Ranging from macabre fantasies to fairy tales and tales of crime, these stories from the author of The Nutcracker create a rich fictional world. Hoffman paints a complex vision of humanity, where people struggle to establish identities in a hostile, absurd world. "The editors have made an excellent selection, and the result is a book of great distinction."—Denis Donoghue, New York Review of Books "The translators have proved fully equal to all the challenges of Hoffmann's romantic irony and his richly allusive prose, giving us an accurate and idiomatic rendering that also retains much of the original flavor."—Harry Zohn, Saturday Review

This book offers a long-awaited opportunity to assess the thought and influence of one of the most famous of all writers on music and the musical links with his fiction. Containing the first complete appearance in English of Kreisleriana, it reveals a masterpiece of imaginative writing and whose profound humour and irony can now be fully appreciated.

E. T. A. Hoffmann’s classic tales of Gothic horror and fantasy are presented in a new translation accompanying the beguiling drawings of Natalie Frank E. T. A. Hoffmann (1776–1822) was one of the greatest German Romantic authors of fantasy and a pioneer in the genre we now call Gothic horror. His innovative stories explore ideas of madness, genius, doppelgängers, artificial intelligence, and the boundaries between realities and dreams. Artist Natalie Frank and leading fairy-tale scholar Jack Zipes have joined forces in this lavishly illustrated volume of five of Hoffmann’s most influential tales: The Golden Pot, The Sandman, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, The Mystifying Child, and The Mines of Falun. In addition to offering fresh translations, Zipes introduces the project and sheds light on how Hoffmann’s lifetime of personal traumas shaped his writing. Frank’s richly rendered gouache and chalk pastels reveal Hoffmann’s worlds in full-page drawings and marginalia. Pivotal scenes of transformation, courage, love, desire, and betrayal are illustrated through a feminist lens, focusing on strong, self-aware female characters. A foreword by novelist Karen Russell delves into the influence the tales had on her own literary career and the ways in which she emulates Hoffmann today. The Wounded Storyteller will introduce Hoffmann’s timeless work to a new generation of readers.

The story begins with a series of letters between Nathanael, his fiancée Clara, and her brother Lothar. Nathanael describes a childhood fear of a creature called The Sandman who was said to come at night and steal the eyes of children, which intermingled with a the appearance of a man named Coppelius in his father's room some nights to work on what appears to have been alchemy. This man once attacked Nathanael, threatening to take his eyes, and later killed his father before disappearing.

E. T. A. Hoffmann's 'Weird Tales' is a collection of macabre and fantastical short stories that delve into the darker side of the human experience. Hoffmann's unique blend of horror, fantasy, and mystery creates a sense of unease in the reader, as he weaves intricate and chilling tales of the supernatural. The stories are characterized by their haunting atmosphere, complex characters, and unexpected plot twists, making them a captivating and thought-provoking read for fans of gothic literature. 'Weird Tales' showcases Hoffmann's mastery of storytelling and his ability to blur the lines between reality and imagination, leaving readers questioning what is truly possible in the realm of fiction. This collection is a cornerstone of the German Romantic literary movement and has inspired generations of writers with its innovative and unsettling narratives. Hoffmann's own experiences as a composer and legal scholar inform his exploration of the human psyche and the limits of rationality, adding depth and complexity to his tales of the bizarre and otherworldly. Fans of Edgar Allan Poe and Mary Shelley will find 'Weird Tales' to be a captivating and haunting read that will linger in their minds long after the final page.

