This early work by E. T. A. Hoffmann was originally published in 1885
and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography.
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.
Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann was born in Königsberg, East Prussia in
1776. His 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.