy
Morfologia. Vol. I (2013) 1 copy
Fausto (2004) 1 copy
Goethe Part One (1963) 1 copy
Poesías 1 copy
Goethe's Gedichte — Author — 1 copy
Dikt (1997) 1 copy
La Infancia de Goethe contada por él mismo — Author — 1 copy, 1 review
Egmont — Author — 1 copy
Balladen. 1 copy
Morfologia. Vol. II (2013) 1 copy
An den Mond. Faksimile (1991) 1 copy
La nobiltà del teatro — Author — 1 copy
Opere scelte 1 copy
Obras completas, vol. 1 1 copy, 1 review
Poésies 1 copy
Szépprózai művek (1983) 1 copy

Associated Works

The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini (1728) — Translator, some editions — 2,826 copies, 29 reviews
Chicken Chicken (1997) 721 copies, 9 reviews
The Assassin's Cloak: An Anthology of the World's Greatest Diarists (2000) — Contributor, some editions — 623 copies, 9 reviews
Prefaces and Prologues to Famous Books (2004) — Contributor — 618 copies, 2 reviews
Spells of Enchantment: The Wondrous Fairy Tales of Western Culture (1991) — Contributor — 604 copies, 5 reviews
Masterpieces of Terror and the Supernatural (1985) — Contributor — 602 copies, 3 reviews
World Poetry: An Anthology of Verse from Antiquity to Our Time (1998) — Contributor — 499 copies, 2 reviews
Fantasia [1940 film] (1940) — Original story — 467 copies, 6 reviews
The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart: A Poetry Anthology (1992) — Contributor — 440 copies, 4 reviews
Critical Theory Since Plato (1971) — Contributor, some editions — 435 copies, 1 review
Fantasia 2000 [1999 film] (1999) — Original story — 340 copies, 4 reviews
The Sorcerer's Apprentice [2010 film] (2010) — Original story — 322 copies, 2 reviews
Art History and Its Methods: A Critical Anthology (1995) — Contributor — 265 copies, 2 reviews
The Penguin Book of Homosexual Verse (1983) — Contributor — 256 copies, 3 reviews
100 Eternal Masterpieces of Literature, Volume 1 (2017) — Contributor — 175 copies
Vampires, Wine and Roses: Chilling Tales of Immortal Pleasure (1997) — Contributor — 169 copies, 2 reviews
A Documentary History of Art, Volume 2 (1982) — Contributor — 168 copies, 3 reviews
Deutsche Gedichte (1966) — Contributor, some editions — 137 copies
Great German Short Novels and Stories (1933) — Contributor — 121 copies
Byron's Poetry and Prose [Norton Critical Edition] (2009) — Contributor — 110 copies, 1 review
German stories. Deutsche Novellen (1964) — Contributor — 102 copies
Wolf's Complete Book of Terror (1979) — Contributor — 89 copies, 2 reviews
The Classic Theatre Volume II Five German Plays (1959) — Contributor — 87 copies
The Smiles of Rome: A Literary Companion for Readers and Travelers (2005) — Contributor — 68 copies, 2 reviews
The Portable Romantic Reader (1957) — Contributor — 56 copies
The Sorcerer's Apprentice: An Anthology of Magical Tales (2017) — Contributor — 50 copies
Treasury of the Theatre: From Aeschylus to Ostrovsky (1967) — Contributor — 50 copies
German Fiction (2010) — Contributor — 46 copies, 1 review
The Romantics on Shakespeare (1992) — Contributor — 44 copies
LES CENT ANS DE DRACULA. 8 histoires de vampires de Goethe à Lovecraft (1999) — Contributor — 43 copies, 2 reviews
The Triumph of Art for the Public: 1785-1848 (1979) — Contributor — 36 copies
Five German Tragedies (1969) — Author — 35 copies
Fairy Poems (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets Series) (2023) — Contributor — 34 copies
The Romantic Influence (1963) 31 copies
Dark of the Moon: Poems of Fantasy and the Macabre (1947) — Contributor — 27 copies, 1 review
Von deutscher Art und Kunst: einige fliegende Blätter (1773) — Contributor — 24 copies
"Das Tagebuch" Goethes und Rilkes "Sieben Gedichte" (1978) — Contributor — 23 copies
World's Great Plays (1944) — Contributor — 21 copies, 1 review
MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History — Autumn 1992 (1992) — Author "Cannon Fever" — 18 copies
Trees: A Celebration (1989) — Contributor — 16 copies
Fragmentos para una teoría romántica del arte (1987) — Contributor — 15 copies, 2 reviews
Faust [1994 film] (2002) — Original book — 14 copies
White Teeth, Red Blood: Selected Vampiric Verses (2025) — Contributor — 13 copies
Faust [2011 film] (2014) — Bibliographic Antecedent — 13 copies, 2 reviews
Tyskland forteller : tyske noveller (1972) — Contributor — 12 copies
Walt Disney's Donald and Mickey in Metropolis and Faust (2024) — Contributor — 6 copies
Der Orchideengarten: Phantastische Blätter (1919) — Contributor — 6 copies
Great Love Scenes from Famous Novels (1943) — Contributor — 6 copies
Tyve mesterfortællinger — Contributor, some editions — 4 copies, 1 review
Fantasia 2000 Storyette (Disney's Storyteller Series) (2004) — Original story — 2 copies
Das Wirtshaus an der Lahn • Ein Volkslied — Contributor — 2 copies
Auswahl aus der deutschen Literatur (1913) — Contributor — 2 copies
Am Borne deutscher Dichtung (1927) — Contributor — 1 copy
Deutsche Erzählungen (1957) — Contributor — 1 copy
Le Naiadi — Contributor — 1 copy
Songs of Debussy & Mozart (2003) — Contributor — 1 copy
Mefistofele {opera companion} — original story — 1 copy
Doktor Faust {opera companion} — Original story — 1 copy
Classic Tales [2008 TV series] (2008) — Contributor — 1 copy

