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Italian Journey, 1786-1788 Paperback – Illustrated, 28 Oct. 1982

by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (Author), Elizabeth Mayer (Translator), W. H. Auden (Translator)

4.6 78 ratings

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In 1786, when he was already the acknowledged leader of the Sturm und Drang literary movement, Goethe set out on a journey to Italy to fulfil a personal and artistic quest and to find relief from his responsibilities and the agonies of unrequited love. As he travelled to Venice, Rome, Naples and Sicily he wrote many letters, which he later used as the basis for the Italian Journey. A journal full of fascinating observations on art and history, and the plants, landscape and the character of the local people he encountered, this is also a moving account of the psychological crisis from which Goethe emerged newly inspired to write the great works of his mature years.

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Print length

512 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Penguin Classics
Publication date

28 Oct. 1982
Dimensions

19.76 x 13.11 x 2.36 cm
ISBN-10

0140442332
ISBN-13

978-0140442335
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Product description

About the Author

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was born in 1749. Having studied at Leipzig and Strassburg, he began to write some essays and lyrical verse, and at twenty-four wrote a play Goetz von Berlichingen, which brought him national fame and established him in the Sturm und Drang movement. He is most famous for his tragedy Werther. He died in 1832.

W. H. Auden was Professor of Poetry at Oxford University from 1956 to 1960. He published poems throughout his life, and in 1946 became a US citizen. He died in 1973.

Elizabeth Mayer has also translated, in collaboration with Louise Bogan, Elective Affinities and Werther.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Classics; Revised ed. edition (28 Oct. 1982)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 512 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0140442332
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140442335
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 19.76 x 13.11 x 2.36 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 270,462 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 152 in Italian Historical Biographies
- 447 in German Historical Biographies

Customer reviews:
4.6 78 ratings

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4.6 out of 5

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Dsf

poet, philosopher, genius

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 November 2011

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Goethe is one of the towering figures of European civilization.

This description of his Wanderjahre in Italy serves as an excellent introduction for those about to embark on Goethe's Roemische Elegien - and reminds one that he possessed one of the most penetrating intellects of all times.

2 people found this helpful

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M. Pacitti

Great book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 September 2017

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Very happy with the condition of this book and it's a keeper

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 February 2014

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The translation flowed easily. At every stage of the journey I was exhilarated by the descriptions of people, area, towns, .food and geology.

3 people found this helpful

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A devout Neil Fan

A remedy for any lost aesthetes!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 August 2018

Fascinating read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 April 2007

I purchased this book for an essay on Goethe's journey in Italy. I chose this translation after comparing it to the other one available, as I felt the style was closer to Goethe's intentions. Admittedly I expected it to be somewhat boring and the first few pages were a slow read. However once Goethe reaches Rome, his excitement of being on "classic soil" is so well conveyed, that I really got into it. The book is based on letters that he wrote home to Weimar and his reflections some time later when he compiled it. They provide an interesting perspective of Italy and Europe at the time and the lifestyles of the upper-class intellectuals. The most surprising part for me however, was that Goethe actually has a sense of humour which his quirky little observations of life as a humanitarian show. I recommend finding a copy of the Roman Elegies and some of his other works of the time, to complement 'Italian Journey'.

26 people found this helpful

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Ross

Good period travel book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 January 2017

Really good period travel book. Lots of interesting anecdotes from the period .

