Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (August 28, 1749 – March 22, 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the greatest and most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence literary, political, and philosophical thought in the Western world from the late 18th century to the present. A poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre-director, and critic, his works include plays, poetry and aesthetic criticism, as well as treatises on botany, anatomy, and colour.