Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann, c short biography which the interested reader can familiarize himself with on the pages of the site, is a prominent representative German romanticism. Multi-talented, Hoffmann is known as a musician, as an artist, and, of course, as a writer. Hoffmann's works, mostly misunderstood by his contemporaries, after his death inspired such great writers as Balzac, Poe, Kafka, Dostoevsky, and many others.
Hoffmann's childhood
Hoffmann was born in Königsberg (East Prussia) in 1776 into the family of a lawyer. At baptism, the boy was named Ernst Theodor Wilhelm, but later, in 1805, he changed the name Wilhelm to Amadeus - in honor of his musical idol Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. After his parents' divorce, three-year-old Ernst was raised in the house of his maternal grandmother. His uncle had a great influence on the formation of the boy’s worldview, which is clearly manifested in further milestones in Hoffmann’s biography and work. Like Ernst’s father, he was a lawyer by profession, a talented and intelligent man, prone to mysticism, but, in Ernst’s own opinion, limited and overly pedantic. Despite the difficult relationship, it was his uncle who helped Hoffmann reveal his musical and artistic talents and contributed to his education in these areas of art.
Teenage years: studying at the university
Following the example of his uncle and father, Hoffman decided to practice law, but his commitment family business played a cruel joke on him. Having brilliantly graduated from the University of Königsberg, the young man left hometown and served for several years as a judicial officer in Glogau, Poznan, Plock, and Warsaw. However, like many talented people, Hoffmann constantly felt dissatisfaction with the quiet bourgeois life, trying to break out of the addictive routine and start making a living through music and drawing. From 1807 to 1808, while living in Berlin, Hoffmann earned his living by giving private music lessons.
E. Hoffmann's first love
While studying at the university, Ernst Hoffmann earned his living by giving music lessons. His student was Dora (Cora) Hutt, a lovely young woman of 25 years old, the wife of a wine merchant and the mother of five children. Hoffman sees in her a kindred spirit who understands his desire to escape from the gray monotonous everyday life. After several years of relationship, gossip spread around the city, and after the birth of their sixth child, Dora, Ernst’s relatives decide to send him from Königsberg to Glogau, where another of his uncles lived. Periodically he returns to see his beloved. Their last meeting took place in 1797, after which their paths diverged forever - Hoffmann, with the approval of his relatives, became engaged to his cousin from Glogau, and Dora Hutt, having divorced her husband, married again, this time to a school teacher.
The beginning of a creative journey: musical career
During this period, Hoffmann's career as a composer began. Ernst Amadeus Hoffmann, whose biography serves as proof of the saying that “a talented person is talented in everything,” wrote his musical works under the pseudonym Johann Kreisler. Among his most famous works are many sonatas for piano (1805-1808), the operas Aurora (1812) and Ondine (1816), and the ballet Harlequin (1808). In 1808, Hoffmann took the post of theater conductor in Bamberg, in subsequent years he served as conductor in the theaters of Dresden and Leipzig, but in 1814 he had to return to public service.
Hoffmann also proved himself as a music critic, and he was interested in both his contemporaries, in particular Beethoven, and composers of past centuries. As mentioned above, Hoffmann deeply revered the work of Mozart. He also signed his articles with a pseudonym: “Johann Kreisler, Kapellmeister.” In honor of one of his literary heroes.
Hoffmann's marriage
Considering the biography of Ernst Hoffmann, one cannot help but pay attention to his family life. In 1800, after passing the third state exam, he was transferred to Poznan to the position of assessor in the Supreme Court. Here the young man meets his future wife, Michaelina Rohrer-Trzczyńska. In 1802, Hoffmann broke off his engagement to his cousin, Minna Derfer, and, having converted to Catholicism, married Michaelina. The writer subsequently never regretted his decision. This woman, whom he affectionately calls Misha, supported Hoffmann in everything until the end of his life, and was his reliable life partner in difficult times, of which there were many in their lives. One might say that she became his quiet haven, which was so necessary for the tormented soul of a talented man.
Literary heritage
Ernst Hoffmann's first literary work, the short story “Cavalier Gluck,” was published in 1809 in the Leipzig General Musical Newspaper. This was followed by short stories and essays, united by the main character and bearing the general title “Kreisleriana”, which were later included in the collection “Fantasies in the manner of Callot” (1814-1815).
The period 1814-1822, marked by the writer's return to jurisprudence, is known as the time of his heyday as a writer. During these years, such works were written as the novel “Elixirs of Satan” (1815), the collection “Night Studies” (1817), the fairy tales “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” (1816), “Little Tsakhes, nicknamed Zinnober" (1819), "Princess Brambilla" (1820), a collection of short stories "The Serapion Brothers" and the novel " Life Beliefs the cat Murrah" (1819-1821), the novel "Lord of the Fleas" (1822).
Illness and death of the writer
In 1818, the health of the great German storyteller Hoffmann, whose biography is replete with ups and downs, begins to deteriorate. Daytime work in court, requiring significant mental effort, followed by evening meetings with like-minded people in a wine cellar and night vigils, during which Hoffmann sought to write down all the thoughts that came to mind during the day, all the fantasies generated by a brain heated by wine vapors - this way of life significantly undermined the writer's health. In the spring of 1818, he developed a spinal cord disease.
At the same time, the writer’s relationship with the authorities became complicated. In his later works, Ernst Hoffmann ridiculed police brutality, spies and informers, whose activities were so encouraged by the Prussian government. Hoffman even seeks the resignation of the chief of police, Kampets, which has turned the entire police department against himself. In addition, Goffman defends some democrats, whom his duty is to bring to court.
In January 1822, the writer's health deteriorated sharply. The disease reaches a crisis. Hoffmann develops paralysis. A few days later, the police confiscate the manuscript of his story “The Lord of the Fleas,” in which Kamptz is the prototype of one of the characters. The writer is accused of disclosing judicial secrets. Thanks to the intercession of friends, the trial was postponed for several months, and on March 23, Hoffmann, already bedridden, dictated a speech in his own defense. The investigation was terminated while the story was edited in accordance with censorship requirements. "Lord of the Fleas" comes out this spring.
The writer's paralysis progresses rapidly and reaches the neck on June 24. E.T.A. died Hoffmann in Berlin on June 25, 1822, leaving nothing as an inheritance to his wife except debts and manuscripts.
The main features of the work of E.T.A Hoffmann
The period of Hoffmann's literary creativity falls on the heyday of German romanticism. In the writer’s works one can trace the main features of the Jena school of romanticism: the implementation of the idea of romantic irony, recognition of the integrity and versatility of art, the embodiment of the image of an ideal artist. E. Hoffmann also shows the conflict between the romantic utopia and the real world, however, unlike the Jena romantics, his hero is gradually absorbed by the material world. The writer makes fun of his romantic characters who strive to find freedom in art.
