What do we know about August von Goethe? He had a problem with drink, yes, and this may have led to his early death. And he didn’t do much to live up to the family name. But on completion of his studies in Law he rose swiftly through the ranks in his work with the ducal management of Weimar and at thirty-four was already Privy Counsellor. He fitted in perfectly at Court, married a member of the old nobility and was a respected member of Weimar society. Stephan Oswald has unearthed August’s own literary efforts and it is in this volume that remaining fragments are published for the first time. It is true, however, that his father increasingly treated him as his factotum and expected his assistance in many ways. Stephan Oswald’s insightful and lively biography demonstrates the extent to which August was held back by his father’s ever present shadow and how his presence constrained August’s development. This is the real tragedy of this young man’s life.

*The eternal son – the tragic life of August von Goethe

*The first biography based on source material for over 100 years

*August von Goethe’s life from his own perspective, for the first time

*Featuring August von Goethe’s own forays into literature, previously unknown and published here for the first time

*The book also gives us an intimate insight into life in the Goethe household