Johann Wolfgang Goethe's great narrative of his own life, which spans from his birth to the poet's departure for Weimar, is one of the most beautiful and powerful autobiographies in world literature. Entire generations have used the "Confession" developed within it for a better understanding of Goethe's poetic work. Today, Goethe's autobiography appears not least as a brilliant PR measure, the sovereignty of which one can only dream of in the age of crafted biographies. On the other hand, Goethe's narrative is also not free from fractures, and behind the great author lies more than one "crack" (Roger Willemsen). With a contribution from Kindler's Literary Lexicon. Includes data on life and work, exclusively written by the editorial team of the literary journal TEXT + KRITIK.