Philosophy

Conversations with Goethe

Conversations with Goethe

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  • Update Date：2025-09-23
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  • Author：Johann Peter Eckermann
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Summary

By the end of the nineteenth century， Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was the world's most celebrated poet， novelist， critic and thinker。 Today his name is echoed as that of a 'great man' alongside Plato， Montaigne and Shakespeare。

This book covers the last nine years of his life， partially spent having conversations with the young Johann Eckermann， who was thirty-one to Goethe's seventy-four， and who dedicated this time to recording Goethe's thoughts， ideas， observations and witticisms。 The result is Conversations with Goethe， the most direct glimpse into the Great Man's mind， revealing a gentler， more human side to him， as well as his thoughts on art， science， poetry， philosophy and the minutiae of life。

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Reviews

Ivva Tadiashvili ，

თავიდან ძაან საინტერესო იყო გოეთეს აზრები პოეზიაზე და სხვადასხვა პოეტებზე。 მარა მერე ძაან ერთი და იგივეს ლაპარაკობდა უკვე ყველა პოეტზე და მოსაწყენი იყო。

Paul ，

Phew！ Took me a month and half or so but I’m finally finished with this brick。 I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book。 I liked it。 Until I started to hate it。 Giving it anything other than 5 stars would be crime against humanity。 But this review will require some caveats to that score。 Alright so， this is a book written by the E-Meister about his many conversations with the big G himself， Goethe。 I had read most of Goethe’s major works this year and was ready to move on when I heard such Phew！ Took me a month and half or so but I’m finally finished with this brick。 I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book。 I liked it。 Until I started to hate it。 Giving it anything other than 5 stars would be crime against humanity。 But this review will require some caveats to that score。 Alright so， this is a book written by the E-Meister about his many conversations with the big G himself， Goethe。 I had read most of Goethe’s major works this year and was ready to move on when I heard such rave reviews about this one。 This is apparently Nietzsche’s favourite book， calling it a must read。 It also coincides with Goethe polishing off Faust 2: Hellenic boogaloo。 So I thought， why not？Eckermann attached himself to Goethe in the five years leading up to his death and this book is mix of their face to face conversations， letters or just insights Eckermann has while working for/learning from Goethe。 Now right off the bat， I should say that this book is filled with valuable insights and fascinating deep dives into Goethe’s mindset。 Much of the characterisation of G-man and his work among academics appear to come from this book。 Striving for the good as a life goal， the role of poets in society， hard work in the face of physical torment， it’s all here。 There’s two major caveats， however， to my five star score。 For one， Goethe wasn’t some wisely sage who just sat around admiring the Däemonisch。 He was a thoughtful and opinionated guy。 And Eazy-E writes down everything they discussed。 And I mean。 Everything。 Art。 Art theory。 Art history。 Modern art。 Classical art。 Rocks and minerals。 The classical French。 The modern French。 The French critics who used to bully him。 People at court who are currently bullying him。 Plates。 Paintings。 Goethe can’t draw。 German history sucks。 German literature used to suck， is kind of good now， sort of。 English history is great。 English literature is the best thing since sliced bread， take that Voltaire！ Military poems are great。 Political poems sucks。 Revolution la sucks。 Aristocracy is great， we should not have revolutions please。 Lord Byron is a mega chad。 Please adopt me daddy Walter Scott。 Schiller’s disgusting habits and neurotic behaviours。 Napoleon did nothing wrong。 Women are smart。 Women are sometimes not as smart？ Spirals。 Italy。 Nationalism。 Ancient Greece。 Plants。 How to fire a bow。 Cuckoos and the behaviours of birds？ And pretty much any book， poem， play， review or goddamn scrap of paper he was reading that week。Now don’t get me wrong， it really is valuable being able to reach into such a wide variety of topics， large and small， all in a single book， especially coming from such a rich and unique personality as Goethe。 For this alone I was excited to read it and anyone， no matter who you are， will find dozens and dozens of passages to be exceptional。 The problem is repetitive nature of the work。 Eckermann claims he edited some of this stuff down and I’m not sure that is the case。 There’s 8 passages about Napoleon I can think of off the top of my head where Goethe is essentially the exact same thing over and over again。 Same goes for when he talks about Walter Scott， politics and barbarism etc。 Once a month they get together to look a plate or a painting， yet the conversation seems to always lead to the same basic conclusions about art theory and art critique。 Don’t let that stop you leaving it in E-meister！ It makes it quite a slog if there are references which you don’t understand。 I followed along with the majority of the commentary around Goethe’s life， the ancient tragedians and Shakespeare。 But at least 20% of the passages are pseudo reviews of French works with only occasional insights that can be gleaned without the added context。 Not to mention the German works that I guarantee are not translated into English。 Also， you better brush up your classical history！ You would think there would be more juicy stuff about his exploits with the ladies but this is 19th century Europe and the best you get is how he sort of cheated on his wife writing a poem？But my God。 Do NOT get G-man started on his Theory of Colours。 I haven’t studied it and I don’t really know the history of this particular scientific dispute。 But Goethe is going to let know how badly he’s been snuffed by the scientific community and their FAILURE to grasp his pure God gifted Reason。 Poor Eckermann had to sit through lecture after lecture of Goethe raving about how the Newton cultists won’t take his work seriously， and they’ll all learn in time， and he’s totally not mad that 50 years of hard work has gone unnoticed， and everyone is dumb unless they agree with the theory， then if they agree （100% no questions asked） they are kissed by the divine。 People just need to think critically maaaaan。 People gotta just use their noggins for the colouring。 In an absolutely hilarious couple of passages Eckermann performs a few experiments in order to understand the theory better and evidently comes across some data that indicates it might be called into question。 He excitedly brings this to his sensei’s attention， knowing that he would love to evaluate and broaden his theory of colours。 That’s what Goethe would love， right？ You know， science？ Integrity？ But when he brought up his insights Goethe flips and calls him a heretic！It is evidently interesting as this sort of politics is still present in the scientific community， and simply getting a paper published can be a real nightmare。 Still， you’d think the guy who spends so much time condemning politics as a destructive force for the poetic and the scientific would not spend an equal amount of time engaging in polemics about Newton。 At one point he considers whether he should continue these unhinged rants in a manuscript but realises he’s above that sort of thing。。。his historic take down of Newton will suffice。 I should expect nothing less from a guy who used a team of sappers and interns to hijack an ENTIRE library from a medical academy （yes， this literally happened and is discussed in the book）。 The other major caveat is the fact that this work is collated from scraps of writing drafted and re-drafted over a period of five years: by Eckermann。 A common criticism of this book is that Eckermann is a total push over。 Goethe will go off on tangents， sometimes illogical， sometimes begging for a bit of follow up or maybe a few prodding questions， and Eckermann accepts almost everything he says as gospel truth。 That’s not to say Eckermann isn’t a great writer。 In fact， Eckermann often diverts into his own insights which are utterly fascinating to read。 But evidently one of these insights ， about 90% of the way in， is that he is waaaaay too trusting of what others tell him。 It is also difficult to figure out how genuine some of these passages are。 The meat and potatoes of the book is certified G （especially the Theory of Colours stuff。 He made that abundantly clear） but it can be a little off putting when you are really getting into a passage and you can’t tell how much of it is Eckermann’s diary entry from that day， edits he made with later recollections， partial edits with Goethe’s writings， how much of all of THAT itself is due to the uncritical influence by Goethe， and how much of it is the pure insight of Goethe himself。 With these two issues above， I really had to slow down at the 40% mark。 Maybe it’s because it has been a hard couple of months for me， but finishing this book felt like a slog at times。 I don’t think even in my most difficult So why did I keep going？ Goethe is a fantastic writer and an incredible human being。 Even in English， his works reach deep inside me and touch parts of my soul I wasn’t even aware existed。 I once spent all day reading Werther cover to cover， tears in my eyes as my own youthful depression burned my insides the way it did him。 Tasso made me realise horrible things about myself I don’t think I’ll recover from。 Select passages from Iphigenia still make me smile or ponder their significance months after I’ve read them。 Meister Wilhelm is easily the most important book I’ve ever read and has put me on a new life path， for better or worse。 In amongst all the dry insights to works I’ve never ready or goofy stories about what a weirdo Schiller was， Goethe will sit down and just relax， bringing his insights to religion， people， art， human nature and the importance empathy。 And when he isn’t dropping insights， he sets up interrogating these questions。 For an old man， he works HARD to get to the bottom of these questions。 It’s very fascinating seeing Goethe working on a subject one day and bring new insights to it over the course of a week when Eckermann comes to visit him。 No book of aphorisms or crappy celeb write ups can give you this sort of intimacy。 I don’t just mean of Goethe’s genius ideas， but his way of thinking， his work method， his relationships to others， how he holds himself， how he agrees or disagrees with his trusted confidant， how he deals with grief， his biases， and all the little things he was going through just before he died。 This book is a must read， especially if you like literature and the time period of that era。 Just maybe don’t try and power through it like I did。 Otherwise your writing will be full of repetitious list making and hero worship （like this review）。 。。。more

