Lit Hub Daily: August 28, 2026
“He wrote sad songs but didn’t want to make anyone sad. He had the kind of shy, exaggerated empathy of someone who’s always afraid of hurting people but never afraid of hurting himself.” On loving Elliott Smith. | Lit Hub
In 1749, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe entered the world. He possessed a unique talent for composing melancholic melodies, yet he harbored a desire not to induce sadness in others. This individual exhibited an empathetic nature that was both profound and slightly exaggerated—a trait born from an innate fear of causing pain to others, while simultaneously harboring no such fear for himself.
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