Musical short stories by Hoffmann
All researchers agree that the biography of Hoffmann and his literary creativity inseparable from music. This theme can be most clearly seen in the writer’s short stories “Cavalier Gluck” and “Kreisleriana”.
The main character of "The Chevalier Gluck" is a virtuoso musician, a contemporary of the author, an admirer of the work of the composer Gluck. The hero creates around himself the atmosphere that surrounded “that same” Gluck, in an attempt to detach himself from the bustle of the contemporary city and ordinary people, among whom it is fashionable to be considered a “connoisseur of music.” Trying to preserve the musical treasures created by the great composer, the unknown Berlin musician seems to become his embodiment. One of the main themes of the novel is tragic loneliness creative person.
"Kreisleriana" - a series of essays on various topics, united common hero, Kapellmeister Johannes Kreisler. Among them there are both satirical and romantic, but the theme of the musician and his place in society runs through each one. Sometimes these thoughts are expressed by a character, and sometimes directly by the author. Johann Kreisler is a recognized literary double of Hoffmann, his embodiment in the musical world.
In conclusion, it can be noted that Ernst Theodor Hoffmann, biography and summary Some of whose works are presented in this article is a shining example of an extraordinary person, always ready to go against the grain and fight life’s adversities for the sake of a higher goal. For him, this goal was art, whole and indivisible.
“I must tell you, gentle reader, that I... more than once
managed to capture and put into embossed form fairy-tale images...
This is where I get the courage to make it public in the future.
publicity, such pleasant communication with all kinds of fantastic people
figures and incomprehensible creatures and even invite the most
serious people to join their bizarrely motley society.
But I think you won’t take this courage for insolence and will consider
it is quite forgivable on my part to try to lure you out of a narrow
circle of everyday life and amuse in a very special way, leading into someone else's
you a region that is ultimately closely intertwined with that kingdom,
where the human spirit of its own free will dominates real life and being."
(E.T.A. Hoffman)
At least once a year, or rather at the end of the year, everyone remembers Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann in one way or another. It’s hard to imagine the New Year and Christmas holidays without a wide variety of productions of “The Nutcracker” - from classical ballet before the show on ice.
This fact is both pleasing and saddening, because Hoffmann’s significance is far from being limited to writing the famous fairy tale about the puppet freak. His influence on Russian literature is truly enormous. " Queen of Spades"Pushkin, "Petersburg Tales" and "The Nose" by Gogol, "The Double" by Dostoevsky, "Diaboliad" and "The Master and Margarita" by Bulgakov - behind all these works the shadow of the great German writer invisibly hovers. The literary circle formed by M. Zoshchenko, L. Lunts, V. Kaverin and others was called “The Serapion Brothers,” like the collection of Hoffmann’s stories. Gleb Samoilov, the author of many ironic horror songs from the group AGATHA CHRISTIE, also confesses his love for Hoffmann.
Therefore, before moving directly to the cult “Nutcracker”, we will have to tell you a lot more interesting things...
The legal suffering of Kapellmeister Hoffmann
“He who cherished a heavenly dream is forever doomed to suffer earthly torment.”
(E.T.A. Hoffman “In the Jesuit Church in Germany”)
Hoffmann's hometown is today part of the Russian Federation. This is Kaliningrad, formerly Koenigsberg, where on January 24, 1776, a little boy with the triple name Ernst Theodor Wilhelm, characteristic of the Germans, was born. I’m not confusing anything - the third name was Wilhelm, but our hero was so fond of music from childhood that already in adulthood he changed it to Amadeus, in honor of you-know-who.
The main tragedy of Hoffmann's life is not new at all creative personality. It was an eternal conflict between desire and possibility, the world of dreams and the vulgarity of reality, between what should be and what is. On Hoffmann's grave it is written: “He was equally good as a lawyer, as a writer, as a musician, as a painter”. Everything written is true. And yet, a few days after the funeral, his property goes under the hammer to pay off debts to creditors.
Hoffmann's grave.
Even posthumous fame did not come to Hoffmann as it should have. WITH early childhood and until his death, our hero considered only music to be his real calling. She was everything to him - God, miracle, love, the most romantic of all arts...
THIS. Hoffman “The worldly views of the cat Murr”:
“-...There is only one angel of light capable of overpowering the demon of evil. This is a bright angel - the spirit of music, which often and victoriously rose from my soul; at the sounds of his powerful voice, all earthly sorrows are numb.
“I have always,” said the adviser, “I have always believed that music affects you too strongly, moreover, almost detrimentally, for during the performance of some wonderful creation it seemed that your whole being was permeated with music, even your features were distorted.” faces. You turned pale, you were unable to utter a word, you only sighed and shed tears and then attacked, armed with the bitterest mockery, deeply stinging irony, at everyone who wanted to say a word about the master’s creation ... "“Since I write music, I manage to forget all my worries, the whole world. Because the world that arises from a thousand sounds in my room, under my fingers, is incompatible with anything that is outside it.”
At the age of 12, Hoffmann was already playing the organ, violin, harp and guitar. He also became the author of the first romantic opera, Ondine. Even Hoffmann's first literary work, Chevalier Gluck, was about music and a musician. And this man, as if created for the world of art, had to work almost his entire life as a lawyer, and in the memory of posterity he will remain primarily as a writer, on whose works other composers “made a career.” In addition to Pyotr Ilyich with his “Nutcracker”, one can name R. Schumann (“Kreislerian”), R. Wagner (“The Flying Dutchman”), A. S. Adam (“Giselle”), J. Offenbach (“The Tales of Hoffmann”) , P. Handemita (“Cardillac”).
Rice. E. T. A. Hoffmann.
Hoffman openly hated his work as a lawyer, compared him to the rock of Prometheus, and called him a “state stall,” although this did not prevent him from being a responsible and conscientious official. He passed all advanced training exams with flying colors, and, apparently, no one had any complaints about his work. However, Hoffman’s career as a lawyer was not entirely successful, which was due to his impetuous and sarcastic character. Either he will fall in love with his students (Hoffman earned money as a music tutor), then he will draw caricatures of respected people, or he will generally portray the police chief Kampets in the extremely unsightly image of Councilor Knarrpanti in his story “The Lord of the Fleas.”
THIS. Hoffmann "Lord of the Fleas":
“In response to the indication that the criminal can only be identified if the fact of the crime itself is established, Knarrpanti expressed the opinion that it is important first of all to find the villain, and the crime committed will already be revealed by itself.
