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A Day to Remember Goethe, 175 Years After His Death
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe disliked funeral services, but that should not be a reason not to note the 22nd of March as a remarkable date, his day of death 175 years ago. The world would be a different place without his works. Goethe was born on the August 28, 1749 in Frankfurt am Main and died 82 years later, on March 22, 1832, in Weimar. Today, he remains most well-known poet, theatre leader, scientist, art theoretician and statesman of the Weimar classical period. The body of his work encompasses poems, dramas and novels, but also scientific papers. He is considered the most important German poet and an outstanding personality in the world’s literature. Today Goethe’s name is often used in connection with the German culture in general. The Goethe Institut is Germany’s cultural institution worldwide. Numerous other organisations, companies and brands carry the name of the famous German poet. Radio Goethe, for example, is a radio magazine which tries to spread the German culture, particularly in the United States. It is on air in 36 stations in the US, Canada, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slovenia and Germany.
Goethe’s current popularity in the United States is remarkable. Chicago has a Goethe Monument, there is a Goethe Society of North America and beer brands are named after Faust and Mephistopheles, the protagonists in Goethe’s “Faust.” But why are he and his protagonists still so popular even among the general public? Many of the places where he lived, for example his birthplace in Frankfurt or his house in Weimar, are big tourist attractions. It is a question that is easy to answer. It is because of the contents of his works. His writings still mean something to people; the topics are interesting, exiting and still modern. Take for example the tragedy of the scholar Faust, who allies with the devil Mephistopheles in order to achieve his goals, not recoiling even from crime, and finally becomes responsible for the death of his fellows, including his love, Gretchen. March 22, 2007 Links
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