Matthew Bell
@matthewgbell.bsky.social
Prof of German and Comp Lit, KCL. Goethe, the classical tradition, histories of the human sciences. And for pleasure: cricket, birds, German wine, Cornwall.
Pinned
Matthew Bell
@matthewgbell.bsky.social
· Jan 14
Goethe
A new intellectual biography of Goethe, examining the paradox of his thought
press.princeton.edu
press.princeton.edu/books/hardco... Very excited about this, and deep thanks to the fantastic folk at Princeton for making it happen.
Reposted by Matthew Bell
Think you know everything about Goethe? He was a poet, a scientist, a rebel… and a total genius. Daniel Johnson breaks it all down in The Critic. Read the review of @matthewgbell.bsky.social's book here:
Goethe, a man of ideas | Daniel Johnson | The Critic Magazine
Goethe seemed to have lived many lives, for no man in history has shown glimpses of genius across such a wide range of human endeavour.
thecritic.co.uk
November 12, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Think you know everything about Goethe? He was a poet, a scientist, a rebel… and a total genius. Daniel Johnson breaks it all down in The Critic. Read the review of @matthewgbell.bsky.social's book here:
Excellent review of my ‘Goethe: A Life in Ideas’ by Daniel Johnson in The Critic thecritic.co.uk/issues/novem... “Bell’s brilliant biography does full justice to this greatest of German Dichter und Denker”
Goethe, a man of ideas | Daniel Johnson | The Critic Magazine
Goethe seemed to have lived many lives, for no man in history has shown glimpses of genius across such a wide range of human endeavour.
thecritic.co.uk
November 11, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Excellent review of my ‘Goethe: A Life in Ideas’ by Daniel Johnson in The Critic thecritic.co.uk/issues/novem... “Bell’s brilliant biography does full justice to this greatest of German Dichter und Denker”
Reposted by Matthew Bell
Goethe: A Life in Ideas by @matthewgbell.bsky.social gets a sharp, illuminating review from Ritchie Robertson in @litreview.bsky.social! “Deeply learned, crisply written.” Read it here: literaryreview.co.uk/darkness-light-2
Ritchie Robertson - Darkness & Light
Ritchie Robertson: Darkness & Light - Goethe: A Life in Ideas by Matthew Bell
literaryreview.co.uk
October 3, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Goethe: A Life in Ideas by @matthewgbell.bsky.social gets a sharp, illuminating review from Ritchie Robertson in @litreview.bsky.social! “Deeply learned, crisply written.” Read it here: literaryreview.co.uk/darkness-light-2
literaryreview.co.uk/darkness-lig...
My 'Goethe: A Life in Ideas' reviewed by Ritchie Robertson in the Literary Review
My 'Goethe: A Life in Ideas' reviewed by Ritchie Robertson in the Literary Review
Ritchie Robertson - Darkness & Light
Ritchie Robertson: Darkness & Light - Goethe: A Life in Ideas by Matthew Bell
literaryreview.co.uk
October 2, 2025 at 5:40 PM
literaryreview.co.uk/darkness-lig...
My 'Goethe: A Life in Ideas' reviewed by Ritchie Robertson in the Literary Review
My 'Goethe: A Life in Ideas' reviewed by Ritchie Robertson in the Literary Review
Reposted by Matthew Bell
In this important and ambitious work, @matthewgbell.bsky.social offers a wide-ranging intellectual biography of Goethe, tracing the evolution of his thought and reassessing its value.
Out now! Explore a free sample: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
Out now! Explore a free sample: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
September 19, 2025 at 6:05 PM
In this important and ambitious work, @matthewgbell.bsky.social offers a wide-ranging intellectual biography of Goethe, tracing the evolution of his thought and reassessing its value.
Out now! Explore a free sample: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
Out now! Explore a free sample: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
Published today by the good folk at Princeton.
September 9, 2025 at 11:47 AM
Published today by the good folk at Princeton.
Only 8 days to wait until the publication of this baby
September 1, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Only 8 days to wait until the publication of this baby
“Good and ill have not changed since yesteryear; nor are they one thing among Elves and Dwarves and another among Men.”
June 5, 2025 at 8:00 AM
“Good and ill have not changed since yesteryear; nor are they one thing among Elves and Dwarves and another among Men.”
