Conversations with Goethe

A perceptive introduction to the mind of one of German's greatest writers, in a new translation for the first time in 150 years

'The best German book there is' Nietzsche

By the turn of the nineteenth century, the poet, novelist and thinker Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was one of the most famous people in the world. In 1823 he became friend and mentor to the young writer Johann Eckermann, who, for the last nine years of Goethe's life, recorded their wide-ranging conversations on art, literature, science and philosophy. This rich portrait of Germany's literary elder statesman, now in its first new translation for over 150 years, gives a fascinating glimpse into a great mind as well as 'many insights and invaluable lessons about life.'

Translated by Allan Blunden with an Introduction by Ritchie Robertson

Reviews

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!