Jacob Hurley ，

Nietzsche said of this book， confusing many， that it was the finest in the whole German language， and I speculate that this is a uniquely German type of opinion: here is Goethe， an idol for the German literati with no equivalent in any other nation except maybe Pushkin， in a simultaneous anarchism and serenity。 Like his works， his opinions are manifold and often radical， but his personage is as confident and concise as a Confucius， and the way he politely but eloquently asserts his beliefs is qu Nietzsche said of this book， confusing many， that it was the finest in the whole German language， and I speculate that this is a uniquely German type of opinion: here is Goethe， an idol for the German literati with no equivalent in any other nation except maybe Pushkin， in a simultaneous anarchism and serenity。 Like his works， his opinions are manifold and often radical， but his personage is as confident and concise as a Confucius， and the way he politely but eloquently asserts his beliefs is quite natural; and both of these seemingly contradictory traits recur over and over in the German literature （the asiatic sage throughout Hesse and Hoelderlin; the wily rogues in Mann and Grass）。 In fact， taken in conjunct with Eckermann's clear and novel-like style， I think this book can be deceptively simple， and is best taken as a summatory addenda to Goethe's works， like a clearer and better-structured Wilhelm Meister - and also perhaps to be compared to Mann's historical novel Lotte In Weimar， where the substantive qualms with Goethe held by his inner circle （including Eckermann， who was treated as a more servile&inferior figure than this volume of conversations between equals would suggest） are played out in full， a novel in fact which is perhaps the direct antidote to the variant of Goethe worship that Nietzsche found so attractive， as well as a veiled critique of Nietzsche in itself。 Goethe espouses his anti-systemic philosophical ideals and approach to poetry， the significance of which grows greater&greater the more you know about the formidability of the poets&philosophers he counteracts; his accusations against the over-wraught systemics of Kant and Hegel are no mere layman grievances。 His evaluation of Byron is interesting and important， and like his Russian peer Pushkin， exposes perhaps the now-easily-neglected massivity of his irreverent rebel persona at his time&position。 The rest of his literary evaluations， which flow endlessly， are no lesser， and he seems to know as much about novels and poetry as the finest of the modernists would espouse a hundred years later。 Perhaps most conspicuous of all， though， is his perpetual driving at his theory of colors， his fixation on which never faltered even into his very last days （his last weeks alive were spent revising that tract）， and via the incremental induction of Eckermann into Goethe's mind-set on the topic the reader can learn to appreciate it， too - no matter how permanently dubious Goethe's need to externalize colors is， the resulting methodology of observation produces interesting effects， and there is no shortage of hands-on field observation， guided by Goethe， in the book。 Yet even the quixotic fallacies contribute to the book， for they humanize the novel as we observe Goethe， eminently astute and successful at everything else， carry his obsession&narcissism a smidgeon too far and become identifiably&conceivably human。 。。。more

