Italian Journey, 1786-1788
£6.82
A surprising read. - 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 .