Ernst Theodor Amadeus (ne Wilhelm) Hoffmann (1776- 1822), better known by his pen name E. T. A. Hoffmann, was a German Romantic author of fantasy and horror, a jurist, composer, music critic, draftsman and caricaturist. He is the subject and hero of Jacques Offenbach's famous but fictional opera The Tales of Hoffmann. Hoffmann's stories were tremendously influential in the 19th century, and he is one of the key authors of the Romantic movement. Between 1781 and 1792 he attended the Lutheran school or Burgschule, where he made good progress in classics. Ernst showed great talent for piano-playing, and busied himself with writing and drawing. The provincial setting was not, however, conducive to technical progress, and despite his many-sided talents he remained relatively ignorant, both of classical forms and of the new artistic ideas that were then developing in Germany. He had however read Schiller, Goethe, Swift, Sterne, Rousseau, and Jean Paul, and wrote part of a novel called Der Geheimnisvolle. His works include: Mlle de Scuderi, The Golden Flower Pot, The Sand-Man and Other Stories and The Devil's Elixir.

A children's Christmas story by E. T. A. Hoffmann, "The Nutcracker and the Mouse-King" is the magical adventure of Marie Stahlbaum’s favourite toy, the Nutcracker, who battles the nefarious Mouse-King in battle and takes the reader on a wonderful adventure, into a magical land of dolls. Probably Hoffman's most well-known story, produced in 1816, due to the fact that - some seventy-six years later - it inspired Tchaikovsky's ballet "The Nutcracker". A true Christmas classic, perfect for festive bedtime reading for adults and children a-like. Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann (1776 - 1822) was born in Königsberg, East Prussia. Hoffmann's family were all jurists, and during his youth he was initially encouraged to pursue a career in law. However, in his late teens Hoffman became increasingly interested in literature and philosophy, and spent much of his time reading German classicists and attending lectures by, amongst others, Immanuel Kant. Hoffman went on to produce a great range of both literary and musical works.

Each December, generations of children delight in the ballet version of the quintessential Christmas story The Nutcracker. But few have had the opportunity to revel in the richly detailed original tale. Now, in this glorious new edition, acclaimed children's book author and editor Janet Schulman returns to the source'E.T.A. Hoffmann's “The Nutcracker and the King of Mice.” Here we meet Marie, her Nutcracker, the Sugar Plum Fairy, and all the other delightful characters, and we discover the answers to questions left unanswered by the ballet, like why the Nutcracker and the King of Mice were enemies. Artist Renée Graef adds her own enchantment with stunning, jewellike paintings that bring the story thrillingly to life. As an added bonus, this must-have Christmas gift also includes a free audio CD with Tchaikovsky's inimitable musical score and a reading of the complete story by actress Claire Bloom.

The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (German: Nussknacker und Mausekönig) is a story written in 1816 by E. T. A. Hoffmann in which young Marie Stahlbaum's favorite Christmas toy, the Nutcracker, comes alive and, after defeating the evil Mouse King in battle, whisks her away to a magical kingdom populated by dolls. E.T.A. Hoffmann, original name Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann (1776 — 1822), German writer, composer, and painter known for his stories in which supernatural and sinister characters move in and out of men's lives, ironically revealing tragic or grotesque sides of human nature.

Ernst Theodor Amadeus (ne Wilhelm) Hoffmann (1776- 1822), better known by his pen name E. T. A. Hoffmann, was a German Romantic author of fantasy and horror, a jurist, composer, music critic, draftsman and caricaturist. He is the subject and hero of Jacques Offenbach s famous but fictional opera The Tales of Hoffmann. Hoffmann s stories were tremendously influential in the 19th century, and he is one of the key authors of the Romantic movement. Between 1781 and 1792 he attended the Lutheran school or Burgschule, where he made good progress in classics. Ernst showed great talent for piano-playing, and busied himself with writing and drawing. The provincial setting was not, however, conducive to technical progress, and despite his many-sided talents he remained relatively ignorant, both of classical forms and of the new artistic ideas that were then developing in Germany. He had however read Schiller, Goethe, Swift, Sterne, Rousseau, and Jean Paul, and wrote part of a novel called Der Geheimnisvolle. His works include: Mlle de Scuderi, The Golden Flower Pot, The Sand-Man and Other Stories and The Devil s Elixir.