Timo ，

Het verbaast me niet dat Boudewijn Büch zo van dit boek hield。 Met Eckermann deelde hij immers een absolute devotie voor Goethe， terwijl zijn schrijfstijl， waar enthousiasme altijd de overhand kreeg op elegantie， ook wel op die van Eckermann lijkt。 Aan de waarde van de inhoud van de Gesprekken twijfel ik niet， maar als boek vind ik het maar een middelmatige verzameling。

Forino ，

my g

Fatma Burçak ，

Goethe'nin felsefesini， edebiyata bakışını ve edebiyatını anlamak için okunması gereken kitap。 Goethe'nin felsefesini， edebiyata bakışını ve edebiyatını anlamak için okunması gereken kitap。 。。。more

La-Shanda ，

This book is recommended for anyone who studies or want to learn about Goethe views on World Literature。 He coined the term World Literature after reading about Asian literature on culture and fiction。 The challenges posed， is the west responsible for world literature which excludes eastern thought？ To answer， it requires one to use a historical analysis， remove bias， and embrace a worldview。 Although I appreciate the text， I wanted to understand how African literature connects to the topic。

Sunny ，

This book was about a series of journal entries by Johann Peter Eckermann about his interactions with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe。 Goethe wrote a book called The sufferings of young werther which some people say was part autobiographical but I remember reading that book as a young young maybe 25-year old and remember having to literally sit back on my chair and put the book down after I read one line in that book。 The line was as follows: “think of you， sleepy， I never think of you， you are alway This book was about a series of journal entries by Johann Peter Eckermann about his interactions with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe。 Goethe wrote a book called The sufferings of young werther which some people say was part autobiographical but I remember reading that book as a young young maybe 25-year old and remember having to literally sit back on my chair and put the book down after I read one line in that book。 The line was as follows: “think of you， sleepy， I never think of you， you are always before my soul。 Maybe not as impactful now but then I remember being absolutely wowed by his writing and his philosophical insight。 That book about Young werther went on to have a huge effect on Society in Germany and across Europe with copycat suicides taking place in different countries。 Anyway this book is not about that book but it talks about Goethe's genius in some very simple and what you may think are irrelevant events and discussions between him and the author eckermann。 In parts this book was deeply philosophical but it went on and on and on a lot about German Society and some very niche German writers that both eckermann and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe were in touch with at the time that was written in the 1800s。 For that reason I only gave it 4 stars。 Anyway enough of me rambling， here are some of my best bits:He does not learn merely to accumulate knowledge， so his past is not there for the sake of reminiscence or regret but in engagement with the present moment。He spoke in the slow and composed manner such as you would expect from an aged monarch who is elevated above both praise and blame。The light is there and the colours surround us: but if we had no light and no colours in our own eyes we should not perceive the outward phenomena。At 75 one must of course think something and sometimes of death。 But this thought never gives me fear for I am convinced that our spirit is Indestructible and that its activity continues from eternity to Eternity。 It is like the sun which seems to set only to human eyes but which in reality never sets but shines on unceasingly。The political Talent of ladies often seems to him as a sexual Instinct of the intellect。 Here him said Johann Wolfgang von Goethe， laughing and looking at me: sexual Instinct indeed！ How the physician explains it！ I know not whether I express myself alright but it is something of the sort。 Usually these beings have not been fortunate in love and they now seek compensation in intellectual Pursuits。 Had they been married in time and born children they would never have thought of poetical Productions。 I will not enquire how far you are right in this case but as to the Talents of ladies in other departments I've always found that they ceased on marriage。 I've known girls who drew finely but so soon as they become wives and mothers it was all over: they were busy with their children and never touched a pencil again。What is there is mine and where do I get it from a book or from life is of no consequence: the only point is whether I have made a right use of it。His high rank as an English Pier was very injurious to Byron: for every Talents is oppressed by the outer world: how much more then when there is such high birth and so great a fortune？ The middle rank is much more favorable to Talent so we find all great artists and poets in the middle classes typically。 But when all is said the greatest artis to limit and isolate oneself。And for the following reasons in nature we never see anything isolated: everything is in connection with something else which is before it beside it under it， and over it。 The single object may strike us as particularly picturesque: it is not however the object alone which produces this affects: it is the connection in which we see it， and that which is beside， behind 2， and above it all of which contribute to that overall effect。 The diamond sparkles more brightly， for example， in the sun … After all what to do we know and how far can we go with all our wit？ man is born not to solve the problems of the Universe but find out where the problem lies and then to the strain himself within the limits of the comprehensible。 His faculties are not sufficient to measure the actions of the Universe : and an attempt to explain the outer Worlds by reason is with his narrow view: vain。 The reason of Man and the reason of the deity are two very different reasons and deed。Freedom consists not in refusing to recognize anything above us but in respecting something which is above us: for by respecting it we raise ourselves to it and by are very acknowledgement prove that we bear within ourselves what is higher and are worthy to be on a level with it。Contemporaries and competitors ought NOT to be the object of study: need for an intercourse with great predecessors is the shore sign of a higher Talent。 Study moliere study Shakespeare， but above all things study the Old greats and always the Greeks。A worthless man will always remain worthless: and a little mind will not by daily intercourse with the great minds of antiquity become 1-inch greater。 But a noble man in his soul God has placed the capability for future greatness of character and elevation of mind will through knowledge and of The Familiar intercourse with the elevated nature's of ancient Greeks and Romans， develop to the utmost and everyday make a visible approach to similar greatnessYou ought to like me said Johann Wolfgang von Goethe study Church History for 50 years to understand how it all hangs together。 On the other hand it is highly remarkable to see with what doctrines the mohammedans began the work of education。 As a religious Foundation they confirm the youth in the conviction that nothing can happen to man except what was long since decreed by an all ruling divinity。 With this they are prepared and satisfied for a whole life and they scarce need anything further。 They say: in a war， the ball on which my name is not written cannot hit me。 And without such belief how could he maintain such courage and cheerfulness in the most imminent perils？ The Christian doctrine: no Sparrow Falls to the ground without the consent of our father comes from the same source。The Germans are certainly strange people。 By the Deep thoughts and ideas which they seek and everything and fixed upon everything， they make life much more burdensome than is necessary。 Only have the courage to give yourself up to your impressions: allow yourself to be delighted， moved， elevated colon instructed and spirited for something great: but do not imagine all is vanity， if it is not abstract thoughts and idea。Does this productiveness of genius lie merely in the mind of an important man or does it also liein the body？ The body said Johann Wolfgang von Goethe has at least a mighty influence upon it。 There was indeed a time when in Germany the genius was always thought of as short， week or hunchbacked: but commend me to a genius who has a well proportioned body？Women said Johann Wolfgang von Goethe are silver dishes into which we put golden apples。The higher a man is the more he is under the influence of demons and he must take heed lest his guiding will cancel him to a wrong path。The French and the English on the other hand keep Far more together and guide themselves one by another。 They harmonise dress and manners they fear to differ from one another less they should be remarkable or even ridiculous。 But with the Germans each one does things his own way and strives to satisfy himself: he does not ask about others。 In his work there is a list of the books Napoleon took to Egypt and among them is Johann Wolfgang von Goethe sufferings of young werther。 But what is worth noticing in this list as the way the books are classed under different Rubic's。 Under the the header politic for instance we find the Old Testament， the New Testament， the Quran: by which we see from what point of view Napoleon regard it's religious matters。 。。。more

