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Great Science-Fiction & Fantasy Works
Science-fiction & fantasy literature: a critical list with discussions.
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E. T. A. Hoffmann
Standard Disclaimer:
This is a brief discussion of E. T. A. Hoffmann and, of course, of some speculative-fiction books by Hoffmann.
This discussion and list does not necessarily include every book by Hoffmann: it includes only those books that I both know and like. Just as with the author list itself, omission of a particular item may mean I didn’t think highly enough of the omitted item, or it may simply mean that I have not yet sufficient familiarity with it. (In a very few cases, I have listed some books merely on the strength of my opinion of the author: all such books are clearly marked below, as throughout these lists, with a hash mark (#) before the title so you know what’s what.)
I don’t pretend that this discussion is a deep analysis. My intent is no more than to give you a rough idea of what kinds of tales Hoffmann tells, how those tales are usually told, and what makes them and Hoffmann worthy; in sum, to help you rank E. T. A. Hoffmann (and the works by Hoffmann listed here) on your personal literary “to do” list.
A Few Words About E. T. A. Hoffmann
Regrettably, I have not yet had an opportunity to write an essay on this author, but the “Other Resources” section below will lead you to some information about the “Notable Books” listed farther down this page. You may also find the Bibliography below helpful.
A Hoffmann Bibliography
A complete bibliography of Hoffmann’s work is hard to assemble. What follows is my best attempt at cobbling together the diverse and often contradictory partial bibliographies to be found here and there. (One big problem is that many listings include only titles in English, but the same story can have many different English titles.) For that reason, in the lists below the original title is given first, followed by some of the English-language forms used for it.
Early in his creative life, Hoffmann penned a novel Cornaro that was never published; he then composed another, The Mysterious Man, of which only a fragment survives. His first book to see print was the initial volume of the four story collections that constitute Phantasiestücke in Callots Manier (Fantasy Pieces in Callot’s Manner).
It is also hard to separate out what we would today call “novels” from the lot of Hoffmann’s stories. Some tales, even though published outside of collections, are too short to really qualify—perhaps “novellas” or even “novelettes”. I have not segregated out such tales in the list below, which is basically chronological, but have noted how they are usually classed.
While many—perhaps most—of Hoffmann’s tales have a fantastic element, not all do; but I have made no attempt to separate out the “fantastic” from the “mundane” in this list. Moreover, only a few of these tales are now available in English, at least without spending the GNP of a small nation on some obscure out-of-print edition. Note that the boldfacing of the original titles does not signify whether or not they are fantastic: it is only to make the entries a little more readable.
The story lists omit introductions and other non-fiction, but I have left in them the "Kreisleriana" pieces: a set of literary reflections on music mostly as supposedly related by the fictitious Kapellmeister Johannes Kreisler, who also appears in the
novel Tomcat Murr. As one commentator said, Hoffmann “had invented poor Johannes Kreisler as a symbol for the misunderstood musician, painting him as a kind of clown”; another described Kreisler as “eccentric, antisocial, and
ingenious”. Most of the pieces by “Kreisler” are thus not “tales”, but still embody some fictive elements. (Note that Robert Schumann wrote a series of piano pieces entitled “Kreisleriana” in tribute to Hoffmann.)
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Hoffmann’s Works, by Book
Phantasiestücke in Callots Manier
[Fantasy Pieces in Callot’s Manner]
Published as four volumes:
- Volume I - 1814
- Ritter Gluck [The Knight Gluck] - 1809
- Kreisleriana (first set)
- Johannes Kreislers, des Kapellmeisters, musikalische Leiden [The Sorrows of Music Director Johannes Kreisler] - 1810
- Ombra adorata! [Ombra adorata!] - 1814
- Gedanken über den hohen Wert der Musik [Thoughts on the Great Worth of Music] - 1812
- Beethovens Instrumental-Musik [Beethoven’s Instrumental Music] - 1813
- Höchst zerstreute Gedanken [Highly Scattered Thoughts / Extremely Sparse Thoughts] - 1814
- Der vollkommene Machinist [The Complete (Theater) Machinist] - 1814
- Don Juan [Don Juan] - 1813
- Volume II - 1814
- Nachricht von den neuesten Schicksalen des Hundes Berganza [News of the Latest Fortunes of the Hound Berganza] - 1814
- Der Magnetiseur [The Hypnotist] - 1814
- Volume III - 1814
- Der goldene Topf: Ein Märchen aus der neuen Zeit [The Golden Pot: A Fairytale of Modern Times] - 1814, revised in 1819
- Volume IV - 1815
- Die Abenteuer der Silvester-Nacht [The Adventures of New Year’s Eve] - 1814
- Kreisleriana (second set)
- Brief des Barons Wallborn an den Kapellmeister Kreisler [Baron Wallborn’s Letter to Music Director Kreisler] - 1814
- Brief des Kapellmeisters Kreisler an den Baron Wallborn [Music Director Kreisler’s Letter to Baron Wallborn] - 1814
- Kreislers musikalisch-poetischer Klub [Kreisler’s Musical-Poetical Club] - 1815
- Nachricht von einem gebildeten jungen Mann [News of an Educated Young Man] - 1814
- Der Musikfeind [The Enemy of Music] - 1814
- Über einen Außpruch Sacchinis, und über den sogenannten Effect in der Musik [On a Remark of Sacchini’s, and on So-Called Effect in Music] - 1814
- Johannes Kreislers Lehrbrief [Johannes Kreisler’s Indenture] - 1815
Schwester Monika erzählt und erfährt
[The Experiences and Confessions of Sister Monica (or just Sister Monica)] - 1815
Classed a novel: a rarely discussed early work, pornographic and published anonymously, set in a convent (which idea was old hat as far back as Boccaccio and Chaucer). Sub-titled Eine erotisch-psychisch-physisch-philantropisch-philantropinische Urkunde des säkularisierten Klosters X (roughly, “An erotic psycho-physical-philanthropic-philanthropist record of secularized Cloister X.”).
