Seduced by the chimerical world of the theatre and taking upon himself the grand ambition of becoming a successful performer and dramatist, the merchant’s son Wilhelm Meister embarks on a tumultuous quest of self-discovery. Along his path he finds himself having to negotiate love, desire and the need to face up to his own past and responsibilities.
A landmark in the history of European literature, Goethe’s novel is not only one of the key works of Weimar Classicism and the prototype for the
Bildungsroman genre, but also a timeless tale of coming into one’s own and a fascinating portrayal of the late-eighteenth-century theatre world.
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'One of the most influential literary works of the early nineteenth century.'
The Independent
'To read
Wilhelm Meister for the first time is an enviable and almost unique sensation.'
Henry James
'All the great European modernists are in his dept.'
TLS
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