Ryan ，

Of all the books I've considered， since my completion of The Memoirs of Casanova - now nearly a month ago - this is one high on the list。 And indeed， since discovering the work back in June; one I've looked forward to in general。 Given this is one of the most renown secondary sources on Goethe's life， and likely the very finest of any in general outside of his autobiography。But to say this is a biography per se on his life， is a rather misleading thing。 Yes， one can form a relatively complete pi Of all the books I've considered， since my completion of The Memoirs of Casanova - now nearly a month ago - this is one high on the list。 And indeed， since discovering the work back in June; one I've looked forward to in general。 Given this is one of the most renown secondary sources on Goethe's life， and likely the very finest of any in general outside of his autobiography。But to say this is a biography per se on his life， is a rather misleading thing。 Yes， one can form a relatively complete picture of his life via the text。 However， it is in the form of anecdotes。 And for much - it remains purely as such。 What it does serve as， though， is a record of manners。 Of his ways and of his beliefs。 Hence to it's oft-comparison with Boswell's The Life of Samuel Johnson and even to a few; to the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna。 This， however， I wouldn't apply myself。Others have noted on here， that the structure and manner of this work - though with undeniable similarities - are different to these other two works。 The biggest of these， is to the presence of the collector。 Though Boswell makes his rather clear， in the extracts I've read of his work， as does in Gupta's。 Here， however， Eckermann does relatively little to his presence。 And whilst I would say this does serve to give more to Goethe - I ultimately can't in any proper sense。 Eckermann serves， throughout the work， more as the eternal supporter of Goethe。 The eternal worshiper if you will。 There were few of the conversations， whereby he did not insert a comment of what was to him; his near-divine nature amongst men。 I was reminded often， of the attitude of the monks presented in various Buddhist sutras。 And to how they， after ever word or saying of Gautama， give him a thousand blessings。 Despite this， Eckermann presents a fascinating portrait of Goethe。 He comes off much as he was claimed to be in his time and in the next generations thereafter - as a genius and representative of what a true man of letters ought to be。 Naturally， a fair portion of focus is given to Goethe's Theory of Colours， and - especially during the last parts of the work - to Faust。 But much is given also， to Goethe's thoughts on the literature and politics in his day， religion， philosophy， history， and to his own life in general。 It's rather remarkable， onto the extent of the knowledge presented。 Even if the bias on Eckermann's part is rather strong， the portrait is convincing and riveting nonetheless。 But， as said， the endless praises could've been dampened down a touch。 。。。more

Andreas ，

Nietzsche dubbed it the best German book there is， and it's easy to see why。 Goethe is such a tremendous literary and intellectual force that his readers feel naturally compelled to get closer to his great mind。 Eckermann provides the next best thing after actually talking with the man， by having diligently recorded the many conversations he had with him while serving as his literary assistant during the last ten years of his life。There is wisdom to be found on every page， as well as description Nietzsche dubbed it the best German book there is， and it's easy to see why。 Goethe is such a tremendous literary and intellectual force that his readers feel naturally compelled to get closer to his great mind。 Eckermann provides the next best thing after actually talking with the man， by having diligently recorded the many conversations he had with him while serving as his literary assistant during the last ten years of his life。There is wisdom to be found on every page， as well as descriptions of everyday life in the Goethe household。 Every now and then Goethe's mistaken views on natural science subjects come up， reminding us that he was fallible like the rest of us。 I would suggest reading this work piecemeal， just a couple of pages a day， to experience Goethe's thoughts on a wide variety of subjects in the same fragmented， happenstance way that Eckermann did。 Highly recommended as a complementary read to Wilhelm Meister， or any other of the master's breathtaking works。 。。。more

