Goethe the Letter Writer

Albrecht Schöne

Albert Schöne’s book is dedicated to that highly significant element of our literary culture that has ended with the digital revolution: European epistolary culture, at the zenith of which stand Goethe’s letters. In nine exemplary case studies, beginning with the first missives of the fourteen year old and ending with the final letter of the eighty-two year old written days before his death, Schöne shows us these letters not only as biographical documents but also as works of literature, of the art of writing. Full of discoveries, free of jargon, brilliantly written and thrilling to read, this is a work that addresses not only those interested in Goethe, literature and language, but also those interested in letter writing per se.