The Sorrows of Young Werther Author is Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a German writer and statesman. Goethe was one of the most important figures of German literature and the Age of Enlightenment. He is best known for his two-part dramatic poem Faust and his novel The Sorrows of Young Werther. Goethe wrote many other works of poetry, drama, and prose, and was also a noted scientist and naturalist.