Goethe (1749–1832) was a poet, educator, painter, politician, scientist, and world-class literary man. One of his greatest masterpieces is Faust.
Faust is a classic that shows Goethe’s diverse, wide view of the world. When he first conceived it, he was 22 years old. Deeply touched at Goethe’s other works, the sovereign Duke of Saxe-Weimar1 asked him to serve as a statesman. Goethe accepted the proposal under the condition that he would work on writing.
1. One of the Saxon duchies
However, while working as a high-ranking official, he gradually became far from literature. Mixed up, he traveled to Italy just like an escape and was deeply inspired by the art and architecture there. So he left office, went back to writing, and completed Faust after much meandering. Then he was 82 years old. It took 60 years to complete a work.
Perseverance and endurance contributed to the creation of Goethe’s reputation as a genius writer who left a masterpiece.