The Sorrows of Young Werther (Die Leiden des jungen Werther) is an epistolary and loosely autobiographical novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, first published in 1774; a revised edition of the novel was published in 1787. Werther was an important novel of the Sturm und Drang period in German literature, and it also influenced the later Romantic literary movement.The book made Goethe one of the first true international literary celebrities. Toward the end of his life, a personal visit to Weimar became crucial to any young man's tour of Europe. Excerpted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.