...Thinking, Knarrpanti believed, in itself, as such, is a dangerous operation, and thinking dangerous people all the more dangerous."
Portrait of Hoffmann.
Hoffmann did not get away with such ridicule. A lawsuit was brought against him for insulting an official. Only his state of health (Hoffmann was already almost completely paralyzed by that time) did not allow the writer to be brought to trial. The story “Lord of the Fleas” was severely damaged by censorship and was published in full only in 1908...
Hoffmann's quarrelsomeness led to the fact that he was constantly transferred - now to Poznan, now to Plock, now to Warsaw... We should not forget that at that time a significant part of Poland belonged to Prussia. Hoffmann’s wife, by the way, also became a Polish woman - Mikhalina Tshcinskaya (the writer affectionately called her “Mishka”). Mikhalina turned out to be a wonderful wife who steadfastly endured all the hardships of life with a restless husband - she supported him in difficult times, provided comfort, forgave all his infidelities and binges, as well as his constant lack of money.
The writer A. Ginz-Godin recalled Hoffmann as “a little man who always wore the same worn, albeit well-cut, brown-chestnut tailcoat, who rarely parted with a short pipe, from which he blew out thick clouds of smoke, even on the street.” , who lived in a tiny room and had such sarcastic humor.”
But still, the biggest shock to the Hoffmann couple was brought by the outbreak of war with Napoleon, whom our hero subsequently began to perceive almost as a personal enemy (even the fairy tale about little Tsakhes seemed to many then to be a satire on Napoleon). When French troops entered Warsaw, Hoffmann immediately lost his job, his daughter died, and his sick wife had to be sent to her parents. For our hero, the time of hardship and wandering comes. He moves to Berlin and tries to make music, but to no avail. Hoffmann makes a living by drawing and selling caricatures of Napoleon. And most importantly, he is constantly helped with money by the second “guardian angel” - his friend at the University of Konigsberg, and now Baron Theodor Gottlieb von Hippel.
Theodor Gottlieb von Hippel.
Finally, Hoffmann's dreams seem to be starting to come true - he gets a job as a bandmaster in a small theater in the town of Bamberg. Work in the provincial theater did not bring much money, but our hero is happy in his own way - he took up the desired art. In the theater, Hoffmann is “both the devil and the reaper” - composer, director, decorator, conductor, author of the libretto... During the theater troupe’s tour in Dresden, he finds himself in the midst of battles with the already retreating Napoleon, and even from afar he sees the most hated emperor. Walter Scott would later complain for a long time that Hoffmann supposedly had the privilege of being in the midst of the most important historical events, and he, instead of recording them, scribbled down his strange tales.
Hoffmann's theatrical life did not last long. After people who, according to him, understood nothing about art, began to manage the theater, it became impossible to work.
Friend Hippel came to the rescue again. With his direct participation, Hoffmann got a job as an adviser to the Berlin Court of Appeal. Funds for living appeared, but I had to forget about my career as a musician.
From the diary of E. T. A. Hoffmann, 1803:
“Oh, pain, I’m becoming more and more a state councilor! Who would have thought about this three years ago! The muse runs away, through the archival dust the future looks dark and gloomy... Where are my intentions, where are my wonderful plans for art?
Self-portrait of Hoffmann.
But here, completely unexpectedly for Hoffmann, he begins to gain fame as a writer.
It cannot be said that Hoffman became a writer completely by accident. Like any versatile personality, he wrote poetry and stories from his youth, but never perceived them as his main life purpose.
From a letter from E.T.A. Goffman T.G. Hippel, February 1804:
“Something great is going to happen soon—some work of art is going to come out of the chaos. Whether it be a book, an opera or a painting - quod diis placebit (“whatever the gods want”). Do you think I should once again ask the Great Chancellor (i.e. God - S.K.) if I was created as an artist or musician?..”
However, the first published works were not fairy tales, but critical articles about music. They were published in the Leipzig General Musical Newspaper, where the editor was Hoffmann's good friend, Johann Friedrich Rochlitz.
In 1809, the newspaper published Hoffmann's short story "Cavalier Gluck". And although he began to write it as a kind of critical essay, the result was a full-fledged literary work, where, among reflections on music, a mysterious double plot characteristic of Hoffmann appears. Gradually, Hoffman truly became fascinated by writing. In 1813-14, when the outskirts of Dresden were shaken by shells, our hero, instead of describing the history happening next to him, enthusiastically wrote the fairy tale “The Golden Pot”.
From Hoffmann's letter to Kunz, 1813:
“It is not surprising that in our gloomy, unfortunate time, when a person barely survives from day to day and still has to rejoice in it, writing captivated me so much - it seems to me as if a wonderful kingdom had opened up before me, which is born from my inner world and, taking on flesh, separates me from the external world.”
Hoffmann's amazing performance is especially striking. It's no secret that the writer was a passionate lover of “studying wines” in a variety of eateries. Having had enough to drink in the evening after work, Hoffman would come home and, suffering from insomnia, begin to write. They say that when terrible fantasies began to get out of control, he woke up his wife and continued to write in her presence. Perhaps it is from here that in Hoffmann's fairy tales there are often unnecessary and whimsical plot twists.
The next morning, Hoffman was already sitting at his workplace and diligently engaged in hateful legal duties. An unhealthy lifestyle, apparently, brought the writer to the grave. He developed a spinal cord disease, and spent the last days of his life completely paralyzed, contemplating the world only through an open window. The dying Hoffmann was only 46 years old.
THIS. Hoffmann "Corner Window":
“...I remind myself of the old crazy painter who spent whole days sitting in front of a primed canvas inserted into a frame and praising everyone who came to him the manifold beauties of the luxurious, magnificent painting he had just completed. I must give up that effective creative life, the source of which is in myself, which, embodied in new forms, becomes related to the whole world. My spirit must hide in its cell... this window is a consolation for me: here life again appeared to me in all its diversity, and I feel how close its never-ending bustle is to me. Come, brother, look out the window!”
The double bottom of Hoffmann's tales
“He was perhaps the first to depict doubles, the horror of this situation was before Edgar
By. He rejected Hoffmann’s influence on him, saying that he was not from German romance,
and from his own soul the horror that he sees is born... Maybe
Perhaps the difference between them is precisely that Edgar Poe is sober, and Hoffmann is drunk.
Hoffmann is multi-colored, kaleidoscopic, Edgar in two or three colors, in one frame.”
