Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is the most important German literary figure of modern times and is often compared to Shakespeare and Dante. He was a poet, dramatist, director, novelist, scientist, critic, artist and statesman during what was known as the Romantic period of European arts.

Even today many writers, philosophers and musicians draw inspiration from his ideas and his plays open to wide audiences in theatres. The Goethe Institut is Germany's national institute for promoting German culture around the world. In German speaking countries Goethe’s works are so prominent they have been referred to as classics since the end of the 18th century.

Goethe was born in Frankfurt (Main) but spent most of his life in the city of Weimar, where he was ennobled in 1782. He spoke many different languages and travelled great distances throughout his life. In the face of the quantity and quality of his oeuvre it is tough to compare him to other contemporary artists. Already in his lifetime he managed to become an acclaimed writer, publishing internationally bestselling novels and dramas such as “Die Leiden des jungen Werther" (The Sorrows of Young Werther, 1774) and "Faust“ (1808).

Goethe was already a celebrated author at the age of 25, which made explain some of the (erotic) escapades he supposedly engaged in. But erotic topics also found their way into his writing, which in a time coined by rigorous views on sexuality was nothing short of revolutionary. Goethe also played an important role in the “Sturm und Drang” movement and published some acclaimed scientific work such as “The Metamorphosis of Plants” and the “Theory of Color”.

The later built on Newton’s work on color, with Goethe asserting that what we see as a specific color depends on the object we see, the light, and our perception. He studied the psychological attributes of color and our subjective ways of seeing them, as well as complementary colors. In so doing, he improved our understanding of color vision.

Besides, writing, researching, and practicing law, Goethe sat on several councils for the Duke of Saxe-Weimar during his time there.

As a well-travelled man, Goethe enjoyed interesting encounters and friendships with some of his contemporaries. One of those exceptional relationships was the one he shared with Friedrich Schiller. In the last 15 years of Schiller’s life, both men formed a close friendship and even worked together. In 1812 Goethe met Beethoven, who in reference to that encounter later stated:

“Goethe – he lives and wants us all to live with him. It is for that reason that he can be composed.“

Goethe Influence on Literature and Music

Goethe had an enormous influence on German literature and music, which sometimes meant he turned up as a fictional character in works of other authors. While he had more of an oblique impact on the likes of Friedrich Nietzsche and Herrmann Hesse, Thomas Mann brings Goethe to life in his novel “The Beloved returns – Lotte in Weimar” (1940).

In the 1970s, German author Ulrich Plenzdorf wrote an interesting take on Goethe’s works. In “The new Sorrows of Young W.” he brought Goethe’s famous Werther story to the German Democratic Republic of his own time.

Very fond of music himself, Goethe inspired countless composers and musicians. In particular, the 19th century saw many of Goethe’s poems turned into musical works. Composers such as Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Fanny Hensel, and Robert and Clara Schumann set his poems to music.