Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Drama, European - Hardcover

by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe (Author), Charles Timothy Brooks (Translator)

Faust calls itself "A Tragedy" right enough, but it might just as well be described as a musical comedy -- it's ripe with comic passages, features many songs, and lacks a tragic ending. And Faust isn't a classic tragic figure, either. In fact, his characteristic yearning for experience and knowledge created a type for the romantic age still known as the Faustian hero. The villain of the piece -- Mephistopheles -- is one of the most likeable characters in the play. His yearnings draw him toward the heavens, yet he is also powerfully attracted to the physical world.

Back Jacket

Faust is a classic of world literature, yet until now no English rendition of Goethe's philosophical and poetic drama has been able to capture its life, satire, irony, humor, and tragedy. Award-winning translator and critic Martin Greenberg here presents the first faithful, readable, and elegantly written version of Geothe's masterpiece available in English.