(Y. Olesha)
In the literary world, Hoffman is usually considered a romantic. I think that Hoffmann himself would not argue with such a classification, although among representatives of classical romanticism he looks in many ways like a black sheep. Early romantics like Tieck, Novalis, Wackenroder were too far away... not only from the people... but also from the surrounding life in general. They resolved the conflict between the lofty aspirations of the spirit and the vulgar prose of existence by isolating themselves from this existence, by escaping to such mountainous heights of their dreams and dreams that few modern readers, who would not frankly get bored over the pages of the “innermost mysteries of the soul.”
“Before, he was especially good at composing funny, lively stories, which Clara listened to with unfeigned pleasure; now his creations had become gloomy, incomprehensible, formless, and although Clara, sparing him, did not talk about it, he still easily guessed how little they pleased her. ...Nathanael's writings were indeed extremely boring. His annoyance at Clara's cold, prosaic disposition increased every day; Clara also could not overcome her displeasure with the dark, gloomy, boring mysticism of Nathanael, and thus, unnoticed by them, their hearts became more and more divided.”
Hoffman managed to stand on the thin line between romanticism and realism (later a number of classics would plow a real furrow along this line). Of course, he was no stranger to the high aspirations of the romantics, their thoughts about creative freedom, about the restlessness of the creator in this world. But Hoffmann did not want to sit either in the solitary confinement of his reflective self or in the gray cage of everyday life. He said: “Writers should not isolate themselves, but, on the contrary, live among people, observe life in all its manifestations”.
“And most importantly, I believe that, thanks to the need to perform, in addition to serving art, also civil service, I acquired a broader view of things and largely avoided the egoism due to which professional artists, if I may say so, so inedible.”
In his fairy tales, Hoffmann pitted the most recognizable reality against the most incredible fantasy. As a result, the fairy tale became life, and life became a fairy tale. Hoffmann's world is a colorful carnival, where behind a mask there is a mask, where the apple seller may turn out to be a witch, the archivist Lindgorst may turn out to be a powerful Salamander, the ruler of Atlantis (“Golden Pot”), the canoness from the shelter of noble maidens may turn out to be a fairy (“Little Tsakhes…”), Peregrinus Tik is King Sekakis, and his friend Pepush is thistle Ceherit ("Lord of the Fleas"). Almost all characters have a double bottom; they exist, as it were, in two worlds at the same time. The author knew firsthand the possibility of such an existence...
Meeting of Peregrinus with the Master Flea. Rice. Natalia Shalina.
At Hoffmann's masquerade, it is sometimes impossible to understand where the game ends and life begins. A stranger you meet can come out in an old camisole and say: “I am Cavalier Gluck,” and let the reader rack his brain: who is this - a madman playing the role of a great composer, or the composer himself, who has appeared from the past. And Anselm’s vision of golden snakes in the elderberry bushes can easily be attributed to the “useful tobacco” he consumed (presumably opium, which was very common at that time).
No matter how bizarre Hoffmann's tales may seem, they are inextricably linked with the reality around us. Here is little Tsakhes - a vile and evil freak. But he evokes only admiration among those around him, for he has a wonderful gift, “by virtue of which everything wonderful that in his presence someone else thinks, says or does will be attributed to him, and in the company of beautiful, sensible and intelligent people he will be recognized as handsome, sensible and intelligent." Is this really such a fairy tale? And is it really such a miracle that the thoughts of people that Peregrinus reads with the help of magic glass differ from their words?
E.T.A.Hoffman “Lord of the Fleas”:
“We can only say one thing: many sayings with thoughts related to them have become stereotypical. So, for example, the phrase: “Do not refuse me your advice” corresponded to the thought: “He is stupid enough to think that I really need his advice in a matter that I have already decided, but this flatters him!”; “I completely rely on you!” - “I have known for a long time that you are a scoundrel,” etc. Finally, it should also be noted that many, during his microscopic observations, plunged Peregrinus into considerable difficulty. These were, for example, young people who were filled with the greatest enthusiasm for everything and overflowed with an ebullient stream of the most magnificent eloquence. Among them, the most beautiful and wisest expressed themselves were the young poets, full of imagination and genius and adored mainly by the ladies. Along with them stood women writers who, as they say, ruled as if at home, in the very depths of existence, in all the subtlest philosophical problems and relationships social life... he was also amazed by what was revealed to him in the minds of these people. He also saw a strange interweaving of veins and nerves in them, but immediately noticed that even during their most eloquent rantings about art, science, and in general about the highest questions of life, these nerve threads not only did not penetrate into the depths of the brain, but, on the contrary, developed in the opposite direction, so that there could be no question of a clear recognition of their thoughts.”
As for the notorious insoluble conflict between spirit and matter, Hoffmann most often copes with it, like most people - with the help of irony. The writer said that “the greatest tragedy must appear through a special kind of joke.”
“- “Yes,” said Councilor Bentzon, “it is this humor, it is this foundling, born into the world of a depraved and capricious fantasy, this humor about which you, cruel men, do not know yourself, who you should pass him off for, - to be perhaps for an influential and noble man, full of all sorts of merits; So, it is precisely this humor that you willingly try to palm off on us as something great and beautiful, at that very moment when everything that is dear and dear to us, you seek to destroy with caustic mockery!”
The German romantic Chamisso even called Hoffmann “our indisputable first humorist.” Irony was strangely inseparable from the romantic features of the writer’s work. I was always amazed how purely romantic pieces of text, written by Hoffmann clearly from the heart, he immediately subjected to ridicule a paragraph below - more often, however, benignly. His romantic heroes are often dreamy losers, like the student Anselm, or eccentrics, like Peregrinus, riding a wooden horse, or deep melancholics, suffering from love like Balthazar in all sorts of groves and bushes. Even a pot of gold fairy tale of the same name was first conceived as... a famous piece of toilette.
From a letter from E.T.A. Goffman T.G. Hippel:
“I decided to write a fairy tale about how a certain student falls in love with a green snake, suffering under the yoke of a cruel archivist. And as a dowry, she receives a golden pot, and after urinating in it for the first time, she turns into a monkey.”THIS. Hoffmann "Lord of the Fleas":
"The old way, traditional custom The hero of the story, in case of strong emotional disturbance, must run into the forest or at least into a secluded grove. ...Further, not a single grove of a romantic story should be lacking in the rustling of leaves, nor in the sighs and whispers of the evening breeze, nor in the murmur of a stream, etc., and therefore, it goes without saying, Peregrinus found all this in his refuge ..."