Die Elixiere des Teufels
[The Devil’s Elixirs, sometimes as The Devil’s Elixir] - 1815
A novel, of which one reviewer said “The Devil’s Elixirs is some of Hoffmann’s best writing. It is a swift-moving, engaging story that boasts many complex psychological themes, and, of course, countless overlapping motifs, double identities, and confusions between reality and the interpretation of reality.”
Nachtstücke
[Night Pieces or Nocturnes]
- Volume I - 1816
- Der Sandmann [The Sandman] - 1816
- Ignaz Denner [Ignaz Denner] - 1816
- Die Jesuiterkirche in G. [The Jesuit Church in G.] - 1816
- Das Sanctus [The Sanctus] - 1816
- Volume II - 1817
- Das öde Haus [The Deserted House" | The Mystery of the Deserted House | The Empty House | The Bleak House] - 1817
- Das Majorat [The Entail / Primogeniture / Rolandsitten] - 1817
- Das Gelübde [The Oath] - 1817
- Das steinerne Herz [The Stone Heart] - 1817
Die Serapions-Brüder
[The Serapion Brotherhood or The Serapion Brethren]
Published as four volumes:
- Volume I - 1819
- First Section
- Der Einsiedler Serapion [The Hermit Serapion] - 1819
- Rath Krespel [Councilor Krespel | The Story of Krespel | Antonia’s Song | The Cremona Violin] - 1817
- Die Fermate [The Cadenza] - 1815
- Der Dichter und der Komponist [The Poet and the Composer] - 1813
- Second Section
- Ein Fragment aus dem Leben dreier Freunde [A Fragment from the Life of Three Friends] - 1818
- Der Artushof [The Court of Arthur] - 1816
- Die Bergwerke zu Falun [The Mines of Falun] - 1819
- Nußknacker und Mausekönig [Nutcracker and Mouse King] - 1816
- Volume II - 1819
- Third Section
- Der Kampf der Sänger [The Contest of the Singers] - 1818
- Eine Spukgeschichte [A Ghost Story] - 1819
- Die Automate [The Automaton] - 1814
- Doge und Dogareße [Doge and Dogaressa] - 1818
- Fourth Section
- Alte und neue Kirchenmusik [Old and New Church Music] - 1814
- Meister Martin der Küfner und seine Gesellen [Master Martin the Cooper and His Journeymen] - 1818
- Das fremde Kind [The Mysterious Child] - 1817
- Volume III - 1820
- Fifth Section
- Nachricht aus dem Leben eines bekannten Mannes [News from the Life of a Well-Known Man] - 1819
- Die Brautwahl [The Bride Selection] - 1819
- Der unheimliche Gast [The Uncanny Guest] - 1819
- Sixth Section
- Das Fräulein von Scuderi [Mademoiselle de Scuderi] - 1819
- Spielerglück [Gambler’s Luck] - 1819
- Der Baron von B. [The Baron of B.] - 1819
- Volume IV - 1821
- Seventh Section
- Signor Formica [Signor Formica] - 1819
- Zacharias Werner [Zacharias Werner] - 1821
- Erscheinungern [Manifestations] - 1817
- Eighth Section
- Der Zusammenhang der Dinge [The Coherence of Things] - 1820
- Vampirismus [Vampirism] - 1821
- Die ästhetische Teegesellschaft [The Aesthetic Tea Society] - 1821
- Die Königsbraut [The King’s Bride] - 1821
Prinzeßin Brambilla
[Princess Brambilla] -1820
A novella or novelette: a seemingly lightweight but ultimately philosophical comedy of errors rooted in confusion of identity, both actual and psychological.
Lebens-Ansichten des Katers Murr nebst fragmentarischer Biographie des Kapellmeisters Johannes Kreisler in zufälligen Makulaturblättern
[The Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr with a Fragmentary Biography of the Music Director Johannes Kreisler in Accidentally Intermingled Pages] - 1820
This novel is possibly Hoffmann’s best work—penetrating social commentary wrapped up in screamingly funny drollery; it has a curiously modern tone.
Seltsame Leiden eines Theaterdirektors
[Strange Sorrows of a Theater Director] - 1819
Apparently (I have no copy) a lengthy essay concerning the actor Max Devrient; published as a stand-alone.
Klein Zaches genannt Zinnober
[Little Zaches, Called Cinnobar] - 1819
A novel: this tale seems widely accepted as one of Hoffmann’s best fantastic works (which is saying something). Little Sachs (called Cinnobar) is an ugly dwarf who acquires the magical ability to be credited for “whatever gracious or pleasing thing is said or done in his presence”—that is, he steals others’ merit; Sachs rises high in the world before his literarily inevitable downfall. There is available on line a full English translation by Michael Haldane, who also offers a few brief thoughts on the tale, as well as a lengthy dissertation on translating Hoffmann into English with special notes on this piece.