Devrim Güven ，

The renowned German writer Goethe who is the “coiner” of the term Weltliteratur declared on January 31， 1827 to his assistant and close friend Eckermann: “National literature is now rather an unmeaning term; the epoch of world literature [Weltliteratur] is at hand， and every one must strive to hasten its approach” （Eckermann 1850: 351）。 This casually formulated and articulated appeal that captured the Zeitgeist （spirit of the time） so perfectly that it would gradually become the mantra of the an The renowned German writer Goethe who is the “coiner” of the term Weltliteratur declared on January 31， 1827 to his assistant and close friend Eckermann: “National literature is now rather an unmeaning term; the epoch of world literature [Weltliteratur] is at hand， and every one must strive to hasten its approach” （Eckermann 1850: 351）。 This casually formulated and articulated appeal that captured the Zeitgeist （spirit of the time） so perfectly that it would gradually become the mantra of the anti-nationalist intellectuals， writers and “internationalist” scholars of Comparative Literature （which had progressively been established as an autonomous cross-cultural academic discipline in Europe throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries）。 Given that what inspired Goethe to make such a statement was principally his exposure to a Chinese novel –i。e。 reading experience of a non-European literary text in translation– which he found very remarkable， it should not be considered only as a plea for “de-nationalization，” but also “de-centralization” of literature and literary canonization。 Excerpt from the following book chapter: Devrim Çetin Güven （2019） "Non-European Literature in Translation: A Plea for the Counter-Canonization of Weltliteratur" https://www。peterlang。com/view/978363。。。 In book: Shaping the Field of Translation in Japanese ↔ Turkish Contexts I， Edition: 1， Chapter: 3， Publisher: Peter Lang 。。。more

JaninasBooks ，

Great book。 It would have beensuch a pleasure to talk to him。Interesting View on life

Eric Davidson ，

It took the much of the weekend to get through but finally！ My interest in this book was originally sparked by the statement of Nietzsche that this was perhaps one of the greatest books produced by Germany。 I can't say i've read much German literature to agree but i can say that if i was to create a multivariate analysis of each book i've read with pages read， time taken and enjoyment had， Conversations with Goethe would certainly be top followed perhaps swiftly by The Rise of Roosevelt。To summa It took the much of the weekend to get through but finally！ My interest in this book was originally sparked by the statement of Nietzsche that this was perhaps one of the greatest books produced by Germany。 I can't say i've read much German literature to agree but i can say that if i was to create a multivariate analysis of each book i've read with pages read， time taken and enjoyment had， Conversations with Goethe would certainly be top followed perhaps swiftly by The Rise of Roosevelt。To summarise such a book is hard under the circumstances of the content with it being sporidic conversations on topics ranging from Napoleon， architecture， poetry to。。。bows？ The conversations offer an atmosphere of abstract thought that had synthesised itself into works that inspired Nikola Tesla， who would often recite Faust; Einestien， with quotes noted to his German assistants and Schopenhauer who took much incite from Goethe's poetry， literature and deductive observation of the world， poured into the World as Will and Representation。 My only advice is to first read some of his other works as much of Werther， Elective Affintives and Faust （Part 1） are talked about。 With this perhaps reading or listening to passages from Will Durants: Story of Civilisation on Goethe to get a brief overview of his life。 （https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=gz9vS。。。）。The only flaw with this book is its ability to send a person into a rabbit hole of wanting to understand the people he notes as 'Genuises'。 In most biographies i find one or two name drops of the likes of Beethoven， Rousseau or even Goethe himself， but after highlighting over 30 authors （Schiller， Walter Scott， Lord Byron etc。。。）， tens of books and many obscure subjects， i find it hard to see myself ever truely understanding the mind of such a person。 。。。more

Marty Mangold ，

Wonderful book， a very slow read because there is so much to think about here。

Alejandro Cernuda ，

Eckermann nos deja un precioso testimonio de sus años bajo la sombra de Goethe。 Estas conversaciones tienen mucho que aportar a quienes deseen emprender un camino dentro del mundo del arte o tal vez entender la historia de nuestra cultura occidental o busque algún ejemplo moral y enaltecedor。

Richard Anderson ，

Last words of Goethe。

Irena ，

《歌德谈话录》[德] 艾克曼。金句频出。读的过程，心旷神怡、如沐春风。想到了卢梭对植物学的热情，再看到描述如何选择木头做弓的对话之后，对植物学感兴趣了，哈哈。需重读的一本书。索勒的描述体现歌德的另外一面，准备再看看歌德的自传。

Enrique ，

You obtain the view and the company of an excellent man。 The conversations takes a lot of ideas and projects at the time， Goethe predict the rise of the USA as the world leading country， he suspect that the German patriotism someday will do something really really stupid， and also the dream of a unified Europe as Napoleon almost complete。 You have a great time here， I read it 15 years ago an still this book lives on me。