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 March 2017

The 37 yr.old author of 'Werther' slipped out of Weimar in Sept.1786 to travel incognito in Italy for two years - a long held ambition. Like Ruskin he had an impressive knowledge of geology, soils and flora. He collected rocks all the way to Sicily, including compacted soot from the smoking rim of Vesuvius! He first came across the cosseted lemons at Lake Garda and the more hardy orange trees further south. Of all the Renaissance and Baroque villas he managed to visit Villas Madama and Borghese but, to his shame, skipped through Florence in two days, barely glancing at the Boboli Gardens - so keen was he to get to Rome, 'City of the World'. He had already been entranced by Venice and was impressed by both the venerable Doge and Pope in their white, gold and ermine, processing with their gaudy acolytes. He lamented the only parade you saw in Prussia was soldiers in short coats. Arriving in Rome, he determined in all humility to become a better art connoisseur and artist. In raptures over Raphael, he found the latter surpassed by Michelangelo. He realised their vivid palette reflected their climate and outdoor life, comparing it with the dour, damp conditions prevailing north of the Alps. Onto Naples in January, he descended through sleet, renting unheated rooms with only wooden shutters. Living outside virtually all year, Neapolitans did not bother to heat their houses. Busy and active in Rome, Goethe succumbed to the indolence of Naples. Excursions took in Pompeii and Herculaneum where he lamented the frescoes were crumbling and treasures looted - Sir William Hamilton among the culprits in this plundering. Goethe himself had acquired three heads of Juno. Catching an American Packet, he approached Sicily in the company of gambolling dolphins. The ruined Greek temples he visited overlooked a productive and fertile landscape, extolling Paestum especially. Having no camera he 'employed' artist companions to make frequent sketches. Travelling through cacti to the south, 'a long bank of cloud like a mountain ridge' indicated Africa. He viewed Etna, still snow-covered in May, from the amphitheatre perched high above Taormina. Dismayed by earthquake-devastated Messina, he was glad to escape the irascible Governor by boarding a French trader bound for Naples..............and there we must leave him, continuing to make his entertaining observations and reflections. This volume is ideal if you wish for a light introduction to this formidable writer and dramatist, whose life fell into two halves: before and after Italy.

7 people found this helpful

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prof

Slightly blurred

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 April 2021

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Super book but poorly printed.

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Amazon Customer

A Great Read

Reviewed in Canada on 12 December 2022

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Goethe is best remembered for serious work so the style of this travel book is a pleasant surprise. It was written nearly 240 years ago and the excellent translation is about 100 years ago but fresh and easy to read. Fun to know that in some ways travel does not change. He misses home but is fascinated and delighted by the long-anticipated trip and notices everything, the country, architecture people, customs and the art he loves. He is excited to see the sea for the first time and collects shells and rocks and plant specimens and at the end has bought too many souvenirs, including gifts for his friends and their children. Excellent description of Marxism Gras. A great book for people who love Italy.

Beppeprimo

A must read for the Italophile

Reviewed in the United States on 13 November 2022

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This is a wonderful, if occasionally gossipy, travelogue and cultural commentary on Goethe's 2-year stint in Italy hobnobbing with the glitteratti of the day. It covers virtually every principal region, including Sicily, and many of its cultural treasures,often in granular detail. Although more than two centuries have passed, it's remarkable how little so many things have changed. The beautiful prose in translation is wonderful. Whether planning a first trip or a twentieth, this is a must-read. One of Goethe's most enduring truisms: "To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is not to have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the key to everything." Amen

Justyna

A little bit damaged cover

Reviewed in Poland on 22 December 2022

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My book has a few tiny damages. I would normally let it pass, however it's going to be a gift. I paid a lot for this, so I expected it to be an excellent quality. Anyways, the shipping before Christmas was very fast, so I'll give 3 stars out of 5.

christopher moss

good holiday read

Reviewed in Germany on 3 June 2022

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especially if you go to italy

dorothie22

For lovers of Goethe, the 18th Century and Italy

Reviewed in Canada on 22 April 2014

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Though Goethe has a forbiddingly highbrow reputation for anglophones, this volume is a wonderful and painless introduction to his work. It's a clear and intimate first-person narrative of a trip to Italy in the 1780s, though written many years after the event from his journals (which you can find in Oxford UP paperback, if you are interested). I took this on a visit to Rome, and was happy to see how many of Goethe's experiences can still be shared by visitors today. The narrative tends to tail out a bit towards the end, but Goethe's arrival in the Eternal City and his 'flowering' there are still an inspiring read. The Italian Journey was the text that sent me off to check out Goethe's other writings. Make sure you take a look at his lodgings in Rome if you go to visit: it's now a fine, little-known museum near the Piazza del Popolo that really sends you back in time, into Goethe's life and into the 18th century ...

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