Meister Floh: Ein Mährchen in Sieben Abenteuern Zweier Freunde
[Master Flea] - 1822
A novella or novelette: a comedic (and satiric) fantasy in which the Master of the Fleas magically allows the protagonist to know to when people are lying to him; the work was a thinly veiled political critique, and got Hoffmann in a boatload of trouble.
Letzte Erzählungen
[Later Stories] - 1825
- Datura Fastuosa [Datura Fastuosa] - 1822
- Doppeltgänger, Die [The Doubles] - 1822
- Elementargeist, Der [The Elemental Spirit] - 1820
- Feind, Der [The Enemy] - 1823
- Geheimniße, Die: Fortsetzung des Fragments aus dem Leben eines Fantasten, ‘Die Irrungen’ [The Secrets: Continuation of the Fragment from the Life of a Fantast, "The Errors"] - 1821
- Genesung, Die [The Recovery] - 1822
- Haimatochare [Haimatochare] - 1819
- Irrungen, Die: Fragment aus dem Leben eines Fantasten [The Errors: Fragment from the Life of a Fantast] - 1820
- Marquise de la Pivardiere, Die [The Marquise de la Pivardiere] - 1820
- Meister Johannes Wacht [Master Johannes Wacht] - 1823
- Naivitt [Naivete] - 1822
- Neueste Schicksal eines Mannes abenteuerlichen [Latest Fortunes of an Adventurer] - 1823
- Räuber, Die: Abenteuer Zweier Freunde auf einem Schloße in Böhmen [The Robbers] - 1821
- Vetters Eckfenster, Des [My Cousin’s Corner Window] - 1822
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Hoffmann’s Works, Alphabetically
These lists are for the benefit of collectors, and are useful mainly because Hoffmann in English translation has not yet appeared in a complete set, and there is substantial overlap between the various collections that are available. I have not segregated the works by length (“novels”, “novellas” and short stories are intermixed).
Titles in the Original German
This list is by the original titles, because translations can have quite various English titles. The alphabetizing ignores leading Ein, Eine, Der, Die, Das. Capitalization may vary from edition to edition.
- Abenteuer der Silvester-Nacht, Die [The Adventures of New Year’s Eve] - 1815
- Alte und neue Kirchenmusik [Old and New Church Music] - 1814
- Artushof, Der [The Court of Arthur] - 1816
- ästhetische Teegesellschaft, Die [The Aesthetic Tea Society] - 1821
- Automate, Die [The Automaton] - 1814
- Baron von B., Der [The Baron of B.] - 1819
- Bergwerke zu Falun, Die [The Mines of Falun] - 1819
- Brautwahl, Die [The Bride Selection] - 1819
- Datura Fastuosa [Datura Fastuosa] - 1822
- Dichter und der Komponist, Der [The Poet and the Composer] - 1813
- Doge und Dogareße [Doge and Dogaressa] - 1818
- Don Juan [Don Juan] - 1813
- Doppeltgänger, Die [The Doubles] - 1822
- Einsiedler Serapion, Der [The Hermit Serapion] - 1819
- Elementargeist, Der [The Elemental Spirit] - 1820
- Elixiere des Teufels, Die [The Devil’s Elixirs] {novel} - 1815
- Erscheinungern [Manifestations] - 1817
- Feind, Der [The Enemy] - 1823
- Fermate, Die [The Cadenza] - 1815
- Fragment aus dem Leben dreier Freunde, Ein [A Fragment from the Life of Three Friends] - 1818
- Fräulein von Scuderi, Das [Mademoiselle de Scuderi] - 1819
- fremde Kind, Das [The Mysterious Child] - 1817
- Geheimniße, Die: Fortsetzung des Fragments aus dem Leben eines Fantasten, ‘Die Irrungen’ [The Secrets: Continuation of the Fragment from the Life of a Fantast, “The Errors”] - 1821
- Gelübde, Das [The Oath] - 1817
- Genesung, Die [The Recovery] - 1822
- goldene Topf, Der: Ein Märchen aus der neuen Zeit [The Golden Pot: A Fairytale of Modern Times] - revised in 1819
- Haimatochare [Haimatochare] - 1819
- Ignaz Denner [Ignaz Denner] - 1816
- Irrungen, Die: Fragment aus dem Leben eines Fantasten [The Errors: Fragment from the Life of a Fantast] - 1820
- Jesuiterkirche in G., Die [The Jesuit Church in G.] - 1816
- Kampf der Sänger, Der [The Contest of the Singers] - 1818
- Klein Zaches genannt Zinnober [Little Zaches, Called Cinnobar] {novel} - 1819
- Königsbraut, Die [The King’s Bride] - 1821
- Kreisleriana [Kreisleriana] {nonfiction & fiction mix} - various
- Lebens-Ansichten des Katers Murr nebst fragmentarischer Biographie des Kapellmeisters Johannes Kreisler in zufälligen Makulaturblättern [The Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr &c.] - {novel, 2 volumes} 1819-1821
- Magnetiseur, Der [The Hypnotist]
- Majorat, Das [The Entail] - 1817
- Marquise de la Pivardiere, Die [The Marquise de la Pivardiere] - 1820
- Meister Floh: Ein Mährchen in Sieben Abenteuern Zweier Freunde [Master Flea] {sometimes classed a novel} - 1822
- Meister Johannes Wacht [Master Johannes Wacht] - 1823
- Meister Martin der Küfner und seine Gesellen [Master Martin the Cooper and His Journeymen] - 1818
- Nachricht aus dem Leben eines bekannten Mannes [News from the Life of a Well-Known Man] - 1819
- Nachricht von den neuesten Schicksalen des Hundes Berganza [News of the Latest Fortunes of the Hound Berganza] - 1814
- Naivitt [Naivete] - 1822
- Neueste Schicksal eines Mannes abenteuerlichen [Latest Fortunes of an Adventurer] - 1823
- Nußknacker und Mausekönig [Nutcracker and Mouse King] - 1816
- öde Haus, Das [The Bleak House] - 1817
- Prinzeßin Brambilla [Princess Brambilla] {sometimes classed a novel} - 1820 (1821?)
