Literary Classics

William Shakespeare

The English poet is regarded as the greatest playwright in world literature. His tragedies, comedies and histories are still performed worldwide.

💡 Did you know? Many English idioms go back to him; he coined countless new words.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Goethe was a poet, scientist and statesman and the central figure of German classicism. He worked on 'Faust' for over 60 years.

💡 Did you know? The German phrase 'the poodle's core' (a hidden truth) comes from 'Faust'.

Miguel de Cervantes

With 'Don Quixote' the Spaniard created one of the first modern novels: the tale of a knight who fights windmills. It mocks chivalric romances and became world-famous.

💡 Did you know? 'Tilting at windmills' is still a common phrase today.

Leo Tolstoy

The Russian writer portrayed the Napoleonic era through hundreds of characters in 'War and Peace'. It is considered one of the greatest works of world literature.

💡 Did you know? The novel runs to over 1200 pages and more than 500 characters.

Franz Kafka

Kafka's stories show people trapped in impenetrable, threatening situations. 'The Metamorphosis' begins with a man waking up as a beetle.

💡 Did you know? Such hopeless situations are still called 'Kafkaesque'.

George Orwell

In '1984' Orwell imagines a total surveillance state under 'Big Brother'. The novel shaped how we think about surveillance and propaganda.

💡 Did you know? Terms like 'Big Brother' and 'Newspeak' come from this book.

Dante Alighieri

Dante's epic poem describes a journey through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. It is regarded as the founding work of Italian literature.

💡 Did you know? By writing in the vernacular instead of Latin, he shaped modern Italian.

Brothers Grimm

The brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm collected and published folk tales such as Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel. They were also important language scholars.

💡 Did you know? They also began the huge 'German Dictionary', finished only over 100 years later.

Friedrich Schiller

Alongside Goethe, Schiller was the second great figure of Weimar classicism. His dramas often revolve around freedom and resistance to tyranny.

💡 Did you know? His 'Song of the Bell' and the apple-shot in 'William Tell' are part of the German canon.

William Shakespeare

'Hamlet' is probably Shakespeare's most famous play: a prince is to avenge his father's murder and hesitates. It is the most-quoted drama in world literature.

💡 Did you know? It contains theatre's most famous question: 'To be or not to be'.