Tagged

18th century (635) 19th century (585) classic (763) classics (926) drama (1,431) Faust (192) fiction (2,381) German (1,812) German literature (2,367) Germany (643) Goethe (818) Italy (138) Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (149) literature (1,575) novel (447) philosophy (228) play (316) plays (360) poetry (1,391) read (255) Reclam (154) Roman (217) Romanticism (313) suicide (135) theatre (542) to-read (1,631) tragedy (180) translation (213) travel (163) unread (141)

Common Knowledge

Canonical name
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von
Legal name
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von
Birthdate
1749-08-28
Date of death
1832-03-22
Gender
male
Education
University of Leipzig (Law)
University of Strasbourg (LL.Lic|1771)
Occupations
writer
author
playwright
privy councillor (to the Duke of Weimar)
botanist
anatomist (show all 9)
novelist
poet
actor (1776 ∙ von Kotzebue, August ∙ Goethe's "Geschister")
Relationships
Schiller, Friedrich (friend)
von Kotzebue, August (1776)
Goethe, Johann Caspar (father)
Cause of death
apparent heart failure
Nationality
Germany
Birthplace
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Places of residence
Frankfurt am Main, Germany (birth)
Leipzig, Germany
Strasbourg, France
Wetzlar, Germany
Weimar, Germany (death)
Place of death
Weimar, Germany
Burial location
Fürstengruft, Weimar, Germany
Map Location
Germany
Disambiguation notice
Please be careful when combining Goethe's autobiographical works - the various editions of "From My Life: Poetry and Truth" (Aus Meinem Leben: Dichtung und Wahrheit) contain differing portions of the complete work. Vol. 5 in the Princeton Edition containing Part 4 is a DIFFERENT work from vol. 4 containing Parts 1-3, the latter being similar to most other editions which are allegedly complete but contain only those first three Parts.

Members

Discussions

Folio Archives 12 : Faust, Goethe in Folio Society Devotees (May 2025)
Faust in Fine Press Forum (March 2023)
January-March Group Read - Faust by Goethe in Geeks who love the Classics (March 2023)

Reviews

665 reviews
I had somehow mentally classified Goethe as "difficult to read classics" and had avoided him thus far. But somehow when I saw this charming little volume at my beloved bookstore's "going out of business" sale, I couldn't resist it.

