Faust
Der Tragödie erster Teil
by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe · first published 1800
28% recommend70% neutral2% critical
Why HN recommends it
Dramatic poem about a scholar's bargain with the devil, praised for its dense brilliance and its insight into ambition, technology and human striving. Rewards rereading; suits serious literature readers.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
A complete annotated translation of Goethe's "Faust," plus extensive interpretive notes, "Faust" illustrations and other visual sources used by Goethe, several pieces of Goethe's correspondence and commentary, eleven contemporary reviews by well-known writers, and ten modern pieces of criticism; also includes a Goethe chronology and selected bibliography.
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I recently bought a cheap, delightfully printed, otherwise hard-to-find Kaufmann translation of Goethe’s Faust. Probably my best value-for-money purchase ever. https://www.amazon.com/Goethes-Faust-Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe/...
on “The Birth of Anchor Books” ↗Faust - Goethe. the Norton Critical edition translation
on “Ask HN: Book that exalts man's spirit?” ↗I never wanted to be famous. Now I feel confirmed. Jesus. There’s liberty in being a nobody. > Suffice to say, I didn’t realize that this type of thing was part of the Faustian fame-seeking bargain. Again, reading classics holds more weight than 90% of current self help and motivational books. Goethe was on point. After having mastered all the sciences and still unfulfilled,…
on “Reasons not to become famous” ↗Goethe's Faust. It's more densely packed with brilliance than anything else I've ever read.
on “Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?” ↗…another comment: Victor Frankyl: Man in search of meaning Marcus Aurelius: Meditations Jung: Development of Personality, Archetypes/Aion Nietsche: all and any For philosophical fiction: Goethe: Faust Hemingway: Death in the afternoon (this was my first glimpse into why books can provide lightness of body, displacement of time: wait for the 4th-wall-breaking-rapport with the old woman) David Foster…
on “Ask HN: Are books worth it?” ↗…result and answer to the question - why. “The Correlation is not Causation”. Well, these are the major ones that stood up this year. Also In terms of fiction 2018 was quite classy: The Iliad by Homer, Faust by Goethe, The Sleepwalkers - Herman Broch, re-reading The Man Without Qualities by Robert Musil (one of my favourite work of literature of all time). I’ve found out after creating soc. media accounts…
on “Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?” ↗I'm a native English speaker and I find Goethe easier to read and understand than Shakespeare. In fact, although I love Shakespeare, it takes less mental energy to read Faust than it does to watch a performance of Hamlet.
on “The Shakespeare Programming Language” ↗…aspect of Anglo-Saxon poetry (Beowulf doesn't rhyme in the old language), it worked quite well for me. It was one of the great literary experiences of my life, along with Brothers Karamazov, Goethe's Faust, the Iliad and Moby Dick. I taught myself a good chunk of Anglo-Saxon about 5 years ago specifically to read the elegiac poems in the books mentioned in this article, and Beowulf (which has escaped me…
on “What Do Our Oldest Books Say About Us?” ↗Here a short list - The Edda - Lots of Latvian Dainas[1] - Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Immanuel Kant, (1785) and Critique of Pure Reason (second edition 1787) - Goethe's Faust, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, (1828–29 edition - Divina Commedia, Dante Alighieri, (1320) [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daina_(Latvia)
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?” ↗Goethe's later work Faust (I+II) is my absolute favorite. The first book (play) is quite short and extremely well written in the german original. The second book is much thicker and extremely convoluted. After a long journey…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?” ↗…leitmotiv in the story. To the extent his motivations are similar, Jeff Bezos is certainly far from the only real character to express this idea. p.s., I recommend Homo Faber very highly. Along with Faust by Goethe it is invaluable reading for anyone interested in technology and the human condition. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_Faber_(novel)
on “Jeff Bezos and the New Pharoahs” ↗I found it very illuminating to read Dostoyevsky's works alongside Goethe's Faust when thinking about the protagonist.
on “Why did Dostoyevsky write Crime and Punishment?” ↗Maybe reading good books could help - like Goethe's Faust: > If Mephistopheles can grant Faust a moment of transcendence on Earth, a moment that he wishes to remain forever, then he will instantly die and serve the Devil in Hell. Faust does not believe that…
on “Tell HN: I have the perfect job, why is it not enough?” ↗…definitely a recommended exercise to read different ones. It's not unique to taoist texts either, as I recommend to check different translations of works such as Dante's Comedy, Beowulf, or Goethe's Faust. When there is meaning, style, sub-meanings and connotations, a translation can only convey some parts accurately. Different translations will usually make different trade-offs. [0] Note that 'best'…
on “Tao Te Ching – Gia-Fu Feng, Jane English Translation (1989)” ↗You, too, don't appear to understand what the Faustian is about specifically. Guys, you should read up on something other than Wikipedia, & not embarrass yourself with dimwit attempts at allegory. Allow me to suggest Faust by Goethe!