Presented as a collection of confessional letters written by the eponymous protagonist, The Sorrows of Young Werther charts the emotional journey of a young man who, during a stay in a picturesque German village, falls in love with Lotte, a local woman engaged to another man. As he realizes that his passion is doomed to failure and constant pain, Werther contemplates taking the most drastic measures.

I can promise to be candid, not, however, to be impartial. A selection of the most insightful maxims and reflections from one of Germany's greatest ever thinkers. Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin's 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th-century California and the Russian steppe. Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions. Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe (1749-1832). Goethe's works available in Penguin Classics are Faust, Part I, Faust, Part II, Maxims and Reflections, Elective Affinities, The Sorrows of Young Werther, Selected Poetry amd Italian Journey 1786-1788.

«Goethes (Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von 1749 — 1832) «Faust» ist das Menschheitsdrama par excellence: Die ungeheuerliche Suche nach dem, was die Welt im Innersten zusammenhält, führt auch den Gelehrtesten an die Grenzen des Verstandes. In «Der Tragödie zweitem Teil» (1832) verdichtet sich diese Suche zum Streben nach dem universellen, unverbrüchlichen Bündnis von Leben und Kunst. Bis heute besticht der «Faust» durch seine fulminante Kraft und Tiefe und seinen Reichtum an Bezügen. Zu Recht gilt die Tragödie als das bedeutendste Werk der deutschen Literatur.»

You only find true love once. When Werther dances with the beautiful Lotte, it seems as though he is in paradise. It is a joy, however, that can only ever be short-lived. Engaged to another man, she tolerates Werther's adoration and encourages his friendship. She can never return his love. Broken-hearted, he leaves her home in the country, trying to escape his own desire. But when he receives a letter telling him that she is finally married, his passion soon turns to destructive obsession. And as his life falls apart, Werther is haunted by one certainty. He has lost his reason for living.