Faust: Pt. 1

The legend of the Faust grew up in the sixteenth century, a time of transition between medieval and modern culture in Germany. John Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) adapted the story of the wandering conjurer who accepts Mephistophele's offer of a pact, selling his soul for the devil's greater knowledge; over a period of 60 years he produced one of the greatest dramatic and poetic masterpieces of European literature. David Luke's recent translation is cast in rhythemed verse, following the original. It preserves the essence of Goethe's meaning without sacrifice to archism or over-modern idiom. It is as near an 'equivalent' rendering of the German as has yet been achieved.