One of the towering figures of world literature, Goethe has never held
quite as prominent a place in the English-speaking world as he deserves.
This collection of his four major works, together with a selection of
his finest letters and poems, shows that he is not only one of the very
greatest European writers: he is also accessible, entertaining, and
contemporary.
The Sorrows of Young Werther is a story of self-destructive love that
made its author a celebrity overnight at the age of twenty-five. Its
exploration of the conflicts between ideas and feelings, between
circumstance and desire, continues in his controversial novel probing
the institution of marriage, Elective Affinities. The cosmic drama of
Faust goes far beyond the realism of the novels in a poetic
exploration of good and evil, while Italian Journey, written in the
author's old age, recalls his youth in Italy and the impact of
Mediterranean culture on a young northerner.
Translators include W. H. Auden, Louise Bogan, David Constantine, Barker
Fairley, and Elizabeth Mayer