Albrecht Schöne explores a highly significant area of our literature in this book in a completely new way. He focuses on Goethe as a letter writer and understands his letters as linguistic works of art. Full of discoveries, free from academic jargon, brilliantly written, and exciting to read, the work is aimed at anyone interested in Goethe, literature and language, or letter writing in general. An introductory essay characterizes the European letter culture at the peak of which Goethe's correspondence emerges. At this point, it becomes clear that the enormous gains of the digital cultural revolution are also accompanied by significant losses. Nine exemplary case studies then deal with individual letters - starting with the first writing of the 14-year-old and ending with the letter of the 82-year-old just days before his death. Schöne also addresses the...