Conversations with Goethe

Author: Johann Peter Eckermann, Allan Blunden and Ritchie Robertson

Paperback

A witty introduction to the mind of Goethe, a classic in a new translation for the first time in 150 years

"By the end of the nineteenth century, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was the world's most celebrated poet, novelist, critic and thinker. Today his name is echoed as that of a "great man" alongside Plato, Montaigne and Shakespeare."--

New

$24.19

Or pay later with

Free 30 day returns Secure transaction

Check delivery options

Paperback

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Summary

A witty introduction to the mind of Goethe, a classic in a new translation for the first time in 150 years

Description

A witty introduction to the mind of Goethe, a classic in a new translation for the first time in 150 yearsJohann Wolfgang von Goethe was the world's most celebrated poet, novelist, critic and thinker and this is the best way of knowing him. Today his name is echoed as that of a 'great man' alongside Plato, Montaigne and Shakespeare.This book covers the last nine years of his life, partially spent having conversations with the young Johann Eckermann, who was thirty-one to Goethe's seventy-four, and who dedicated this time to recording Goethe's thoughts, ideas, observations and witticisms. The result is Conversations with Goethe, the most direct glimpse into the Great Man's mind, revealing a gentler, more human side to him, as well as his thoughts on art, science, poetry, philosophy and the minutiae of life.

Critic Reviews

“The greatest German book of the nineteenth century”

-- Nietzsche
Be transported to another, impossibly cultured and civilised time - a cheering respite from the terrors of our own -- Rob Doyle Observer
Revisit the musings of the greatest writer in the German language ... A new edition of Conversations with Goethe attests to the genius and charisma of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, venerated as the godfather of German literature ... From 1823 until Goethe's death in 1832, his devoted disciple, Johann Peter Eckermann, transcribed the thoughts of the author and close-up observation of his idol's habits, quirks and deeds ... Allan Blunden's companionable new version lets readers grasp not just the mental might of the sage of Weimar, but his charisma ... Goethe's talk roams with wit, charm and hard-headed sense across literature, art, nature, science and statecraft ... He has his head in the heavens but his feet on the ground; he loves gardens, picnics, birds and mountains-and takes up archery, aged 75, like an excited child ... The Conversations help Anglophone readers understand why Goethe stays on his pedestal Economist
Conversations with Goethe, a record of discussions over the final nine years of Goethe's life that was published four years after his death, offers a portrait of the artist as sage. Nietzsche called it "the best German book there is". In Allan Bunden's new translation - the first for 150 years - we see Eckermann's dependence on and awe of his employer, but we are also allowed to eavesdrop on Goethe's prolific mind whirring away -- Ian Bostridge Financial Times
The book intersperses minor episodes from Goethe's daily life with preposterously insightful comments on the nature of ethics, painting, ambition, music, theater, poetry and criticism. One moment the author is advancing a proto-"Anxiety of Influence" theory; next he's griping about tacky interior design trends. We receive all of this through the unobtrusive medium of Eckermann, who shapes and edits his raw material in the manner of a reality TV producer - if reality TV shows were about geniuses instead of morons! -- Molly Young New York Times

About the Author

Ritchie Robertson (Introducer)Ritchie Robertson is Taylor Professor of German at the University of Oxford. He is a member of the board of the Voltaire Foundation which promotes research on the Enlightenment, and is a frequent reviewer for the Times Literary Supplement.