Little Yellows

This season, we focus on classical writer, Goethe. He’s so iconic, he goes by just his last name. In 1774, he wrote and published a novel called The Sorrows of Young Werther. A story that captured an audience beyond German language speakers. But who was the man behind the fame of the book? Let’s find out.

Goethe's fame from The Sorrows of Young Werther follows him wherever he goes. But all Goethe wants is a quiet place to call home. Enter Karl August, soon to be the Grand Duke of Weimar. In Weimar, Goethe finds his respite, but also his unease with being an author. It takes him quite a while to write another well-published, well-received work. Ultimately though, Weimar becomes known as Goethe's city and Goethe cements himself as the German Icon. In this episode, we uncover what the remainder of Goethe's life looks like, which turns out is very much like the man himself.