- Rat Krespel [Councilor Krespel] - 1817
- Räuber, Die: Abenteuer Zweier Freunde auf einem Schloße in Böhmen [The Robbers] - 1821
- Ritter Gluck [The Knight Gluck] - 1809
- Sanctus, Das [The Sanctus] - 1816
- Sandmann, Der [The Sandman] - 1816
- Schwester Monika erzählt und erfährt [The Experiences and Confessions of Sister Monica] {novel: pornographic, published anonymously} - 1815
- Seltsame Leiden eines Theaterdirektors [Strange Sorrows of a Theater Director] {unclear what this is} - 1819
- Signor Formica [Signor Formica] - 1819
- Spielerglück [Gambler’s Luck] - 1819
- Spukgeschichte, Eine [A Ghost Story] - 1819
- steinerne Herz, Das [The Stone Heart] - 1817
- unheimliche Gast, Der [The Uncanny Guest] - 1819
- Vampirismus [Vampirism] - 1821
- Vetters Eckfenster, Des [My Cousin’s Corner Window] - 1822
- Zacharias Werner [Zacharias Werner] - 1821
- Zusammenhang der Dinge, Der [The Coherence of Things] - 1820
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Titles in English Translation
This list shows the various translations of the titles in the books listed farther below, but there could be other versions as well in other works. Each variant is shown by on a line itself, so this list is longer than the list in the original German shown above. The alphabetizing ignores leading A, An, The.
- Abandoned House, The [Das öde Haus] - 1815
- Adventures of Traugott, The [Der Artushof] - 1815
- Aesthetic Tea Society, The [Die ästhetische Teegesellschaft] - 1815
- Agate Heart, The [Das steinerne Herz] - 1815
- Albertine’s Wooers [Die Brautwahl] - 1815
- Annunziata [Doge und Dogareßa] - 1815
- Antonia’s Song [Rath Krespel] - 1815
- Arthur’s Hall [Der Artushof] - 1815
- Automata [Die Automate] - 1815
- Automaton, The [Die Automate] - 1815
- Automatons [Die Automate] - 1815
- Baron of B., The [Der Baron von B.] - 1815
- Berthold, the Madman [Die Jesuiterkirche in G.] - 1815
- Berthold the Madman [Die Jesuiterkirche in G.] - 1815
- Bride Selection, The [Die Brautwahl] - 1815
- Cadenza, The [Die Fermate] - 1815
- Chain of Destiny, The [Der Zusammenhang der Dinge] - 1815
- Choosing of the Bride, The [Die Brautwahl] - 1815
- Coherence of Things, The [Der Zusammenhang der Dinge] - 1815
- Contest of the Singers, The [Der Kampf der Sänger] - 1815
- Cooper of Nuremberg, The [Meister Martin der Küfner und seine Gesellen] - 1815
- Coppelius, the Sandman [Der Sandmann] - 1815
- Councilor Krespel [Rath Krespel] - 1815
- Court of Arthur, The [Der Artushof] - 1815
- Cremona Violin, The [Rath Krespel] - 1815
- Datura Fastuosa [Datura Fastuosa] - 1822
- Deserted House, The [Das öde Haus] - 1815
- Doge and Dogaressa [Doge und Dogareßa] - 1815
- Doge and Dogess, The [Doge und Dogareßa] - 1815
- Don Juan [Don Juan] - 1813
- Doubles, The [Die Doppeltgänger] - 1815
- Elemental Spirit, The [Elementargeist, Der] - 1820
- Enemy, The [Feind, Der] - 1823
- Entail, The [Das Majorat] - 1815
- Fascination [Der Magnetiseur] - 1815
- Fermata, The [Die Fermate] - 1815
- Fragment from the Life of Three Friends, A [Ein Fragment aus dem Leben dreier Freunde] - 1815
- Fragment of the Lives of Three Friends, A [Ein Fragment aus dem Leben dreier Freunde] - 1815
- Gambler’s Luck [Spielerglück] - 1815
- Ghost Story, A [Eine Spukgeschichte] - 1815
- Golden Flower Pot, The [Der goldene Topf] - 1815
- Golden Pot, The [Der goldene Topf] - 1815
- Haimatochare [Haimatochare] - 1819
- Hermit Serapion, The [Der Einsiedler Serapion] - 1815
- Ignaz Denner [Ignaz Denner] - 1816
- Interdependence of Things, The [Der Zusammenhang der Dinge] - 1815
- Jesuit Church at Glogau, The [Die Jesuiterkirche in G.] - 1815
- King’s Betrothed, The [Die Königsbraut] - 1815
- King’s Bride, The [Die Königsbraut] - 1815
- Kreisleriana, first set [Kreisleriana] - 1817
- Kreisleriana, second set [Kreisleriana] - 1817
- Latest Fortunes of an Adventurer [Neueste Schicksal eines Mannes abenteuerlichen] - 1823
- Legacy, The [Das Majorat] - 1815
- Life of a Well-Known Character, The [Nachricht aus dem Leben eines bekannten Mannes] - 1819
