2014 Brass Rabbit Classics edition. Werther, a young artist of highly sensitive and passionate temperament, tells the intimate account of his stay at the fictional village of Wahlheim in a series of letters written to his friend Wilhelm. In Wahlheim, Werther becomes involved in a love triangle which ends tragically. First published in 1774, The Sorrows of Young Werther was Goethe's first major success, turning him from an unknown into a celebrated author practically overnight. The popularity of the novel started the phenomenon known as Werther-Fieber ("Werther Fever") which caused young men throughout Europe to dress in the clothing style described in the story. The cover illustration is an 1896 woodcut by Edvard Munch.