German writer associated with the Sturm und Drang literary movement and best known for his poetic drama, Faust. His other works include The Sorrows of Young Werther, Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship, and Hermann and Dorothea. As a child, he studied many different languages, including Latin, Greek, French, Italian, English and Hebrew. During the 1760s, he unhappily studied law in Leipzig, devoting most of his time and energy to writing poetry and pursuing romance.