Uh oh. Here we go.
March 25, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Uh oh. Here we go.
At a stroke Reform have removed the whip from 20% of their MPs.
March 7, 2025 at 6:24 PM
At a stroke Reform have removed the whip from 20% of their MPs.
Currently indexing this. Sure am gonna miss it when it’s published.
February 19, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Currently indexing this. Sure am gonna miss it when it’s published.
I bought all the Joy Division and early New Order releases when they came out. Playing them tonight on my 1970s-style hifi. A refurbed Technics SL1200Mk2, an original Yamaha CA-2000 amp from the late ‘70s, and modern but 1970s-style JBL speakers.
January 25, 2025 at 9:03 PM
I bought all the Joy Division and early New Order releases when they came out. Playing them tonight on my 1970s-style hifi. A refurbed Technics SL1200Mk2, an original Yamaha CA-2000 amp from the late ‘70s, and modern but 1970s-style JBL speakers.
“Sorry, I know you’re busy, but I’ve got this really great idea about a meal you could make me.”
January 19, 2025 at 7:36 PM
“Sorry, I know you’re busy, but I’ve got this really great idea about a meal you could make me.”
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/j... Glowing review of the brilliant Keon West’s new book.
www.theguardian.com
January 15, 2025 at 11:35 AM
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/j... Glowing review of the brilliant Keon West’s new book.
Reposted by Matthew Bell
press.princeton.edu/books/hardco... Very excited about this, and deep thanks to the fantastic folk at Princeton for making it happen.
Goethe
A new intellectual biography of Goethe, examining the paradox of his thought
press.princeton.edu
January 14, 2025 at 10:12 PM
press.princeton.edu/books/hardco... Very excited about this, and deep thanks to the fantastic folk at Princeton for making it happen.
press.princeton.edu/books/hardco... Very excited about this, and deep thanks to the fantastic folk at Princeton for making it happen.
Goethe
A new intellectual biography of Goethe, examining the paradox of his thought
press.princeton.edu
January 14, 2025 at 10:12 PM
press.princeton.edu/books/hardco... Very excited about this, and deep thanks to the fantastic folk at Princeton for making it happen.
2024 recedes into the distance. Between Land’s End and Cape Cornwall
December 31, 2024 at 7:51 PM
2024 recedes into the distance. Between Land’s End and Cape Cornwall
I held a team meeting with myself this morning to discuss health and safety. A risk assessment identified super-sharp Japanese kitchen knives as the main concern.
Like an idiot I’ve just sliced the end of my thumb off. 👍🔪
Like an idiot I’ve just sliced the end of my thumb off. 👍🔪
December 24, 2024 at 11:54 AM
I held a team meeting with myself this morning to discuss health and safety. A risk assessment identified super-sharp Japanese kitchen knives as the main concern.
Like an idiot I’ve just sliced the end of my thumb off. 👍🔪
Like an idiot I’ve just sliced the end of my thumb off. 👍🔪
Christmas cakes have been fed with rum
December 7, 2024 at 8:06 PM
Christmas cakes have been fed with rum
Oh dear. Man City just lost 3-3.
November 26, 2024 at 10:30 PM
Oh dear. Man City just lost 3-3.
Anyone got a spludger I could borrow?
November 17, 2024 at 6:55 PM
Anyone got a spludger I could borrow?
The biggest problem democracy has is that there aren’t many votes in protecting democracy. Voters tend to view democracy as just part of the furniture. That’s why politicians need to advocate for democracy. Unfortunately too many of them don’t. Because … see above
November 15, 2024 at 9:57 PM
The biggest problem democracy has is that there aren’t many votes in protecting democracy. Voters tend to view democracy as just part of the furniture. That’s why politicians need to advocate for democracy. Unfortunately too many of them don’t. Because … see above
Reposted by Matthew Bell
History can’t ever be problem-solving in the way that technology claims to be. It can, on the other hand, have meaning for humans in ways technology doesn’t capture. Making its pursuit conditional on a market/technological understanding of utility prevents it from ever revealing most of its value.
November 15, 2024 at 3:52 PM
History can’t ever be problem-solving in the way that technology claims to be. It can, on the other hand, have meaning for humans in ways technology doesn’t capture. Making its pursuit conditional on a market/technological understanding of utility prevents it from ever revealing most of its value.