From My Life: Poetry and Truth (Parts One to Three)

This authoritative English translation of Goethe’s memoirs paints a vibrant picture of his youth and formative years

Covering the period from his birth in 1749 to his departure for Weimar in 1775, Goethe recalls his childhood and youth as the son of well-to-do, middle-class parents, his education and literary awakening, his early loves, and the creation and reception of works from his Sturm und Drang years such as The Sorrows of Young Werther, Goetz von Berlichingen, and Urfaust. Not merely an account of Goethe’s life in his own words, this book also explores the influences on his early years—from friends and mentors to famous personages of his time, intellectual movements, cities, and historical events—to paint a vivid portrait of his life and times.

The Collected Works of Goethe presents modern translations of a representative portion of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s vast body of work. Selected from more than 140 volumes in German, this twelve-volume series remains the standard collection in English and features poetry, drama, fiction, memoir, criticism, and scientific writing.

Edited by Thomas P. Saine and Jeffrey L. Sammons
Translated by Robert R. Heitner
Introduction and notes by Thomas P. Saine