- Little Zaches, Called Cinnobar [Klein Zaches genannt Zinnober] - 1819
- Little Zack [Klein Zaches genannt Zinnober] - 1819
- Lost Reflection, The [Die Abenteuer der Silvester-Nacht] - 1815
- Mademoiselle de Scudéri [Das Fräulein von Scuderi] - 1815
- Manifestations [Erscheinungern] - 1817
- Marquise de la Pivardiere, The [Marquise de la Pivardiere, Die] - 1820
- Master Flea [Meister Floh] - 1822
- Master Johannes Wacht [Meister Johannes Wacht] - 1823
- Master Martin, the Cooper, and His Journeymen [Meister Martin der Küfner und seine Gesellen] - 1815
- Mines at Falun, The [Die Bergwerke zu Falun] - 1815
- Mines of Falun, The [Die Bergwerke zu Falun] - 1815
- My Cousin’s Corner Window [Des Vetters Eckfenster] - 1815
- Mysterious Child, The [Das fremde Kind] - 1817
- Mystery of the Deserted House, The [Das öde Haus] - 1815
- Naivete [Naivitt] - 1822
- News from the Life of a Well-Known Man [Nachricht aus dem Leben eines bekannten Mannes] - 1819
- News of the Latest Fortunes of the Hound Berganza [Nachricht von den neuesten Schicksalen des Hundes Berganza] - 1814
- New Year’s Eve Adventure, A [Die Abenteuer der Silvester-Nacht] - 1815
- Nutcracker and Mouse King [Nußknacker und Mausekönig] - 1815
- Nutcracker and the King of Mice [Nußknacker und Mausekönig] - 1815
- Old and New Church Music [Alte und neue Kirchenmusik] - 1814
- Pharo Bank, The [Spielerglück] - 1815
- Poet and the Composer, The [Der Dichter und der Komponist] - 1815
- Princess Brambilla [Prinzeßin Brambilla] - 1815
- Recovery, The [Genesung, Die] - 1822
- Ritter Gluck [Ritter Gluck] - 1809
- Robbers, The [Räuber, Die: Abenteuer Zweier Freunde auf einem Schloße in Böhmen] - 1815
- Salvator Rosa [Signor Formica] - 1819
- Sanctus, The [Sanctus, Das] - 1816
- Sand-Man, The [Der Sandmann] - 1815
- Sandman, The [Der Sandmann] - 1815
- Secrets: Continuation of the Fragment from the Life of a Fantast, “The Errors”, The [Geheimniße, Die: Fortsetzung des Fragments aus dem Leben eines Fantasten, ‘Die Irrungen’] - 1815
- Signor Formica [Signor Formica] - 1819
- Singers’ Contest, The [Der Kampf der Sänger] - 1815
- Stone Heart, The [Das steinerne Herz] - 1815
- Story of Krespel, The [Rath Krespel] - 1815
- Strange Sorrows of a Theater Director [Seltsame Leiden eines Theaterdirektors] - 1819
- Tobias Martin, Master Cooper, and His Men [Meister Martin der Küfner und seine Gesellen] - 1815
- Uncanny Guest, The [Der unheimliche Gast] - 1815
- Vampire, The [Vampirismus] - 1821
- Vampirism [Vampirismus] - 1821
- Vow, The [Das Gelübde] - 1815
- Walled-Up Door, The [Das Majorat] - 1815
- Zacharias Werner [Zacharias Werner] - 1821
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Hoffmann’s Tales Published in English
This is not an attempt at an exhaustive listing; rather, it is an attempt at a listing of works still available, new or used, at a reasonable price, which I arbitrarily set as under $35 or so (lowest price found). The collections are arbitrarily numbered for reference to show which stories are in which (a list by story follows father below).
Be aware that many editions of Hoffmann in English are knock-off scan-in reprints of quite old translations now in the public domain. Also be aware that many—some would say most—translators have made rather awful renditions of Hoffmann’s work; caveat lector. One competent reviewer…Michael Haldane…has remarked that “Ritchie Robertson, the translator of Tales of Hoffmann for the World’s Classics…has produced the best modern English translations of Hoffmann”; regrettably, it is only of a few tales. Other collections that have been said to be well done include the Penguin collection, the 1943 set assembled by illustrator Hugo Steiner-Prag (though it is said some are “condensed”), and the University of Chicago collection.
And Anthea Bell’s translation of Tomcat Murr (see immediately below) appears quite sound.
Longer Works
These range from book-length novels to novellas or novelettes (the distinction between a novella and a novelette is hazy, to say the least).