Khush ，

It is a delightful book。 I cannot help giving this book full five stars （This feels weird， though， to give such books stars）。I like every page of the book。 Right at the beginning， Eckermann writes about his impoverished childhood and his realization that he is gifted。 Later in the Book， we learn how he gets in touch with Goethe。 The book is written in the form of journal entries。 He meets Goethe often and they talk about other writers， books， and so forth。 These are indeed delightful moments。 Ec It is a delightful book。 I cannot help giving this book full five stars （This feels weird， though， to give such books stars）。I like every page of the book。 Right at the beginning， Eckermann writes about his impoverished childhood and his realization that he is gifted。 Later in the Book， we learn how he gets in touch with Goethe。 The book is written in the form of journal entries。 He meets Goethe often and they talk about other writers， books， and so forth。 These are indeed delightful moments。 Eckermann's fascination with Goethe is absolute。 He sees a lot in him; sometimes it feels like Goethe resides inside him。It is also wonderful to read about Jena， Weimar and such small historical towns。 No matter where one lives in the world， one is drawn to the world that the writer describes。 I feel nostalgic about the place， and those meetings where the young meet the established。 Eckermann's meetings with Goethe are full of warmth。 I loved listening to their talks。I am also inclined to read a bit more about Goethe after I finished reading this book。 Although he is known for his love for women， there is enough about him in his own words， and in the words of others， which indicate his same-sex leanings。 Throughout his life， even though he loved women， he never gave himself to anyone – including his first love。 However， he always had great male friends。 For instance， the Duke of Weimar was really enchanted with him， and he with the Duke。 They would spend a lot of time together hunting。 Their bonding was so strong that it had annoyed the ministers in the Duke's staff as if the young poet might taint their Duke。 He lived the better part of his life in Weimar against the wishes of his father。 I wonder if anyone researched about his male friends such as the Duke of Weimar。However， I am not at all suggesting that Goethe relationship with Eckermann was homosexual， not at all。 It is very clear that Eckermann admires Goethe for his work。 He probably feels complete in Goethe's company。 What fascinates me about the book is how Goethe emerges in the book。 For instance， it is interesting to note that Goethe was a huge admirer of Winkelmann， and very often in the book， he speaks very highly of Lord Byron。 In fact， Byron had met Goethe on several occasions。 As for Winkelmann， after living in Italy for several years when he travelled back to Germany， Goethe as a young man was on cloud nine and waited for him like a lover （that is how Walter Pater wrote about Goethe and Winkelmann in his wonderful book 'The Renaissance'）。The book is written in a wonderful language。 One thing I would like to do soon is to go and see Weimar。 I admire Eckermann's sensibility。 The book is as much about Goethe as it is about Eckermann。 Admiring someone else for his/ her talent is very often about the admirer。 。。。more

juneshin ，

Eckermann was Goethe's private secretary for the last 9 years of Goethe's life。 In this book Eckermann gives account of conversations he's had with Goethe about Goethe's works， other literati's works， literature， philosophy， nature， religion and many other subjects。 It is with caution though that ones has to listen to Goethe's thoughts as， although Goethe dictated some of his speeches/statements to Eckermann， Eckermann also added， removed or edited some of them。 Still， it's fascinating to listen Eckermann was Goethe's private secretary for the last 9 years of Goethe's life。 In this book Eckermann gives account of conversations he's had with Goethe about Goethe's works， other literati's works， literature， philosophy， nature， religion and many other subjects。 It is with caution though that ones has to listen to Goethe's thoughts as， although Goethe dictated some of his speeches/statements to Eckermann， Eckermann also added， removed or edited some of them。 Still， it's fascinating to listen to as Goethe's mind is quite something else。 。。。more

Fernando Ferreira ，

Eckermann faz um trabalho notável ao nos mostrar Goethe com toda a riqueza e complexidade da personalidade do príncipe da poesia alemã。 É um mergulho nos pensamentos， idéias e opiniões de um dos grandes escritores do Ocidente。 Mas， mais do que um escritor， Goethe era um sábio， um homem que conheceu profundamente as pessoas e o mundo ao seu redor， e que， mesmo nos últimos anos de vida， estava sempre aprendendo， sempre buscando compreender， de maneira sensível e inteligente， as questões que lhe er Eckermann faz um trabalho notável ao nos mostrar Goethe com toda a riqueza e complexidade da personalidade do príncipe da poesia alemã。 É um mergulho nos pensamentos， idéias e opiniões de um dos grandes escritores do Ocidente。 Mas， mais do que um escritor， Goethe era um sábio， um homem que conheceu profundamente as pessoas e o mundo ao seu redor， e que， mesmo nos últimos anos de vida， estava sempre aprendendo， sempre buscando compreender， de maneira sensível e inteligente， as questões que lhe eram postas。 Era um dínamo， uma força viva da natureza， que espraiou sua influência sobre as mais diversas pessoas nos mais diversos recantos da Europa。 Uma das maiores personalidades de artista de todos os tempos， senão a maior。 Goethe merece todas as nossas homenagens e sincera admiração。 。。。more

Laura ，

Free download available at Project Gutenberg。 Free download available at Project Gutenberg。 。。。more