“...It is quite natural that Mr. Peregrinus Tys, instead of going to bed, leaned out of the open window and, as befits lovers, began, looking at the moon, to indulge in thoughts about his beloved. But even if this damaged Mr. Peregrinus Tys in the opinion of a favorable reader, especially in the opinion of a favorable reader, justice requires that we say that Mr. Peregrinus, despite all his blissful state, yawned so well twice that some tipsy clerk, someone passing by, staggering under his window, shouted loudly to him: “Hey, you there, white cap! Be careful not to swallow me! This was sufficient reason for Mr. Peregrinus Tys to slam the window in frustration so hard that the glass rattled. They even claim that during this act he exclaimed quite loudly: “Rude!” But one cannot vouch for the authenticity of this, for such an exclamation seems to completely contradict both the quiet disposition of Peregrinus and the state of mind in which he was that night.”
THIS. Hoffmann "Little Tsakhes":
“...Only now he felt how indescribably he loved the beautiful Candida and at the same time how bizarrely the purest, most intimate love takes on a somewhat clownish guise in external life, which must be attributed to the deep irony inherent in all human actions by nature itself.”
If so positive characters Hoffman makes us smile, what can we say about the negative ones, on which the author simply splashes with sarcasm. What is the “Order of the Green-Spotted Tiger with Twenty Buttons” worth, or Mosch Terpin’s exclamation: “Children, do whatever you want! Get married, love each other, starve together, because I won’t give a penny as Candida’s dowry!”. And the chamber pot mentioned above was not in vain either - the author drowned the vile little Tsakhes in it.
THIS. Hoffmann “Little Tsakhes...”:
“My all-merciful lord! If I had to be content with only the visible surface of phenomena, then I could say that the minister died from a complete lack of breathing, and this lack of breathing resulted from the inability to breathe, which impossibility, in turn, was produced by the elements, humor, that liquid, in which the minister was overthrown. I could say that the minister thus died a humorous death.”
Rice. S. Alimova to “Little Tsakhes”.
We should also not forget that in Hoffmann’s time, romantic techniques were already commonplace, the images were emasculated, became banal and vulgar, they were adopted by philistines and mediocrities. They were most sarcastically ridiculed in the image of Murr the cat, who describes the prosaic everyday life of a cat in such narcissistic, sublime language that it is impossible not to laugh. By the way, the idea for the book itself arose when Hoffmann noticed that his cat liked to sleep in the desk drawer where the papers were kept. “Maybe this smart cat, while no one is looking, writes his own works?” - the writer smiled.
Illustration for “Everyday views of Murr the cat.” 1840
THIS. Hoffman “The Worldly Views of Moore the Cat”:
“Whether there is a cellar or a woodshed there - I strongly speak out in favor of the attic! - Climate, fatherland, morals, customs - how indelible is their influence; Yes, aren’t they the ones that have a decisive influence on the internal and external formation a true cosmopolitan, a true citizen of the world! Where does this amazing feeling of the sublime come from, this irresistible desire for the sublime! Where does this admirable, amazing, rare dexterity in climbing come from, this enviable art that I demonstrate in the most risky, the most daring and the most ingenious jumps? - Ah! Sweet longing fills my chest! Longing for my father's attic, an inexplicably rooted feeling, rises powerfully within me! I dedicate these tears to you, oh my beautiful homeland - to you these heartbreaking, passionate meows! In your honor I make these jumps, these leaps and pirouettes, full of virtue and patriotic spirit!...”
But Hoffmann depicted the darkest consequences of romantic egoism in the fairy tale “The Sandman.” It was written in the same year as the famous “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley. If the wife of the English poet portrayed an artificial male monster, then in Hoffmann his place is taken by the mechanical doll Olympia. An unsuspecting romantic hero falls madly in love with her. Still would! - she is beautiful, well-built, flexible and silent. Olympia can spend hours listening to the outpouring of her admirer’s feelings (oh, yes! - that’s how she understands him, not like her former – living – beloved).
Rice. Mario Laboccetta.
THIS. Hoffmann "Sandman":
“Poems, fantasies, visions, novels, stories multiplied day by day, and all this, mixed with all sorts of chaotic sonnets, stanzas and canzonas, he tirelessly read Olympia for hours on end. But he had never had such a diligent listener before. She didn’t knit or embroider, didn’t look out the window, didn’t feed the birds, didn’t play with the lap dog or her favorite cat, didn’t twirl a piece of paper or anything else in her hands, didn’t try to hide her yawning with a quiet feigned cough - in a word, whole for hours, without moving from her place, without moving, she looked into the eyes of her lover, not taking her motionless gaze off him, and this gaze became more and more fiery, more and more alive. Only when Nathanael finally got up from his seat and kissed her hand, and sometimes on the lips, did she sigh: “Ax-ax!” - and added: - Good night, my dear!
- O beautiful, indescribable soul! - exclaimed Nathanael, return to your room, - only you, only you alone deeply understand me!
The explanation of why Nathanael fell in love with Olympia (she stole his eyes) is also deeply symbolic. It is clear that he does not love the doll, but only his far-fetched idea of it, his dream. And prolonged narcissism and a closed stay in the world of one’s dreams and visions makes a person blind and deaf to the surrounding reality. The visions get out of control, lead to madness and ultimately destroy the hero. “The Sandman” is one of the rare fairy tales of Hoffmann with a sad, hopeless ending, and the image of Nathanael is probably the most stinging reproach to rabid romanticism.
Rice. A. Kostina.
Hoffmann does not hide his dislike for the other extreme - the attempt to enclose all the diversity of the world and freedom of spirit in rigid, monotonous schemes. The idea of life as a mechanical, rigidly determined system, where everything can be sorted into shelves, is deeply disgusting to the writer. The children in The Nutcracker immediately lose interest in the mechanical castle when they learn that the figures in it only move in a certain way and nothing else. Hence the unpleasant images of scientists (like Mosh Tepin or Leeuwenhoek) who think that they are masters of nature and invade the innermost fabric of existence with rough, insensitive hands.
Hoffmann also hates the philistine philistines who think that they are free, but they themselves sit, imprisoned in the narrow banks of their limited world and scanty complacency.
THIS. Hoffmann's "Golden Pot":
“You are delusional, Mr. Studiosus,” one of the students objected. - We have never felt better than now, because the spice talers that we receive from the crazy archivist for all sorts of meaningless copies are good for us; Now we no longer need to learn Italian choirs; Now we go to Joseph’s or other taverns every day, enjoy strong beer, look at the girls, sing, like real students, “Gaudeamus igitur...” - and are happy.
“But, dear gentlemen,” said the student Anselm, “don’t you notice that all of you together, and each one in particular, are sitting in glass jars and cannot move or move, much less walk?”
Here the students and scribes burst into loud laughter and shouted: “The student has gone crazy: he imagines that he is sitting in a glass jar, but is standing on the Elbe Bridge and looking into the water. Let's move on!"
