Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (/ˈɡɜːtə/, also US: /ˈɡɜːrtə, ˈɡeɪtə, -ti/ GURT-ə, GAYT-ə, -⁠ee; German: [ˈjoːhan ˈvɔlfɡaŋ fɔn ˈɡøːtə] (listen); 28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German writer and statesman. His works include: four novels; epic and lyric poetry; prose and verse dramas; memoirs; an autobiography; literary and aesthetic criticism; and treatises on botany, anatomy, and colour. In addition, numerous literary and scientific fragments, more than 10,000 letters, and nearly 3,000 drawings by him have survived.