歌德(1749～1832年)
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von
德国诗人、小说家、剧作家、自然哲学家。他在莱比锡和史特拉斯堡攻读法律。1773年他把第一部戏剧大作《格茨.冯.贝利欣根》献给狂飙运动，1774年献出《少年维特的烦恼》，这是当时极受欢迎的作品，他在书中塑造出浪漫主角的原型。1775年他接受威玛公爵宫廷派任，并在那里终老，而他的出现後来使威玛成为文学和知识的中心。他的诗歌包括赞赏自然美景的抒情诗，还有反映民间主题的「魔王」（1782）等歌谣。在义大利逗留期间，他接触到古典希腊和罗马文化，有助於塑造他的戏剧，包括《陶里岛上的伊菲革涅亚》（1787）、《埃格蒙特》（1788）、《托夸多.塔索》（1790）和《罗马哀歌》（写於1788～1789年）中的诗歌。1794年起，他与席勒的友谊成为一生中重要的事。《威廉.麦斯特的戏剧使命》（1795～1796）常被称为第一部教育小说；多年以後出现了《威廉.麦斯特的漫游岁月》（1821～1829）。他的杰作哲学戏剧《浮士德》（1808、1832）涉及了灵魂为知识、权力、幸福、救赎所做的奋斗。他还写过各种作品（如果说是个人癖好的话），论述植物、光学和其他科学题目。晚年他成为着名的贤哲，世界名人相继来访。身为德国浪漫主义最伟大的人物，他被视为世界文学的巨人。
English version：
1749～1832年
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von
German poet, novelist, playwright, and natural philosopher. Born in Frankfurt, he studied law in Leipzig and Strasbourg. In 1773 he provided the Sturm und Drang movement with its first major drama, G?tz von Berlichingen, and in 1774 with its first novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther, an extraordinarily popular work in its time, in which he created the prototype of the Romantic hero. In 1775 he accepted an appointment at the ducal court at Weimar, where he would remain the rest of his life; his presence would establish Weimar as a literary and intellectual center. His poetry includes lyrics in praise of natural beauty and ballads such as “The Erl-King” (1782) that echo folk themes. Many early works were inspired by a series of passionate loves. Contact with classical Greek and Romantic culture during an Italian sojourn helped shape his plays, including Iphigenie auf Tauris (1787), Egmont (1788), and Torquato Tasso (1790), and the poems in Roman Elegies (1795). From 1794, his friendship with Friedrich Schiller became the most important of his life. Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship (1795-96) is often called the first bildungsroman; it was followed many years later by Wilhelm Meister's Travels (1821-29). His masterpiece, the philosophical drama Faust (Part I, 1808; Part II, 1832), concerns the struggle of the soul for knowledge, power, happiness, and salvation. He also wrote extensively, if idiosyncratically, on botany, optics, and other scientific topics. In his late years he was celebrated as a sage and visited by world luminaries. The greatest figure of German Romanticism, he is regarded as a giant of world literature.