Richard S ，

Goethe was one of the most famous and greatest writers who ever lived and this incredible book is an insight into his life and thoughts at an old age， one where he was nonetheless fully aware and writing the second part of Faust。 The book contains the memories of conversations between Goethe and Eckermann， who was assisting him in various ways with his legacy。 In the book， Goethe discusses a wide variety of topics from literature to science， and comes across as probably the most elevated and cul Goethe was one of the most famous and greatest writers who ever lived and this incredible book is an insight into his life and thoughts at an old age， one where he was nonetheless fully aware and writing the second part of Faust。 The book contains the memories of conversations between Goethe and Eckermann， who was assisting him in various ways with his legacy。 In the book， Goethe discusses a wide variety of topics from literature to science， and comes across as probably the most elevated and cultured person whom I have ever encountered。Virtually every page is filled with Goethe's insight and genius， which is of the highest order （to use a phrase perhaps he would use）。 It's hard to say exactly what my favorite parts were， his comments on other authors are always brilliant， his advice to other writers， his comments on his prior works， his discussions about science and his theories of color， but perhaps most remarkable was his discussion of his ongoing progress on the second part of Faust， which took him six years to write。 I also particularly liked the various excursions he took with Eckermann， whether to neighboring towns or up into the mountains。 It also portrays this incredible literary world which frankly filled me with pangs of jealousy， particularly the various homages he receives from other artists， most notable a chest full of literary goodies from the great artist David in France。 The various Ambassadors and German royalty that visit， as well as other famous writers and artists， and the dinner parties and concert parties they hold， describe a world that seems unfathomable in its richness。 The near-constant discussion of theater （which has odd similarities to how we talk about movies） is also fascinating and his advice to dramatists as well as poets should also be considered。Concepts such as "elevated" and "cultured" and "highest order" have been shot down in our modernist era， and yet here you have Goethe， one of the greatest writers of all time， describing literature （and the world） in that sense。 I felt while reading this that this moment in time and place was the true pinnacle of civilization and everything has been downhill since （like some would say classical music after Beethoven）。 Sometimes the book made me realize just how human great artists are， and yet other parts were so rich and profound I felt this enormous gulf between myself and Goethe。I recommend this book for anyone， especially writers of any sort and people involved in the theater。 I would recommend reading both parts of Faust and probably some of his other works beforehand。 I had only read Wilhelm Meister， but The Sorrows of Young Werther is mentioned frequently， as are many of his poems， dramas （Tasso and Iphigenia） and other works。 You might want to read some Schiller as well， "Robbers" in particular。 Lord Byron is a big favorite of Goethe。 He says a truly cultured person has read the Greeks， and some of the Romans， and Shakespeare and Moliere。This was a great book to read towards the end of the Powys project。 Goethe is truly a giant （and Faust is part of Columbia's core curriculum， although it wasn't when I was there）。 He had a wide range of interests from literature in all its forms （poetry， drama and novels） and science （he was a well known botanist and was interested in the science of colors）。 The book had a lot of personal meaning for me; he was someone who I truly admire and hope to emulate in the remainder of my life。 Having such a direct insight into someone so brilliant and incredible is a treat （Boswell's "Life of Johnson" is not quite at the same level）， how rare it is that we get to sit at the table of the Muses， and hear what they have to say and think。 。。。more

Filippos Tompousoglou ，

Deep thoughts about a wide range of issues， such as politic， art， wealth etc。。 Totally recommended

Philipp ，

This is the book Nietzsche called the best book in the German language， the Conversations with Goethe of Eckermann， three books that Eckermann compiled from notes and diaries detailing their almost daily discussions during the last few years of Goethe's life -For me， the first two books out of three are too direct， too fawning， Eckermann was clearly loving Goethe， and some of that feeling is reciprocated。 Goethe complains about how some contemporary writer is bad in this or that way， then Eckerm This is the book Nietzsche called the best book in the German language， the Conversations with Goethe of Eckermann， three books that Eckermann compiled from notes and diaries detailing their almost daily discussions during the last few years of Goethe's life -For me， the first two books out of three are too direct， too fawning， Eckermann was clearly loving Goethe， and some of that feeling is reciprocated。 Goethe complains about how some contemporary writer is bad in this or that way， then Eckermann comes up with an example of how Goethe did that thing much better in one of his plays， and then both vehemently agree for a page or two。You have to see it this way: a young， self-taught guy from a poor background who has never finished any schooling or higher degree， who yearns for a career in the arts meets a famous man at the end of his life， a man whose time in the mainstream is over， who is maybe yearning for some attention from the younger German generations。 The third book is much better， written a few years after Goethe's death， there's more distance between Eckermann and Goethe which leads to a cooler description of what was going on。 The first two books spend so much time on Eckermann and Goethe agreeing that I'm surprised there's no slash fiction out there。Some notes:- Goethe's theory of color keeps on appearing over and over again （tl;dr: light doesn't consist of all colors， but colors appear when darkness and light mix） - Goethe was very angry that the "crowning achievement of his life" was being ignored by the mainstream。 There are some fun implications for philosophy of science， and general crank-ism in there。 A good theory doesn't explain phenomena， it predicts them; when Goethe's theory's predictions failed， he explained these failures away by saying that the eye is subjective， it "wants to see what it sees"。 Only a few pages later he complains about how no-one wants to "let go" of Newton's theory of color， but he couldn't do that with his own theory。。。 Goethe - Kunstwerk des Lebens states that Goethe was gifted a prism which would have dispelled his theory， but there's not a word about it here。 The other scientific research， for example into the metamorphosis of plants， worked out better - his methods and concepts like homology vs。 analogy are still in use。- It's interesting how often Lord Byron appears - nowadays probably more known as the father of Ada Lovelace， one of the pioneers of computing。 Goethe was immensely impressed with Byron， and he discusses Byron's successes and failures over and over again， the most discussed artist here。 Schiller appears often too， for obvious reasons。- I was easily lost in discussions between Eckermann and Goethe about their contemporary literature， much of which has been forgotten - have you ever read anything by August Hagen？ Or August von Kotzebue， Friedrich August Wolf， Johann Gottfried Herder， St。 Schütze （and many similar ones）？ Me neither！- You get a "making of" of Faust 2， which Goethe finished with Eckermann's help in the last few years of his life， including some insights into what Goethe thought about certain elements of the play （there's no specific symbolism behind the names of the characters Baucis and Philemon， just that their situation is vaguely similar to the characters in Ovid's writing）， or how much Goethe owed to the Greeks， he kept on returning to Greek drama his entire life。- It's also interesting how extremely confident Goethe was。 Sometimes， that worked out immensely in his favor， you can't just write that many poems， plays， novels， and publish in several sciences without believing in what you're doing。 In other times it didn't help - it doesn't look like he could admit errors （theory of colors， again）。 I wish I could be this much into my own work！- lots and lots of interesting thoughts on arts， and on his work， the role of Germany， too much to fit in here。 Goethe spent his whole life trying to perfect his life， his outlook and his personality， this gave me the first insight into why he's such a revered personality in Germany， and why Nietzsche loved him so much: Goethe was someone who never stopped improving himself。 Goethe's personal philosophy of life and religion still has a lot to offer。Anyway， once you get past all the fawning there are some extremely interesting thoughts and concept to be found here， and I really got to understand why Goethe is still such a towering figure in German culture。 。。。more