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Collections
Some of these include one or more of the longer works listed above. They are numbered {thus} for later cross-reference of the stories each contains. The years shown are for the translation, not the original composition (for which see farther above)
One notable collection not listed below is Fantasy Pieces in Callot’s Manner [Phantasiestücke in Callots Manier], published by Union College Press in 1995 and then Syracuse University Press in 1996. It is the only one-volume translation of that work, but is now very scarce and, more crucial, very expensive, typically well into the three-digit price range.
- {1} Hoffmann’s Strange Stories (1855)
- Meister Martin der Küfner und seine Gesellen
- Die Abenteuer der Silvester-Nacht
- Rath Krespel
- Das Majorat
- Die Jesuiterkirche in G.
- Der Sandmann
- Signor Formica
- Das Fräulein von Scuderi
- Spielerglück
- Der Magnetiseur
- Das steinerne Herz
- Das öde Haus
- {2} Hoffmann’s Fairy Tales (1857)
- Der Artushof
- Doge und Dogareßa
- Der Zusammenhang der Dinge
- Ignaz Denner
- Klein Zaches genannt Zinnober
- {3} Weird Tales (1885)
- Rath Krespel
- Die Fermate
- Signor Formica
- Der Sandmann
- Das Majorat
- Der Artushof
- Doge und Dogareßa
- Meister Martin der Küfner und seine Gesellen
- Das Fräulein von Scuderi
- Spielerglück
- Meister Johannes Wacht
- {4} The Serapion Brethren (1886 - 1892)
- Der Einsiedler Serapion
- Rath Krespel
- Die Fermate
- Der Dichter und der Komponist
- Ein Fragment aus dem Leben dreier Freunde
- Der Artushof
- Die Bergwerke zu Falun
- Nußknacker und Mausekönig
- Der Kampf der Sänger
- Eine Spukgeschichte
- Die Automate
- Doge und Dogareßa
- Alte und neue Kirchenmusik
- Meister Martin der Küfner und seine Gesellen
- Das fremde Kind
- Nachricht aus dem Leben eines bekannten Mannes
- Die Brautwahl
- Der unheimliche Gast
- Das Fräulein von Scuderi
- Spielerglück
- Der Baron von B.
- Signor Formica
- Zacharias Werner
- Erscheinungern
- Der Zusammenhang der Dinge
- Vampirismus
- Die ästhetische Teegesellschaft
- Die Königsbraut
- {5} Stories by Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann (1908)
- Rath Krespel
- Das Fräulein von Scuderi
- {6} Tales of Hoffmann (1932)
- Der Zusammenhang der Dinge
- Der Sandmann
- Das öde Haus
- Die Abenteuer der Silvester-Nacht
- Das Majorat
- {7} The Tales of Hoffmann (1943)
- Der Sandmann
- Die Bergwerke zu Falun
- Rath Krespel
- Don Juan
- Das öde Haus
- Das Gelübde
- Das Fräulein von Scuderi
- Das Majorat
- Der unheimliche Gast
- Spielerglück
- {8} Tales of Hoffmann (1946)
- Das Fräulein von Scuderi
- Don Juan
- Der goldene Topf
- Die Doppeltgänger
- Das Gelübde
- Die Fermate
- Die Jesuiterkirche in G.
- Das Majorat
- Rath Krespel
- Signor Formica
- {9} Tales from Hoffmann (1951)
- Der goldene Topf
- Der Sandmann
- Das Majorat
- Rath Krespel
- Das Fräulein von Scuderi
- {10} Eight Tales of Hoffmann (1952)
- Die Abenteuer der Silvester-Nacht
- Der Sandmann
- Die Jesuiterkirche in G.
- Das öde Haus
- Rath Krespel
- Die Bergwerke zu Falun
- Eine Spukgeschichte
- Spielerglück
- {11} Four Tales (1962)
- Der Sandmann
- Das Fräulein von Scuderi
- Datura Fastuosa
- Die Königsbraut
- {12} The Tales of Hoffmann (1963)
- Der Sandmann
- Das Fräulein von Scuderi
- Datura Fastuosa
- Die Königsbraut
- Spielerglück
- {13} The Best Tales of Hoffmann (1967)
- Der goldene Topf
- Eine Spukgeschichte
- Die Automate
- Die Abenteuer der Silvester-Nacht
- Nußknacker und Mausekönig
- Der Sandmann
- Rath Krespel
- Meister Martin der Küfner und seine Gesellen
- Die Bergwerke zu Falun
- Signor Formica
- Die Königsbraut
- {14} Tales of E. T. A. Hoffmann (1972)
- Ritter Gluck
- Der goldene Topf
- Der Sandmann
- Rath Krespel
- Die Bergwerke zu Falun
- Das Fräulein von Scuderi
- Die Doppeltgänger
- {15} The Tales of Hoffmann (1982)
- Das Fräulein von Scuderi
- Der Sandmann
- Der Artushof
- Rath Krespel
- Das Majorat
- Doge und Dogareßa
- Die Bergwerke zu Falun
- Die Brautwahl
- {16} The Tales of Hoffmann (1998)
- Der goldene Topf
- Rath Krespel
- Das Fräulein von Scuderi
- Die Bergwerke zu Falun
- Die Fermate
- Das Majorat
- Der Sandmann
- {17} Four Stories / Vier Erzahlungen [bilingual] (2003)
- Rath Krespel
- Die Bergwerke zu Falun
- Das Fräulein von Scuder
- Des Vetters Eckfenster
- {18} The Sand-Man and Other Night Pieces (2008)
- Der Sandmann
- Das Majorat
- Ein Fragment aus dem Leben dreier Freunde
- Die Bergwerke zu Falun
- Der Kampf der Sänger
- Eine Spukgeschichte
- Die Automate
- Nachricht aus dem Leben eines bekannten Mannes
- Die Brautwahl
- Der unheimliche Gast
- Vampirismus
- Rath Krespel
- Der goldene Topf
- Die Abenteuer der Silvester-Nacht
- Das öde Haus
- {19} The Golden Pot and Other Tales (2009)
- Der goldene Topf
- Der Sandmann
- Prinzeßin Brambilla
- Meister Floh
- Des Vetters Eckfenster
- {20} The Sandman and other tales of Hoffmann (2010)
- Der Sandmann
- Rath Krespel
- Das öde Haus
- {21} The Sandman, The Nutcracker, and Other Dark Fairy Tales (2018)
- Die Automate
- Der Sandmann
- Die Bergwerke zu Falun
- Rath Krespel
- Die Abenteuer der Silvester-Nacht
- Eine Spukgeschichte
- Vampirismus
- Das Majorat
- Das öde Haus
- Fremde Kind, Das
- Nußknacker und Mausekönig
- Der goldene Topf
- Die Königsbraut
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Works Collected in the Books Above
This lists all stories (and longer works) in any of the collections above; the numerals show in which ones it appears (and each numeral is a link to that book’s list). Titles in green appear in only one collection.
