“Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism as well as treatises on botany, anatomy, and colour. He is widely regarded as the greatest and most influential writer in the German language, his work having a profound and wide-ranging influence on Western literary, political and philosophical thought from the late 18th century to the present day. Goethe took up residence in Weimar in November 1775 following the success of his first novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther. He was ennobled by the Duke of Saxe-Weimar, Karl August, in 1782. Goethe was an early participant in the Sturm und Drang literary movement.”
Born: Johann Wolfgang Goethe, August 28, 1749, Free Imperial City of Frankfurt, Holy Roman Empire
Died: March 22, 1832, Weimar, Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, German Confederation
Occupation: Poet, novelist, playwright, natural philosopher, diplomat, civil servant
Alma mater: Leipzig University, University of Strasbourg
Literary movement: Sturm und Drang, Weimar Classicism, Romanticism in science
Notable works: Faust, The Sorrows of Young Werther, Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship, Elective Affinities, “Prometheus”, Zur Farbenlehre, Italienische Reise, West–östlicher Divan