Faust A Tragedy Part One - Faust Author:Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Martin Greenberg (Translator) A classic of world literature, Goethe's Faust has been neglected by English-speaking readers of the twentieth century. One reason for this is that there has been no readable English version of Goethe's philosophical and poetic drama, one that captures its life, satire, irony, humor, and tragedy. Now an award-winning translator and critic... more » has supplied such a translation; it will enchant and enlighten students and general readers alike.
Martin Greenberg re-creates not only the varied meter and rhyme of Faust but also its diverse tones and styles—dramatic and lyrical, reflective and farcical, pathetic and coarse, colloquial and soaring. His rendition of Faust is the first faithful, readable, and elegantly written translation of Goethe's masterpiece available in English. Complete with preface and notes, it offers as does none other the range and power of the original in a modern idiom.
Goethe’s masterpiece and perhaps the greatest work in German literature, Faust has made the legendary German alchemist one of the central myths of the Western world. Here indeed is a monumental Faust, an audacious man boldly wagering with the devil, Mephistopheles, that no magic, sensuality, experience, or knowledge can lead him to a moment he would wish to last forever. Here, in Faust, Part I, the tremendous versatility of Goethe’s genius creates some of the most beautiful passages in literature. Here too we experience Goethe’s characteristic humor, the excitement and eroticism of the witches’ Walpurgis Night, and the moving emotion of Gretchen’s tragic fate.« less