The German Chancellor, Gerhard Schröeder, visited New Delhi from October 6 to 7, 2004. He gifted President Kalam an English translation of Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, translated by Bayard Taylor. Goethe is regarded as one of the greatest writers in the German language.

Like many other books, Dr. Kalam passed on this deluxe edition to me. While browsing through it, I could not relate to it. The book remained on my shelf, unread. It was during the COVID-19 lockdown that I read it, only to realise how stupid I had been not to do so previously.

The story is about Faust, who, unsatisfied with his life as a scholar, attempts suicide. Mephistopheles, the Devil’s representative, intervenes and makes a bargain with Faust. He will serve Faust using his magic powers for a fixed number of years, but at the end of the term, the Devil will claim Faust’s soul, and Faust will be eternally enslaved. Faust makes use of Mephistopheles in various ways, including seducing an innocent young woman whose life is ultimately destroyed when she gives birth to Faust’s illegitimate son. She drowns the child and is sentenced to death for murder. God ultimately saves Faust because of his constant striving and pleading with God for redemption, through the intercession of the wronged woman. 

Faust is indeed a universal story. Each one of us, like Faust, makes a bargain to succeed. These defence mechanisms are rooted in childhood as sacrificed elements of the self in favour of psychological survival. For the neurotic, abandoning one’s genuine feelings in favour of a false self may be more amenable to caretakers. It may offer a viable life form at the expense of one’s genuine emotions and affects. For the psychotic, a Faustian bargain with an omnipotent self can offer the imaginary refuge of a psychic retreat at the price of living in unreality.

A brilliant poem with dazzling imagery, each stanza of Faust is a gem. My favourite verse is:

“What I possess seems far away from me, / And what is gone becomes reality.”  (Lines 31–32)

Not only is Mephistopheles everywhere in the world, but he is also ruthless and unrepentant.

“You’ll get no word of suns and worlds from me. / How men torment themselves is all I see.” (Lines 279–280)

“Grey, dear friend, is all theory, / And green the golden tree of life.” (Lines 2038-2039)

Eventually, the Devil is defeated, and the book concludes on a positive note.

“Let the sun be lost from heaven, / So it’s daylight in the soul, / We’ll discover in the heart, then, / What the Earth fails to hold.” (Lines 9691-9694)

Gaze towards that saving gaze, / All you, the penitent and tender, /To all those blissful ways, / Give thanks, and follow after. (Lines 12096-12099)

The central takeaway is the tragic quest for fulfilment and understanding, highlighting that endless ambition and a desire to transcend human limitations can lead to both extraordinary achievements and moral downfall. The work emphasises the importance of humility, ethical integrity, and acknowledging human limitations, while also celebrating the potential for redemption and the pursuit of higher ideals.