And it was charming. And not difficult to read at all. Told mostly in letters, and letters only from Young Werther, we get none of the replies at all -- we get not only a one-sided but a "how I want to represent myself to my friend" side of a young man's descent show more into romantic obsession with a woman he cannot have. Part of what makes it so fascinating is how many chances and choices he had along the way -- to realize this path would never make him happy, could only end in misery, to choose to go somewhere else, give himself a chance to love someone else. But at the same time, making those different choices would make him a different person. So do any of us really have any choice at all? show less
Maybe it was reading about his sorrows after only three hours of sleep, but I just wanted to shake Young Werther. It’s interesting, really, that Goethe seems to retain some distance from Werther despite much of the narrative being told in the first person. I did not feel that Goethe necessarily asked the reader to wholly sympathise with his protagonist. (Especially when Werther argues that a murderer should be set free because he did it for love. Cool motive, still murder.) Personally, I show more was much more inclined to sympathise with Lotte, who behaved in an astonishingly kind and sensitive manner towards this unbalanced young man who was obsessed with her. Nonetheless, the portrait of Werther is an interesting and convincing one. His obsession with nature comes through strikingly, and seems to feed his frustration with society in general and Lotte’s choice of Albert in particular. The manner in which he objectifies Lotte as something that should belong to him is sadly plausible and his descent from euphoria into suicidal depression is told with beautiful turns of phrase.

The introduction (which I read last, as always) gives a fascinating insight into the context and reception of the novel. I think the latter is best summarised by this Kate Beaton cartoon. I did find Young Werther’s melodrama hard to take seriously at times. Sleep deprivation renders me even less romantic than usual and I have never had much time for male characters who cannot accept that a woman does not want to date them. Literally everyone tells Werther to move on, his tragedy is that he fails to.
show less
Önce halk efsanelerinde, adı meçhule karışmış ozanlar söylediler bu âteşîn hikâyeyi. Sonra edebiyatçılar keşfettiler, eski kroniklerin içinde ilginç öyküler ararlarken. Kimler kalemini sivriltmedi ki şeytanla insanın gizli mukavelesini ademoğluna fısıldamak için. Ama içlerinde en ölümsüz olanı, müjdeyi ve lâneti tüm ruhları sarsarcasına haykıranı, Goethe'nin Faust'uydu.
Faust, modernitenin trajedisini haber veren ilk büyük yapıt oldu. Kimin kazandığı show more ve kimin kimi kandırdığı belli olmayan bir irade savaşıydı anlatılan.
Hikâyenin özeti şuydu: Şeytan Tanrı'ya meydan okudu, savaşın sonunu bile bile. Çünkü yaratılış öyküsünü bilmeyen melek olamazdı. Lâkin kendi öyküsünü unutan insan devreye girdiğinde bu meydan okuma, büyük bir soru işaretine dönüştü. Belki şeytan için değil, ama kesinlikle insan için...
Şeytan bir soru işareti, ruh bir soru işareti, insan: ardı sıra dizili soru işaretleri... Ve insanın yeryüzündeki devr-i dâimi başladığı anda, ruhun üzerine yapılan pazarlıklar ve olası mukavelelerin de dönemi açıldı. Bu mukaveleden habersiz bir ademoğlu olmadı. O, her zaman, pazarlığın bir tarafıydı. Belki de bu yüzden, kendini okumak isteyen herkes pür dikkat, kulak kesildi bu hikâyeye: "Kimdir Faust? Şeytan'a mı verdi ruhunu? Nasıl bir sözleşmeydi bu?"
Kendimizi başkalarından dinlemek, en sevdiğimiz mesleğimiz değil midir? O halde herkesin vâkıf olduğu bir temayı, yaşamı efsaneleşmiş bir karakterin omuzlarına yükleyerek anlatan Goethe'ye kulak verelim... Tüm yaşamını adadığı ölümsüz eseri Faust'a...
show less
Hugely disappointing, which was a great surprise to me as I have always found the Faust legend appealing and had loved Doctor Faustus, Christopher Marlowe's earlier interpretation of the story. Hearing Goethe described as Germany's Shakespeare, and the Two Parts of Faust as his unimpeachable masterwork, I was expecting to experience a great classic, a Germanic Paradise Lost. Unfortunately, it's a dull, rambling mess of bawd, conceptual noodling and dramatic puppetry, with none of the depth, show more lyricism or cohesion that the afore-mentioned Shakespeare, Marlowe or Milton would have brought to the story (Marlowe, of course, did.)

