E.T.A. Hoffmann

Unter Hoffmanns Werken hat Der Sandmann das weitaus größte Interesse gefunden. Sein Grundproblem ist die Selbstverfallenheit des Menschen, der aus dem Gefängnis seines Ichs nicht mehr herausfindet, deshalb in seinen Lebensbeziehungen, vor allem in seiner Liebesbindung tragisch scheitert und am Ende sich selbst zerstören muß.

The tale of Nutcracker, written by E.T.A. Hoffmann in 1816, has fascinated and inspired artists, composers, and audiences for almost two hundred years. It has retained its freshness because it appeals to the sense of wonder we all share. Maurice Sendak designed brilliant sets and costumes for the Pacific Northwest Ballet's Christmas production of Nutcracker and has created even more magnificent pictures especially for this book. He has joined with the eminent translator Ralph Manheim to produce this illustrated edition of Hoffmann's wonderful tale, destined to become a classic for all ages. The world of Nutcracker is a world of pleasures. Maurice Sendak's art illuminates the delights of Hoffmann's story in this rich and tantalizing treasure.

E. T. A. Hoffmann dwelt in the realm of "things that seem to not exist but live just the same." The truth of these words of Balzac's about Germany's greatest Romantic storyteller is confirmed by all five tales in this volume, each representing a different facet of Hoffmann's genius, yet bearing its unmistakable signature. The impact of these stories is all the more stunning because they are variations on a single theme: the pursuit of a man by a dark fate he nurtures within himself. Long before the advent of psychoanalysis, Hoffmann was aware of the threat of eruption from the unconscious. The weird lands he explores lie within ourselves. The Sandman One of the tales selected by Offenbach for his opera Tales of Hoffmann. Nathanael, presented in childhood with a gruesome picture of the "bringer of sleep," flees all his life from a man who wants his eyes. Mademoiselle de Scudery In which a victim of split personality baffles the police of 17th century France. Datura Fastuosa Of the awful consequences of repression and a mother fixation. The King's Bride Such delightful whimsy! Yet it does not spare us an encounter with the more dubious aspects of ourselves. Gambler's Luck A suggestion of Edgar Allan Poe and perhaps Robert Louis Stevenson, and is there a touch of O. Henry?

Литературные сказки Гофмана… Многообразные и многогранные, остроумные и бесконечно увлекательные. Мы начинаем читать их еще в детстве - а впоследствии возвращаемся к ним снова и снова. "Золотой горшок" - поэтичная и почти сюрреалистическая история, которой восхищались французские декаденты XIX столетия и российские символисты Серебряного века… "Крошка Цахес, по прозванию Циннобер" - едкая социальная сатира о ничтожестве, пробирающемся к высотам власти, не утратившая актуальности и в наши дни…

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   “Sumptuous. . . . [Natalie Frank’s] artwork . . .  is gruesome perfection.”—Meghan Cox Gurdon, Wall Street Journal   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 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.