- Abenteuer der Silvester-Nacht, Die [The Lost Reflection | A New Year’s Eve Adventure]:
1,
6,
10,
13,
18,
21
- Alte und neue Kirchenmusik [Old and New Church Music]:
4
- Artushof, Der [Arthur’s Hall | The Court of Arthur | The Adventures of Traugott]:
2,
3,
4,
15
- ästhetische Teegesellschaft, Die [The Aesthetic Tea Society]:
4
- Automate, Die [Automata | Automatons | The Automaton]:
4,
13,
18,
21
- Baron von B., Der [The Baron of B.]:
4
- Bergwerke zu Falun, Die [The Mines of Falun | The Mines at Falun]:
n4,
n7,
10,
13,
14,
15,
16,
17,
18,
21
- Brautwahl, Die [The Bride Selection | The Choosing of the Bride | Albertine’s Wooers]:
4,
15,
18
- Datura Fastuosa [Datura Fastuosa]:
11,
12
- Dichter und der Komponist, Der [The Poet and the Composer]:
4
- Doge und Dogareßa [The Doge and Dogess | Doge and Dogaressa | Annunziata]:
2,
3,
4,
15
- Don Juan [Don Juan]:
7,
8
- Doppeltgänger, Die [The Doubles]:
8,
14
- Einsiedler Serapion, Der [The Hermit Serapion]:
4
- Erscheinungern [Manifestations]:
4
- Fermate, Die [The Fermata | The Cadenza]:
3,
4,
8,
16
- Fräulein von Scuderi, Das [Mademoiselle de Scudéri]:
1,
3,
4,
5,
7,
8,
9,
11,
12,
14,
15,
16,
17
- Fragment aus dem Leben dreier Freunde, Ein [A Fragment from the Life of Three Friends | A Fragment of the Lives of Three Friends]:
4,
18
- fremde Kind, Das [The Mysterious Child]:
4,
21
- Gelübde, Das [The Vow]:
7,
8
- goldene Topf, Der [The Golden Pot | The Golden Flower Pot]:
8,
9,
13,
14,
16,
18,
19,
21
- Ignaz Denner [Ignaz Denner]:
2
- Jesuiterkirche in G., Die [The Jesuit Church at Glogau | Berthold the Madman | Berthold, the Madman]:
1,
8,
10
- Königsbraut, Die [The King’s Bride | The King’s Betrothed]:
4,
11,
12,
13,
21
- Kampf der Sänger, Der [The Contest of the Singers | The Singers’ Contest]:
4,
18
- Klein Zaches genannt Zinnober [Little Zaches, Called Cinnobar | Little Zack]:
2
- Magnetiseur, Der [Fascination]:
1
- Majorat, Das [The Entail | The Legacy | The Walled-Up Door]:
1,
3,
6,
7,
8,
9,
15,
16,
18,
21
- Meister Floh [Master Flea]:
19
- Meister Johannes Wacht [Master Johannes Wacht]:
3
- Meister Martin der Küfner und seine Gesellen [Master Martin, the Cooper, and His Journeymen | The Cooper of Nuremberg | Tobias Martin, Master Cooper, and His Men]:
1,
3,
4,
13
- Nachricht aus dem Leben eines bekannten Mannes [News from the Life of a Well-Known Man | The Life of a Well-Known Character]:
4,
18
- Nußknacker und Mausekönig [Nutcracker and Mouse King | Nutcracker and the King of Mice]:
4,
13,
21
- öde Haus, Das [The Mystery of the Deserted House | The Deserted House | The Abandoned House]:
1,
6,
7,
10,
18,
20,
21
- Prinzeßin Brambilla [Princess Brambilla]:
19
- Rath Krespel [Antonia’s Song | The Cremona Violin | Councilor Krespel | The Story of Krespel]:
1,
3,
4,
5,
7,
8,
9,
10,
13,
14,
15,
16,
17,
18,
20,
11
- Ritter Gluck [Ritter Gluck]:
14
- Sandmann, Der [The Sandman | The Sand-Man | Coppelius, the Sandman]:
1,
3,
6,
7,
9,
10,
11,
12,
13,
14,
15,
16,
18,
19,
20,
21
- Signor Formica [Signor Formica | Salvator Rosa]:
1,
3,
4,
8,
13
- Spielerglück [Gambler’s Luck | The Pharo Bank]:
1,
3,
4,
7,
10,
12
- Spukgeschichte, Eine [A Ghost Story]:
4,
10,
13,
18,
21
- steinerne Herz, Das [The Agate Heart | The Stone Heart]:
1
- unheimliche Gast, Der [The Uncanny Guest]:
4,
7,
18
- Vampirismus [Vampirism | The Vampire]:
4,
18,
21
- Vetters Eckfenster, Des [My Cousin’s Corner Window]:
17,
19
- Zacharias Werner [Zacharias Werner]:
4
- Zusammenhang der Dinge, Der [The Chain of Destiny | The Coherence of Things | The Interdependence of Things]:
2,
4,
6
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Works NOT Collected in the Books Above
This lists all stories not in any of the collections above—these are the “missing works” of Hoffmann in English (at least in any readily available books).
