Publication of The Sorrows of Young Werther

Background. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a German polymath and writer, was 24 years old when he wrote the novel. He finished the epistolary work in five and a half weeks of intensive writing between January and March 1774. The text recounts an unhappy romantic infatuation that ends in suicide.

Publication. The novel was published anonymously in 1774. Goethe later distanced himself from the work, regretting the fame it brought him and the attention it drew to his youthful love for Charlotte Buff. The book was one of the main novels of the Sturm und Drang period in German literature.

Reception. The work brought Goethe worldwide fame and is considered to have trailblazed the Romantic movement. However, the novel and the associated 'Werther' clothing style were banned in Leipzig in 1775 due to concerns about its influence on young lovers. Goethe substantially reworked the book for a revised edition in 1787.