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Tales of Hoffmann (Classics) [Paperback]

E.T.A. Hoffmann (Author), R. J. Hollingdale (Translator)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 432 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Classics; New Ed edition (27 May 1982)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0140443924
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140443929
  • Product Dimensions: 13.1 x 1.9 x 19.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 147,839 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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More About the Authors

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R. J. Hollingdale
R. J. Hollingdale
E. T. A. Hoffmann
E. T. A. Hoffmann

Product Description

Product Description

This selection of Hoffmann's finest short stories vividly demonstrates his intense imagination and preoccupation with the supernatural, placing him at the forefront of both surrealism and the modern horror genre. Suspense dominates tales such as Mademoiselle de Scudery, in which an apprentice goldsmith and a female novelist find themselves caught up in a series of jewel thefts and murders. In the sinister Sandman, a young man's sanity is tormented by fears about a mysterious chemist, while in The Choosing of a Bride a greedy father preys on the weaknesses of his daughter's suitors. Master of the bizarre, Hoffman creates a sinister and unsettling world combining love and madness, black humour and bewildering illusion.

About the Author

Hoffmann (1776 - 1822) studied law and entered the Prussian civil service, but his over-riding ambition was to beomce a graphic artist and painter. He turned to fiction only in his thirties and became one of the most influential authors of his time.

R.J. Hollingdale has translated eleven of Nietschze'sbooks and published two books about him. He has also translated works by Schopenhauer, Goethe and Fontane.

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First Sentence
It was in the Rue St Honore that the little house was situated which Madeleine de Scudery, famous for her charming poems, occupied by the grace and favour of Louis XIV and Madame de Maintenon. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Closer than most... 29 Jan 2008
Format:Paperback
I came to Hoffman, having seen him referenced so many times in other classics. Much like the Velvet Underground in the world of music, he's a writer's writer, but I'm sure the rest of us can enjoy this work too. I was lured in by the mythology of the author, and sought him out like a rare treasure.

All these stories are superb - Mademoiselle de Scudery nudging shoulders with the great Gothic murder mysteries; The Entail disturbingly creepy and claustrophobic; Doge and Dogaressa a miniature Venetian epic - but for me, The Sandman stands out as one of my favourite ever tales - a dark black, dynamically-told nightmare about a hideous bogeyman that often verges on the comic and surreal. Unique.

Keep E.T.A. alive!
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7 of 66 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Hoffmann is a superb storyteller and all of these stories have there atractions, in particular the tale involving the haunted castle stands out from the rest. However Hoffmann is guilty of trivialising his own concerns. For example the theme of duality which crops up many times here is never treated as anything more than a plot device when really it calls for more respect. Romanticism is the enemy of these tales in almost every way. The lightness, the optimism and above all the characterization which define Romanticism work horribly against the themes which Hoffmann brings to his work. These are entertaining stories but it is immensely frustrating to see almost all of them spoilt by such misjudgements.
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Amazon.com:  6 reviews
49 of 50 people found the following review helpful
A Treasury of Wonderful Stories... 11 Feb 2001
By "emmc" - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
E. T. A. Hoffmann is perhaps best known to American audiences as the creator of "The Nutcracker"; a story most are familar with due to the numerous stage productions each Christmas season. Hoffmann's contribution to fantasy and literature extends far beyond the Nutcracker though. He posessed an amazing imagination and true talent for spinning a story, exciting a sense of wonder and creating eccentric, memorable characters. This book, "The Tales of Hoffman", offers the reader some of Hoffmann's best, and at the same time, lesser known works. The stories included are:

"Mademoiselle de Scudery", "The Sandman", "The Artushof", "Councillor Krespel", "The Entail", "Doge and Dogaressa" "The Mines at Falun", "The Choosing of the Bride"

I wish I was a Hoffmann scholar, so that I could do justice in this review to these great tales. Suffice it to say, that anyone interested in superbly crafted fantasy, the supernatural interwoven with the romantic, and wonderfully crafted characters - anyone who reads and admires to the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Dickens, and Bram Stoker to name just a few, should read the works of Herr Hoffmann. He is truly one of the finest, and under appreciated, authors of the fantastic.

33 of 37 people found the following review helpful
19th Century German Horror And Fantasy 5 May 2004
By Rudy Avila - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Although the previous review was negative calling this collection of E.T.A. Hoffman's stories uninspiring and meaningless, it's worth taking a better look. E.T.A. Hoffman's genius and the Germany he was familiar with. In the mid 19th century, Germany, not yet the German Empire, was a vast and varied society. Intellectuals were educated in the brand name universities (such as Heidelberg) and new waves of thought and politics were emerging such as Karl Marx's Communism. Germany had been the home of great existential philosophers such as Immanuel Kant, the freedom-loving Friderich Von Schiller and later the atheist Friedrich Nietzche. It was the home of many Romantic Era composers and writers - Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Richard Wagner, Gustav Mahler, writer Henrich Heine and our own E.T.A. Hoffman. He represented, like many other fiction writers his age, the Romanticism of the 19th century that flowered all over Europe. Germany was mostly famous for its symbolic fantasy and fairy-tales, after all this was also the home of the Grimm Brothers.

Hoffman's short stories were the German equivalent for Gothic fantasy and horror, in a slightly similar style that Edgar Allan Poe wrote in America. There is even a resemblance to early science fiction novellas, though nothing like Jules Verne or H.G. Wells. "The Sandman" and "Councillor Crespel" were feautured and altered in the Jacques Offenbach French opera "Les Contes D'Hoffman" of The Tales Of Hoffman. These supernatural tales dealt with death and romantic despair. In one story, a soprano suffering of consumption is forced to sing to her death by a villainous doctor. Although the stories appear to be strange and foreign to us, it was highly regarded as great literature of science fiction or horror. For its historic value
and for any interested fans of Romantic Era obscure novelists, this is perfect to read. Also, if you want to read the source of inspiration for Offenbach's opera The Tales Of Hoffman.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
It's Worth a Second Read 1 Feb 2008
By Tebes - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
E.T.A. Hoffmann was in his own way a singular artist of the early nineteenth century. He was a musician, he painted set designs for plays, he wrote novels, stories and novellas. He also had an influence on the works of Edgar Allan Poe and Fyodor Dostoevsky.

I read this collection years ago. I bought it recently because I wanted to read the tales once again, enjoy them and learn from them. Hoffmann is one of the masters of his times and it's a pleasure to reread his works. He is great with atmosphere, his tales are compelling and they linger in the imagination. I love the German novella format he incorporates - longer than a story, shorter than a novel but with the richness of both worlds.

If you love German literature, this and Kleist's collection of stories are great reads.
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