Writers Edition Homage to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Limited Edition 1808 Rollerball

At the heart of the 18th-century intellectual movement was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. His writing still resonates today. A true polymath, Goethe was not only a key figure in German literature, but also a lawyer, minister, theatre director, collector, and scientist. He challenged the limits of knowledge and creativity. His curiosity was endless. His work spanned philosophy, poetry, and science—each with lasting impact. Faust showed deep thinking. His poems were subtle. His work on color and botany pushed scientific ideas forward.

Goethe influenced his time both as a writer and a public figure. He left a strong legacy that still inspires. With support from the Klassik Stiftung Weimar and the Goethe National Museum, Montblanc created the Writers Edition Homage to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Limited Edition 1808, with a focus on his role in politics.

Goethe shaped his world through both ideas and action. His complete works fill around 40 volumes, including some 3,000 poems. He published Götz von Berlichingen in 1773. A year later, The Sorrows of Young Werther, written in under a month, made him famous across Europe. This brought him to the attention of Duke Karl August of Weimar, who invited Goethe to his court. In Weimar, Goethe took on new responsibilities—not just as a writer, but also as a reformer. He modernized the economy, restarted silver mining, and became the duke’s chief advisor. In 1782, he was given noble status. In 1816, he received the Order of the White Falcon, which inspired the gold detail on the pen barrel. The red lacquer recalls the sash he wore in a portrait by Gerhard von Kügelgen.

The gold design on the cap echoes arches seen in a Rembrandt etching used in the 1790 Faust fragment. Goethe returned to the Faust story many times—starting with Urfaust, followed by a fragment, and finally Faust I in 1808. This play became a cornerstone of world literature. Goethe himself used the phrase “world literature” to describe works that cross borders of language and time. The pen cap, shaped like a globe and topped with the Montblanc emblem, symbolizes this idea.

The cap’s curved form is based on old glass jars used in chemistry, linking back to Goethe’s scientific interests. The leaf-shaped clip and engraved signature reference his studies in plant forms, especially the idea of an original plant type, which he also explored in poetry, like in The Metamorphosis of Plants.

Goethe wrote down his findings using tools like the one that inspired this design. His character Faust, unlike him, was full of doubt—abandoning reason for magic. One key moment in Faust—the appearance of the Earth Spirit—was even sketched by Goethe himself. That image was used for the cone tip engraving. Other details on the cone were taken from his official Weimar council appointment document.

To mark the year Faust I was published, only 1,808 pens were made in this limited edition.