German-Persian Connections: Goethe and Hafez in Dialogue in \u3ci\u3eWest-östlicher Divan\u3c/i\u3e

Goethe wrote West-östlicher Divan between 1814 and 1819 after reading the divan of Hafez, a 14th-century Persian Sufi poet. Goethe draws many parallels between Hafez and himself, and wrote in an announcement of his work that he “may himself be a Muslim.” This paper examines the significance of this work in a dialogue over time, culture, language, and religion. With Goethe and Hafez celebrated as key literary figures in Germany and Iran, this paper examines the implications for the realm of peacemaking between east and west. It seeks to build connections between the German and Muslim worlds through these two literary pillars