Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
German writer, artist, natural scientist and politician (1749–1832)
1749 – 1832 ·
German writer, artist, natural scientist and politician (1749–1832)
1749 – 1832 ·
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, born Johann Wolfgang Goethe on 28 August 1749 in Frankfurt am Main [1][8], was a German polymath widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language [2]. The son of Johann Caspar Goethe [6], he received his education at Leipzig University and the University of Strasbourg [11]. He went on to father a child, August von Goethe [12].
Goethe's output was remarkable in both its scope and its lasting impact. A poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic, he produced plays, poetry, and aesthetic criticism, as well as scholarly treatises on botany, anatomy, and colour [2]. His work exerted wide-ranging influence on literary, political, religious, and philosophical thought across the Western world from the late eighteenth century onward [2].
Significant figures in his life included Friederike Brion and Friedrich Leopold Weyland [10]. Goethe died on 22 March 1832 [2], leaving behind a body of work that continues to shape intellectual and cultural life. His likeness has been commemorated in sculpture, notably in a bust created in his image [9].
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