- Elementargeist, Der [The Elemental Spirit] - 1820: in Later Stories
- Feind, Der [The Enemy] - 1823: in Later Stories
- Geheimniße, Die: Fortsetzung des Fragments aus dem Leben eines Fantasten, ‘Die Irrungen’ [The Secrets: Continuation of the Fragment from the Life of a Fantast, “The Errors”] - 1821: in Later Stories
- Genesung, Die [The Recovery] - 1822: in Later Stories
- Haimatochare [Haimatochare] - 1819: in Later Stories
- Irrungen, Die: Fragment aus dem Leben eines Fantasten [The Errors: Fragment from the Life of a Fantast] - 1820: in Later Stories
- Kreisleriana [Kreisleriana, first set] - 1814: in Fantasy Pieces in Callot’s Manner
- Kreisleriana [Kreisleriana, second set] - 1815: in Fantasy Pieces in Callot’s Manner
- Marquise de la Pivardiere, Die [The Marquise de la Pivardiere] - 1820: in Later Stories
- Nachricht von den neuesten Schicksalen des Hundes Berganza [News of the Latest Fortunes of the Hound Berganza] - 1814: in Fantasy Pieces in Callot’s Manner
- Naivitt [Naivete] - 1822: in Later Stories
- Neueste Schicksal eines Mannes abenteuerlichen [Latest Fortunes of an Adventurer] - 1823: in Later Stories
- Räuber, Die: Abenteuer Zweier Freunde auf einem Schloße in Böhmen [The Robbers] - 1821: in Later Stories
- Sanctus, Das [The Sanctus] - 1816: in Night Pieces
- Seltsame Leiden eines Theaterdirektors [Strange Sorrows of a Theater Director] - 1819: published as a standalone
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Other E. T. A. Hoffmann Resources
E. T. A. Hoffmann Resources on the Web
An interesting starting point is The Hoffmann Project, “a student-produced project which presents a biographic and bibliographic led author study”. The next-closest thing to a dedicated Hoffmann site, E.T.A. Hoffmann, is now defunct, but there remains an archived copy. It has a lot of material, including an interesting “Time Table of Hoffmann’s life”, plus some of his clever drawings (he was, after all, a polymath).
More valuable resources are Michael Haldane’s a few brief thoughts on Klein Zaches genannt Zinnober and his lengthy dissertation “Little Ernest, Great Ernst: The Trials and Tribulations of E.T.A. Hoffmann in English”, on translating Hoffmann.
Beyond those, we have, among others:
Naturally, there is a lot more on such a famed man, but those links ought to give you a good start.
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E. T. A. Hoffmann Resources in Print
The list below derives in main part from Ritchie Robinson’s “Select Bibliography” in the notes accompanying his translation of The Golden Pot and Other Tales (Oxford University Press); the notes alone are worth the price of the book. All comments on particular books shown below are Robinson’s.
- The Shattered Self: E. T. A. Hoffmann’s Tragic Vision, by Horst Daemmrich; a thorough and systematic introduction to Hoffmann.
- “E.T.A. Hoffmann” essay in German Men of Letters, Volume 5 (edited by Alex Natan): a sophisticated and perceptive critical approach.
- Hoffmann’s Other World: The Romantic Author and His ‘New Mythology’, by Kenneth Negus: the relations between myth and reality in hoffmann’s tales.
- Hoffmann, Author of the Tales, by Harvey W. Hewett-Thayer; valuable for information, but weak on analysis and criticism.
- Mysticism and Sexuality: E. T. A. Hoffmann, by James McGlathery (2 volumes): volume 1 is full of useful information, some unavailable elsewhere; volume 2, the analyses, disappoints.
- A Study of the Major Novellas of E.T.A. Hoffmann, by Birgit Röder.
- E.T.A. Hoffmann: Transgressive Romanticism; Christopher R. Clason, editor.
- E. T. A. Hoffmann and Alcohol, by Victoria Dutchman-Smith.
Return to the page top. ↑
Notable Science-Fiction and Fantasy Books by E. T. A. Hoffmann ***
- Novels, Novellas, Novelettes:
- Short Stories:
- Basic Collections:
- Ancillary Collections [this set]:
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