I had just returned from two delightful weeks with Eckermann and Goethe, when I read Michael Hofmann's arrogant, snarky review of this book in the NYRB. His biggest beef seems to be that Eckermann was not extraordinary, and that Goethe exploited him. He seems to dislike and dismiss Goethe, which makes one wonder why he took on this assignment. My own review of the Conversations was part of a longer essay about the metaverse and can be read here: https://3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2022/09/a-metaverse-of-ones-own.html
You discussed how your recognize works by a single line or phrase. I find I can recognize guitar work by the great Keith Richards after just a few notes. His guitar is his voice!
I had just returned from two delightful weeks with Eckermann and Goethe, when I read Michael Hofmann's arrogant, snarky review of this book in the NYRB. His biggest beef seems to be that Eckermann was not extraordinary, and that Goethe exploited him. He seems to dislike and dismiss Goethe, which makes one wonder why he took on this assignment. My own review of the Conversations was part of a longer essay about the metaverse and can be read here: https://3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2022/09/a-metaverse-of-ones-own.html
Love it. Goethe is among the greatest exemplars of sagacity.
Really enjoyed this piece and got so much out of it. I’m getting this book for sure, thanks for sharing!
You discussed how your recognize works by a single line or phrase. I find I can recognize guitar work by the great Keith Richards after just a few notes. His guitar is his voice!
You wrote such a beautiful inspiring piece. Thank you for sharing this. The book just shoots up to the top of my reading list.