Rice. Nicky Goltz.
Readers may note that there is a lot of occult and alchemical symbolism in Hoffmann's books. There is nothing strange here, because such esotericism was in fashion in those days, and its terminology was quite familiar. But Hoffmann did not profess any secret teachings. For him, all these symbols are filled not with philosophical, but artistic sense. And Atlantis in The Golden Pot is no more serious than Djinnistan from Little Tsakhes or the Gingerbread City from The Nutcracker.
The Nutcracker - book, theater and cartoon
“...the clock wheezed louder and louder, and Marie clearly heard:
- Tick and tock, tick and tock! Don't wheeze so loudly! The king hears everything
mousey. Trick and truck, boom boom! Well, the clock, the old tune! Trick and
truck, boom boom! Well, ring, ring, ring: the king’s time is approaching!”
(E.T.A. Hoffman “The Nutcracker and mouse king»)
Hoffmann’s “calling card” for the general public will apparently remain “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.” What is special about this fairy tale? Firstly, it is Christmas, secondly, it is very bright, and, thirdly, it is the most childish of all Hoffmann’s fairy tales.
Rice. Libico Maraja.
Children are also the main characters of The Nutcracker. It is believed that this fairy tale was born during the writer’s communication with the children of his friend Yu.E.G. Hitzig - Marie and Fritz. Like Drosselmeyer, Hoffmann made them a wide variety of toys for Christmas. I don’t know if he gave the Nutcracker to the children, but at that time such toys really existed.
Directly translated, the German word Nubknacker means “nut cracker.” In the first Russian translations of the fairy tale, it sounds even more ridiculous - “The Rodent of Nuts and the King of Mice” or even worse - “The History of Nutcrackers”, although it is clear that Hoffmann clearly describes no tongs at all. The Nutcracker was a popular mechanical doll of those times - a soldier with a large mouth, a curled beard and a pigtail at the back. A nut was put into the mouth, the pigtail twitched, the jaws closed - crack! - and the nut is cracked. Dolls similar to the Nutcracker were made in Thuringia, Germany in the 17th–18th centuries, and then brought to Nuremberg for sale.
Mouse ones, or rather, are also found in nature. This is the name given to rodents that grow together with their tails after being in close quarters for a long time. Of course, in nature they are more likely to be cripples than kings...
In “The Nutcracker” it is not difficult to find many characteristic features of Hoffmann’s work. You can believe in the wonderful events that happen in a fairy tale, or you can easily attribute them to the fantasy of a girl who has been playing too much, which, in general, is what all the adult characters in a fairy tale do.
“Marie ran to the Other Room, quickly took out the seven crowns of the Mouse King from her box and gave them to her mother with the words:
- Here, mommy, look: here are the seven crowns of the mouse king, which young Mr. Drosselmeyer presented to me last night as a sign of his victory!
...The senior court adviser, as soon as he saw them, laughed and exclaimed:
Stupid inventions, stupid inventions! But these are the crowns that I once wore on a watch chain, and then gave to Marichen on her birthday, when she was two years old! Have you forgotten?
...When Marie was convinced that her parents’ faces had again become affectionate, she jumped up to her godfather and exclaimed:
- Godfather, you know everything! Say that my Nutcracker is your nephew, young Mr. Drosselmeyer from Nuremberg, and that he gave me these tiny crowns.
The godfather frowned and muttered:
- Stupid inventions!
Only the godfather of the heroes - the one-eyed Drosselmeyer - is not an ordinary adult. He is a figure who is at once sympathetic, mysterious, and frightening. Drosselmeyer, like many of Hoffmann's heroes, has two guises. In our world, he is a senior court adviser, a serious and slightly grouchy toy maker. In a fairy-tale space, he is an active character, a kind of demiurge and conductor of this fantastic story.
They write that the prototype of Drosselmeyer was the uncle of the already mentioned Hippel, who worked as burgomaster of Koenigsberg, and in free time He wrote sarcastic feuilletons about the local nobility under a pseudonym. When the secret of the “double” was revealed, the uncle was naturally removed from the post of burgomaster.
Julius Eduard Hitzig.
Those who know The Nutcracker only from cartoons and theatrical productions They will probably be surprised if I say that in the original version this is a very funny and ironic fairy tale. Only a child can perceive the Nutcracker's battle with the mouse army as a dramatic action. In fact, it is more reminiscent of a puppet buffoonery, where they shoot jelly beans and gingerbread at mice, and they respond by showering the enemy with “smelly cannonballs” of quite unambiguous origin.
THIS. Hoffmann "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King":
“- Am I really going to die in my prime, am I really going to die, such a beautiful doll! - Clerchen screamed.
- It’s not for the same reason that I was so well preserved to die here, within four walls! - Trudchen lamented.
Then they fell into each other’s arms and cried so loudly that even the frenzied roar of the battle could not drown them out...
...In the heat of battle, detachments of mouse cavalry quietly emerged from under the chest of drawers and, with a disgusting squeak, furiously attacked the left flank of the Nutcracker army; but what resistance they met! Slowly, as far as the uneven terrain allowed, for it was necessary to get over the edge of the closet, the corps of dolls with surprises, led by two Chinese emperors, stepped out and formed a square. These brave, very colorful and elegant, magnificent regiments, composed of gardeners, Tyroleans, Tungus, hairdressers, harlequins, cupids, lions, tigers, monkeys and monkeys, fought with composure, courage and endurance. With courage worthy of the Spartans, this selected battalion would have snatched victory from the hands of the enemy, if a certain brave enemy captain had not broken through with insane courage to one of the Chinese emperors and bit off his head, and when he fell, he had not crushed two Tungus and a monkey.”
And the very reason for the enmity with mice is more comical than tragic. In fact, it arose because of... lard, which the mustachioed army ate while the queen (yes, the queen) was preparing liver kobas.
E.T.A.Hoffman “The Nutcracker”:
“Already when the liverwurst was served, the guests noticed how the king turned more and more pale, how he raised his eyes to the sky. Quiet sighs flowed from his chest; it seemed that his soul was overcome by intense grief. But when the blood sausage was served, he leaned back in his chair with loud sobs and groans, covering his face with both hands. ...He babbled barely audibly: “Too little fat!”
Rice. L. Gladneva for the film strip “The Nutcracker” 1969.