It's hard to describe the experience of reading Goethe's stewed pulp; perhaps it should be of note to prospective readers that even the glowing reviews you might find still comment on Faust's confusion and incoherence, only they try to make a virtue of it. Its muddle is seen as representative of the chaos of life, particularly for one like Faust who has sold his soul to the devil, and its haphazard switching between metrical forms is seen as evidence of Goethe's virtuosity. But it only adds further chaos to what is already a swamp of linguistic gibberish, moral wittering and Catholic rhapsodising. Goethe's Faust doesn't even know whether it wants to be a play or an epic poem, and it slips through the yawning cracks it creates in trying to be both.

The plot is wafer-thin, and if not for my foreknowledge of the wider Faust legend, I would have been completely at a loss as to why Faust was selling his soul, what role Mephistopheles was playing in his corruption, or what the hell was happening with anything in Part Two. Part One at least has the tenuous thread of Faust's temptation, even if it is loose, sprawling and lacking in narrative drive or character insight. Part Two has no plot at all, just whim, and after Helen of Troy has drifted around for a bit soliloquising and some Lord High Marshal has found an army and is leading it into some random battle, I was at a loss to explain what any of this has to do with Faust's bargain. And then some angels render Faust's diabolical contract void, for some reason, and there are some empty hosannas of the 'Glory to the All High' variety.

The contrast to Marlowe's Doctor Faustus, a taut, dramatic tiger of a play, with iconic lines, a clear moral lesson and a terrifying scene of Faust being dragged by the demons into Hell, is marked. And the only thing Goethe's Faust has in common with Shakespeare is in its nonsense; it's like a play made up entirely of those irrelevant interludes in Shakespeare where Fools, Clowns and Greek Choruses appear on stage to sing, hector and then leave. Only in Faust they don't leave. Shakespeare balanced out such things with dramatic clarity and dialogue and character depth, which made them forgivable; Goethe's Faust is just a dirge.

I rarely speak so ill of classics – and certainly didn't expect I would be doing so of Goethe's Faust, a book I was really looking forward to reading – but this was not a work of fine drama or poetry, and could not even approach Shakespeare in his potency, or Milton in his epic framing of Christian themes. There's no plot or drive, and when the reader gets lost in the weeds, it's not misfortune but simply a reminder that there was only marshland here to begin with. Goethe's inert creation is a disorganised fugue state of a play, a poem that unspools, and prospective readers should avoid this misadventure and open Marlowe's fantastic version of the story instead.
show less

Lists

Europe (1)
1790s (1)
bound (1)
AP Lit (2)
. (2)
My TBR (2)

