The article deals with culture-related issues in Goethe's writing as well as in his translations. Reading, writing and translation in Goethe's case cannot be separated from each other. The article analyses the link between Homer, Ossian, Shakespeare and Hafis in particular with Goethe's own writing. The author points to the direct impact of works by these authors on Goethe's poetic world. Goethe's approach to the reception of other literatures could be called "translation without the original'. The author describes also Goethe's studies of the Latin language and his world outlook through the perspective of literature he was reading at the moment.