The angry king declares war on the mice and sets mousetraps on them. Then the mouse queen turns his daughter, Princess Pirlipat, into a freak. Drosselmeyer's young nephew comes to the rescue, he dashingly cracks the magic Krakatuk nut and returns the princess to her beauty. But he can't finish magical ritual to the end and, retreating the prescribed seven steps, accidentally steps on the mouse queen and stumbles. As a result, Drosselmeyer Jr. turns into an ugly Nutcracker, the princess loses all interest in him, and the dying Myshilda declares a real vendetta on the Nutcracker. Her seven-headed heir must avenge his mother. If you look at all this with a cold, serious look, you can see that the actions of the mice are completely justified, and the Nutcracker is simply an unfortunate victim of circumstances.
Hoffman Ernst Theodor Amadeus (1776–1822), German writer, composer and artist, whose fantasy stories and novels embodied the spirit of German romanticism. Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann was born on January 24, 1776 in Königsberg (East Prussia).
Already at an early age he discovered his talents as a musician and draftsman. He studied law at the University of Königsberg, then served as a judicial officer in Germany and Poland for twelve years. In 1808, his love of music prompted Hoffmann to take the post of theater conductor in Bamberg; six years later he conducted orchestras in Dresden and Leipzig.
The secret of music is that it finds an inexhaustible source where speech falls silent.
Hoffmann Ernst Theodor Amadeus
In 1816 he returned to public service as an adviser to the Berlin Court of Appeal, where he served until his death on July 24, 1822.
Hoffmann took up literature late. The most significant collections of stories are Fantasies in the manner of Callot (Fantasiestucke in Callots Manier, 1814–1815), Night stories in the manner of Callot (Nachtstucke in Callots Manier, 2 vol., 1816–1817) and The Serapion Brothers (Die Serapionsbruder, 4 vol., 1819 –1821); dialogue about the problems of theatrical business The extraordinary sufferings of one theater director (Seltsame Leiden eines Theaterdirektors, 1818); a story in the spirit of a fairy tale Little Zaches, nicknamed Zinnober (Klein Zaches, genannt Zinnober, 1819); and two novels - The Devil's Elixir (Die Elexiere des Teufels, 1816), a brilliant study of the problem of duality, and The Worldly Views of the Cat Murr (Lebensansichten des Kater Murr, 1819–1821), partly autobiographical work, full of wit and wisdom.
Among the most famous stories Hoffmann's fairy tale The Golden Pot (Die Goldene Topf), the Gothic story Das Mayorat, a realistic psychological story about a jeweler who is unable to part with his creations, Mademoiselle de Scudery (Das Fraulein von Scudery) belong to Hoffmann's collections. ) and a series of musical short stories, in which the spirit of some musical works and the images of composers are extremely successfully recreated.
Leaving on for a long time a beloved woman or a dear friend, we lose them forever, because never on a new date will we find either ourselves or them similar to what we were before.
Hoffmann Ernst Theodor Amadeus
Brilliant imagination combined with a strict and transparent style provided Hoffmann with a special place in German literature. The action of his works almost never took place in distant lands - as a rule, he placed his incredible heroes in everyday settings. Hoffmann had a strong influence on E. Poe and some French writers; Several of his stories served as the basis for the libretto of the famous opera - Hoffmann's Tale (1870) by J. Offenbach.
All of Hoffmann's works testify to his talents as a musician and artist. He illustrated many of his creations himself. Of Hoffmann's musical works, the most famous was the opera Undine, first staged in 1816; among his works - chamber music, mass, symphony.
As a music critic, he showed in his articles such an understanding of Beethoven's music that few of his contemporaries could boast of. Hoffmann revered Mozart so deeply that he even changed one of his names, Wilhelm, to Amadeus. He influenced the work of his friend K.M. von Weber, and R. Schumann was so impressed by Hoffmann's works that he named his Kreisleriana in honor of Kapellmeister Kreisler, the hero of several of Hoffmann's works.
Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann - photo
Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann - quotes
One very young kitten-schoolboy, when admonished by his teacher that a cat should spend his whole life learning to die, rather boldly objected that this could not be too difficult a task, since everyone succeeds at it the first time! 
HOFFMANN, ERNST THEODOR AMADEUS(Hoffman, Ernst Theodor Amadeus) (1776–1822), German writer, composer and artist, whose fantasy stories and novels embodied the spirit of German romanticism. Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann was born on January 24, 1776 in Königsberg (East Prussia). Already at an early age he discovered his talents as a musician and draftsman. He studied law at the University of Königsberg, then served as a judicial officer in Germany and Poland for twelve years. In 1808, his love of music prompted Hoffmann to take the post of theater conductor in Bamberg; six years later he conducted orchestras in Dresden and Leipzig. In 1816 he returned to public service as an adviser to the Berlin Court of Appeal, where he served until his death on July 24, 1822.
Hoffmann took up literature late. The most significant collections of stories Fantasies in the manner of Callot (Fantasiestücke in Callots Manier, 1814–1815), Night stories in the style of Callot (Nachtstücke in Callots Manier, 2 vol., 1816–1817) and Serapion brothers (Die Serapionsbrüder, 4 vol., 1819–1821); dialogue about the problems of theater business The extraordinary suffering of one theater director (Seltsame Leiden eines Theaterdirectors, 1818); story in the spirit of a fairy tale Little Tsakhes, nicknamed Zinnober (Klein Zaches, genannt Zinnober, 1819); and two novels - Devil's Elixir (Die Elexiere des Teufels, 1816), a brilliant study of the problem of twinning, and Everyday views of the cat Murr (Lebensansichten des Kater Murr, 1819–1821), partly autobiographical work, full of wit and wisdom. Among the most famous stories of Hoffmann, included in the mentioned collections, is the fairy tale golden pot (Die Goldene Topf), gothic story Majorate (Das Mayorat), a realistic psychological story about a jeweler who is unable to part with his creations, Mademoiselle de Scudery (Das Fraulein von Scudéry) and a series of musical short stories, in which the spirit of some musical works and the images of composers are extremely successfully recreated.
Brilliant imagination combined with a strict and transparent style provided Hoffmann with a special place in German literature. The action of his works almost never took place in distant lands - as a rule, he placed his incredible heroes in everyday settings. Hoffmann had a strong influence on E. Poe and some French writers; Several of his stories served as the basis for the libretto of the famous opera - Hoffmann's fairy tale(1870) J. Offenbach.
All of Hoffmann's works testify to his talents as a musician and artist. He illustrated many of his creations himself. Of Hoffmann's musical works, the most famous was the opera Undine (Undine), first staged in 1816; Among his compositions are chamber music, mass, and symphony. As a music critic, he showed in his articles such an understanding of the music of L. Beethoven, which few of his contemporaries could boast of. Hoffmann was so deeply revered
Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann (German: Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann). Born January 24, 1776, Königsberg, Kingdom of Prussia - died June 25, 1822, Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia. German romantic writer, composer, artist and lawyer.
