The Sorrows of Young Werther

The Sorrows of Young Werther is an epistolary novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, first published in 1774. It was his first novel.

Told largely through letters to his friend Wilhelm, the novel follows the passionate and increasingly unhappy young Werther. After settling in the countryside, he meets Charlotte and falls deeply in love with her.

Charlotte is already engaged to Albert, whom she later marries, and Werther’s unrequited love becomes increasingly destructive.

Its passionate, despairing tone made it a defining work of the Sturm und Drang movement and brought Goethe international recognition.

This edition of The Sorrows of Young Werther is based on the English translation by R. Dillon Boylan.