Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
was born on August 28, 1749 in Frankfurt am Main, as the son
of the Imperial Councillor, Johann Caspar Goethe and Katherine
Elisabeth Textor. His parents made sure that he received a private
education. As a result Goethe, trained in five languages, and
was admitted to the University of Leipzig (subsequently to Strasbourg)
at age 16, where he studied Law. It was around this age that
he started writing his first poems. The young Duke Karl August
of Saksen-Weimar called him to Weimar in 1775. He stayed in
Weimar for the rest of his life, only briefly interrupted by
a short trip to Italy (1786-1788). Goethe's review of achievements
is impressive. He is known as a scientist, writer, novelist,
philosopher and statesman. Today he is regarded to be Germany’s
greatest poet ever. His work 'Faust’, is one of the highpoints
of world literature.
On his personal life we note that he was married to Christiane
Vulpius. They had one son, August. He was elevated to nobility
in 1782. Goethe died on March 22, 1832 at Weimar, age 82.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
1749-1832
Goethe received a collection of Persian
poems in 1814, named " Der Divan des Mohammed Schemseddin
Hafis". Hafez was lived from ca. 1320 to ca. 1390. This
collection (in Farsi: divan) inspired him to write this book:
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