Awards

You May Also Like

Associated Authors

Johannes Diekhans Series editor
Friedrich Schiller Author, Contributor
Willy Fleckhaus Cover designer, Designer
Thomas Carlyle Translator
Karl Eibl Editor
Hannelore Schlaffer Afterword, Chronology, Explanations, Bibliography
Franz Kafka Contributor
Heinrich Böll Contributor
Leo Tolstoy Contributor
Dorothy Sayers Contributor
Richard Benz Introduction
K. Sternelle Bearbeiter
Stuart Atkins Translator
Benno Küster Translator
Peter Verstegen Translator
David Luke Translator, Introduction
W. H. Auden Translator
Erich Trunz Editor, Contributor, Herausgeber
Eugène Delacroix Illustrator
Elizabeth Mayer Translator
Barker Fairley Translator
Catherine Hutter Translator
Harmann J. Weigand Introduction
Christoph Michel Afterword, Contributor
Louise Bogan Translator
Nicholas Boyle Introduction
Gert Westphal Narrator
Carol Lisa Tully Translator
Karl Goedeke Composer, Author
Adolf Muschg Afterword, Preface
John Whaley Translator
Graham Good Translator
Hans Traxler Illustrator
Regine Otto Text revision
Bertil Malmberg Translator
Horst Zehe Editor
Horst Rüdiger Contributor
Elise Müller Composer
Harry Steinhauer Translator
Ernst Merian-Genast Herausgeber, Afterword
Bayard Taylor Translator
G. Ras Introduction, Editor
Peter Salm Translator
R.D Boylan Translator
Harry Clarke Illustrator
Philip Wayne Translator
Otto Manninen Translator
Louis MacNiece Translator
John R. Williams Translator
Walter Kaufmann Translator
Hermann Michels Cover designer
Burton Pike Translator
Volter Kilpi Translator
Stanley Corngold Translator
Joan Alavedra Translator
Catherine Hutter Translator
Markku Mannila Translator
Pierre Leroux Translator
Ernst Beutler Afterword
Michael Hulse Translator
Petra Maisak Afterword
Wilhelm Große Kommentator
Germaine de Staël Contributor
Daniel Boileau Translator
Engelbert Siebertz Illustrator
Rolf Staudt Designer
Günther Fetzer Contributor
Alb. Steenbergen Translator
J. van Vloten Introduction
Max Beckmann Illustrator
Dennis Wheatley Introduction
Alice Raphael Translator
Anthonie Donker Translator
Max von Boehn Introduction
George Soane Translator
Gotthard Erler Contributor
John Anster Translator
Ursula Schwarz Redaktion
C. F. MacIntyre Translator
André Bjerke Translator
Maximilian Nutz Contributor
Jeanne Ancelet-Hucelet Chronologie et préface
Carina Riehl Herstellung
Benno von Wiese Contributor
Hans-Joachim Weitz Contributor, Editor
Celestino Piatti Cover designer
Peter Hutchinson Introduction, Editor, Notes
Robin Jacques Cover artist
Peter von Matt Afterword
Walter Benjamin Afterword
Pim Lukkenaer Translator
André Bjerke Translator
Sir Walter Scott Translator
Rafael M. Bofill Translator
Göran Schildt Introduction
Lorenzo Rega Introduction
Erich Schmidt Herausgeber
Franz Ludwig Catel Illustrator
John Oxenford Translator
Albert John Pucci Cover artist
Brian Cole Translator
P.C. Boutens Translator
Deane B. Judd Introduction
Stephen Spender Editor, Translator
Gerhard Ott Herausgeber
H. A. Bull Introduction
J. A. Hollo Translator
Betti Alver Translator
Elisabeth Stopp Translator
Max Hecker Preface
Isabella Kuhn Afterword
Rafael Cansinos Asséns Translator, Foreword
R. Rahn Contributor
A. Schleich Contributor
Andrew Piper Translator
Ernst Gieseking Contributor
Assja Turgenieff Illustrator
M. MacIntosh Translator
Stephen Russ Cover designer
H.D. Voss Illustrator
Herbert Lorenz Cover designer
Chris Ferrante Cover designer
Victor Lange Translator
Victor Lange Introduction
A. S. Byatt Foreword
Wulf Köpke Herausgeber
N. van Suchtelen Translator
Pierre Grappin Translator, Editor
Jonathan Katz Translator
Evelyne Henkel Translator, Contributor
Frank Ryder Translator
Lewis Crofts Foreword
Heinz Nicolai Herausgeber
Isa Dietrich Cover artist
Heinz Norden Translator
Dik Klut Illustrator
Theo Stammen Afterword
Richard Stokes Translator
Jennifer Kirchhoff Cover designer
Max Liebermann Illustrator
Max Volkhart Illustrator
A. Schmitz Illustrator
Blaise Briod Translator
Suzanne Paquelin Translator
Albert Stapfer Translator
Rud. Schick Illustrator
C. Karger Illustrator
Peter Stein Director
Dora Priebe Illustrator
Tom Eyzenbach Illustrator
Wolf Erlbruch Illustrator
Armand Robin Translator
Henri Thomas Translator
Carl Häberlin Illustrator
D. Kolb Illustrator
Norbert Miller Afterword
André Gide Foreword
Peter Frese Contributor
Jean Tardieu Translator
Joan Maragall Translator
Wilhelm Weigand Translator
Alexander Wagner Illustrator
Willy Kretzer Cover designer
Ferdinand Keller Illustrator
D.Th. Jaarsma Translator
Jacques Porchat Translator
Artur Liebig Designer
Bruno Maffi Translator
Julio Izquierdo Translator
Volkmar Reiter Cover designer
Bruno Groff Translator
Lucas Casas Translator
Werner Rebhuhn Cover designer
Steven de Joode Introduction
Maurice Betz Translator
C. Bosch Illustrator
Thora Weigand Translator
C. Schick Illustrator
Joan Garí Editor
Erdmann Wagner Illustrator
Hermann Schneider Illustrator
simmfranz Illustrator
Jacques Decour Translator
Wesselina Tomowa Illustrator
Otto Seitz Illustrator
Franziska Mayer Contributor
Jean Triomphe Translator, Preface

Statistics

Works
3,038
Also by
105
Members
51,378
Popularity
#296
Rating
3.8
Reviews
554
ISBNs
3,862
Languages
41
Favorited
129

Charts & Graphs