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Italian Journey

By: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
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Publisher's summary

Goethe was probably the greatest universal genius who ever lived. Although known primarily as a poet, playright, and novelist, he was also known for his work in anatomy, botany, color, art criticism, and jurisprudence. Many people are deterred from attempting to read anything by Goethe because of his extremely penetrating intelligence and dense prose. But his travel diary, Italian Journey, is by far easier to digest than anything else by him.

The journal is a straightforward account of his sojourn to Italy as a young man between 1786 and 1789. The book has a modern ring to it, and indeed Goethe seems to foreshadow the coming of many of the things we consider "modern" today: intense self-examination, scientific methodology, and anthropology. But that's not what makes this a great book. Long after you finish it, you will be contemplating the wealth of pithy, insightful comments he makes about Italians in particular and humans in general. You will revisit portions of this book many times, and you will mark passages in it, so you can pull it down and quote it to your friends. Goethe is a fabulous feast for the intellect and a balm for the spirit.

Public Domain (P)2015 Audio Connoisseur
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What listeners say about Italian Journey

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A great author

A great author whom wrote this amazing book that is a timeless classic and is highly recommended.

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Fantastic Intro to Goethe

Goethe has not aged well. Faust, in its usual rhymed couplets, sounds like a nursery rhyme, and after Nietzsche, Rimbaud, Dostoevsky, et al, its "spiritual" message seems trivial.

Werther and Elective Affinities are soap operas.

The Italian notebooks - probably always intended for publication - are different. The young Goethe visits Italy in search of his classical heritage, and leaves a warm and intimate portrait of the peninsula. Here we find his roving intellect seeking its home, the thoughts unfettered by silly plots, the language plain and unadorned.

Griffin's narration is solid and convincing - you can feel Goethe's presence in this recording.

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8 people found this helpful

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Excellent unabridged version

This is the full version. There is another reviewer who said it was only part. That is not correct. I have the full text of the book and this audio version it true to it.

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13 people found this helpful