Ariadne Oliver ，

If you are interested in the history and culture of Goethe's time （1749-1832）， as I am， this is well worth reading。 Having read some of Goethe's works it was interesting to find out about his plans， intentions and influences。What does make this an occasionally uncomfortable read is the very uneven relationship between Eckermann and Goethe。 After having known each other for three months， having spent most of that time apart and not communicating， Goethe asks Eckermann to stay in Weimar， not just If you are interested in the history and culture of Goethe's time （1749-1832）， as I am， this is well worth reading。 Having read some of Goethe's works it was interesting to find out about his plans， intentions and influences。What does make this an occasionally uncomfortable read is the very uneven relationship between Eckermann and Goethe。 After having known each other for three months， having spent most of that time apart and not communicating， Goethe asks Eckermann to stay in Weimar， not just for a while but for his whole life。 And Eckermann accepts because as long as he can have Goethe he'll be happy。Goethe continues to tell Eckermann what he should and shouldn't do and Eckermann continues to idolize Goethe and fail to see even one tiny flaw in him。 They don't ever come close to connecting as equals。 Also despite Eckermann's effort to portray Goethe in the most flattering light possible， Goethe comes across as quite conceited and full of himself at times。 。。。more

Milena ，

"Na njemu se videlo da se odmara u samom sebi i da se izdigao iznad pohvale i pokude。"Tako da je i svako zvezdičanje sa moje strane nesuvislo i bespredmetno。 :-） "Na njemu se videlo da se odmara u samom sebi i da se izdigao iznad pohvale i pokude。"Tako da je i svako zvezdičanje sa moje strane nesuvislo i bespredmetno。 :-） 。。。more

Howard Franklin ，

To begin， after 79 pages， I held a conference with myself and elected not to finish Conversations of Goethe。 And after sleeping on my decision， nothing changed。Johann Wolfgang von Goethe， poet， dramatist， novelist， translator， scientist， and musician， is recognized as the last universal genius of the West， and I looked very much forward to getting to know him via "being in his presence，" as quips about the book promised。 This did not prove to be the case， as though Goethe's assistant， Johann Pet To begin， after 79 pages， I held a conference with myself and elected not to finish Conversations of Goethe。 And after sleeping on my decision， nothing changed。Johann Wolfgang von Goethe， poet， dramatist， novelist， translator， scientist， and musician， is recognized as the last universal genius of the West， and I looked very much forward to getting to know him via "being in his presence，" as quips about the book promised。 This did not prove to be the case， as though Goethe's assistant， Johann Peter Eckermann took detailed notes of his meetings with Goethe over a nine-year period， from 1823 to Goethe's death in 1832， and then worked assiduously over a twelve-year period to transcribe them into the text of the book， his nineteenth-century style of writing unfortunately struck me as dry。 Many individuals， some of major importance， some not， are also present at times during Eckermann's meetings with Goethe， which range in duration from a few minutes to almost an entire day， many of whom did not actually interact with Goethe， Eckermann pointing out that Goethe was a very good listener。 This complicated my effort to gain insight into Goethe as a person， and to learn what he thought about various subjects， from countries， to writing styles， to politics etc。。At Page 79， not quite twenty-five percent of the book， I asked myself if I was learning much about Goethe， and the answer was: not a great deal。 Moreover， I was not enjoying the book， and the small font used by the publisher added to the struggle to look forward to the next page。 With so many books available that both entertain and educate， and so little time to read them all， I decided that discretion was indeed the better part of valor， especially as I approach my seventy-fifth birthday next month。I do want to add that from the introduction， Johann Peter Eckermann was a most admirable person and scholar。 Born into a poor family， he did not receive the benefits of much formal education， and through hard work turned himself into an educated man and poet。 And having studied German literature and philosophy， and decided that his hero was Goethe， Johann Peter's devotion to Goethe in assisting him to complete certain works and order others before his death was truly admirable when the amount of self-sacrifice on his part is taken into consideration。 After meeting Eckermann， and deciding that his talents were well suited to assisting him， Goethe did forward Johann Peter's book of poems to a publisher with the recommendation that they be published， which occurred。 Thereafter， however， during the next nine years they worked together， Goethe did not pay Eckermann， Johann Peter subsisting on tutoring lessons he gave。 Only one year before his death， did Goethe draw up a contract that made Eckermann the editor of his completed works， with a small percentage of the royalties to come from their publication。 Because of his poor economic conditions， Eckermann delayed marrying his fiancee for ten years， and they struggled to live thereafter on his meager earnings。 Johann Peter never complained， but instead relished being part of Goethe's life， and assisting him。 And after Goethe passed， though broken in health， Eckermann labored continuously to create Conversations of Goethe。 I salute him for his total dedication to art， both Goethe's and his own。 。。。more

Matthew Ciaramella ，

Based Goethe

Saulė ，

THE BEST BOOK IN THE WORLD

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Conversations with Goethe

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Conversations with Goethe&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Conversations with Goethe&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0