Johann Wolfgang von Goethe(1749-1832)
- Writer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Johann Wolfgang Goethe was born on 28 August 1749 in Frankfurt am Main,
Germany as son of a lawyer. After growing up in a privileged upper
middle class family, he studied law in Leipzig from 1765 to 1768,
although he was more interested in literature. As he was seriously ill,
he had to interrupt his studies, but finally graduated in Strassburg
with a degree in law. In the following years, his novel "The Sorrows of
Young Werther" (1774) became one of the first bestsellers, making him a
key author in the "Sturm und Drang" (Storm and Stress) movement. In
1775, he settled down in Weimar, being the Duke's adviser and writing
popular dramas such as "Egmont" or "Torquato Tasso". One of his life's
important milestones was the Italian Journey from 1786 and 1788, where
he discovered his interest in Greek and Roman classicism. After his
return to Germany, he began the "Weimar Classicism" movement with his
good friend Friedrich Schiller, concentrating on poems and dramas such as his best
known work "Faust", which he published in two parts (1808/1832). Beside
his literary work, he contributed many interesting theories to
sciences, making him Germany's leading polymath in that period. On 22
March 1832, he died in Weimar, the town he had lived for more than
fifty years.