Out of respect for Amadeus Mozart, in 1805 he changed his name from “Wilhelm” to “Amadeus”. He published notes about music under the name Johannes Kreisler.
Hoffmann was born into the family of a baptized Jew, Prussian lawyer Christoph Ludwig Hoffmann (1736-1797).
When the boy was three years old, his parents separated, and he was brought up in the house of his maternal grandmother under the influence of his lawyer uncle, an intelligent and talented man with a penchant for fantasy and mysticism. Hoffmann showed early talent for music and drawing. But, not without the influence of his uncle, Hoffmann chose the path of jurisprudence, from which he tried to escape throughout his subsequent life and make a living through art.
1799 - Hoffmann writes the music and text of the three-act singspiel "The Mask".
1800 - in January, Hoffmann unsuccessfully tries to stage his singspiel at the Royal National Theatre. On March 27, he passed the third jurisprudence exam and in May was appointed to the position of assessor at the Poznań District Court. At the beginning of summer, Hoffmann travels with Hippel to Potsdam, Leipzig and Dresden, and then arrives in Poznan.
Until 1807, he worked in various ranks, studying music and drawing in his free time.
In 1801, Hoffmann wrote the singspiel “Joke, Cunning and Revenge” based on the lyrics, which was staged in Poznań. Jean Paul sends the score with his recommendation to Goethe.
In 1802, Hoffmann created caricatures of some people in Poznań high society. As a result of the ensuing scandal, Hoffmann was transferred as punishment to Plock. At the beginning of March, Hoffmann breaks off his engagement to Minna Dörfer and marries a Polish woman, Michalina Rohrer-Trzczyńska (he affectionately calls her Misha). In the summer, the young couple move to Plock. Here Hoffmann acutely experiences his forced isolation; he leads a secluded life, writes church music and works for piano, and studies the theory of composition.
In 1803 - Hoffmann's first literary publication: the essay “Letter from a Monk to his Capital Friend” was published on September 9 in “Pravodushny”. Unsuccessful attempt to enter the Kotzebue Competition for Best Comedy ("Award"). Hoffmann is trying to be transferred to one of the western provinces of Prussia.
In 1805, Hoffmann wrote music for Zechariah Werner's play “The Cross in the Baltic.” “The Merry Musicians” is being staged in Warsaw. On May 31, the “Musical Society” appeared, and Hoffmann became one of its leaders.
In 1806, Hoffmann was engaged in the decoration of the Mnischkov Palace, acquired by the Musical Society, and he himself painted many of its rooms. On grand opening Palace, Hoffmann conducts his Symphony in E-flat major. On November 28, the French occupy Warsaw - Prussian institutions are closed, and Hoffmann loses his position.
In April 1808, Hoffmann took up the position of bandmaster in the newly open theater Bamberg. At the beginning of May, Hoffmann conceived the idea of “Gluck's Chevalier.” At this time he is in dire need. On June 9, Hoffmann leaves Berlin, visits Hampe in Glogau and takes Misha from Poznan. On September 1 he arrives in Bamberg, and on October 21 he makes an unsuccessful debut as a conductor at the Bamberg Theater. Having retained the title of conductor, Hoffmann resigns from his duties as conductor. He earns his living by giving private lessons and occasional musical compositions for the theater.
In 1810, Hoffmann acted as a composer, decorator, playwright, director and assistant director of the Bamberg Theater, which was experiencing its heyday. The creation of the image of Johannes Kreisler - Hoffmann's alter ego (“The Musical Sufferings of Kapellmeister Kreisler”).
In 1812, Hoffmann conceived the opera Ondine and began writing Don Giovanni.
In 1814, Hoffmann completed The Golden Pot. At the beginning of May, the first two volumes of “Fantasies in the Manner of Callot” are published. On August 5, Hoffmann completes the opera Ondine. In September, the Prussian Ministry of Justice offers Hoffmann a position as a government official, initially without salary, and he agrees. On September 26, Hoffmann arrives in Berlin, where he meets Fouquet, Chamisso, Tieck, Franz Horn, and Philipp Veit.
All of Hoffmann's attempts to make a living through art led to poverty and disaster. Only after 1813 did his affairs improve after receiving a small inheritance. The place of bandmaster in Dresden briefly satisfied his professional ambitions, but after 1815 he lost this place and was forced to enter the hated service again, this time in Berlin. However, the new place provided income and left a lot of time for creativity.
In 1818, Hoffmann conceived the book “Masters of Singing - a novel for friends musical art"(not written). The idea arises for a collection of stories “The Serapion Brothers” (originally “The Seraphim Brothers”) and an opera “The Lover After Death” based on the work of Calderon, the libretto for which Contessa writes.
In the spring of 1818, Hoffmann became seriously ill, and he came up with the idea of “Little Tsakhes.” On November 14, a circle of “Serapion Brothers” was established, which included, in addition to Hoffmann himself, Hitzig, Contessa and Coref.
Feeling disgusted by the bourgeois "tea" societies, Hoffmann spent most of the evenings, and sometimes part of the night, in the wine cellar. Having upset his nerves with wine and insomnia, Hoffmann came home and sat down to write. The horrors created by his imagination sometimes terrified him. And at the appointed hour, Hoffmann was already sitting at work and working hard.
At one time, German criticism did not have a very high opinion of Hoffmann; they preferred thoughtful and serious romanticism, without an admixture of sarcasm and satire. Hoffmann was much more popular in other European countries and in North America. In Russia he called him “one of the greatest German poets, a painter of the inner world,” and re-read all of Hoffmann in Russian and in the original language.
In 1822, Hoffmann became seriously ill. On January 23, by order of the Prussian government, the manuscript and already printed sheets of “The Lord of the Fleas,” as well as the writer’s correspondence with the publisher, were confiscated. Charges have been brought against Hoffman regarding ridicule of officials and violation of official secrets.
On February 23, the ill Hoffmann dictates a speech in his defense. On February 28, he dictates the ending of The Lord of the Fleas. On March 26, Hoffmann made a will, after which he suffered from paralysis.
At the age of 46, Hoffmann was completely exhausted by his lifestyle, but even on his deathbed he retained the power of imagination and wit.
In April, the writer dictates the short story “Corner Window”. “Lord of the Fleas” (in a stripped-down version) is published. Around June 10, Hoffmann dictates the story “The Enemy” (which remained unfinished) and the joke “Naivety.”
On June 24, paralysis reaches the neck. On June 25 at 11 a.m. Hoffmann dies in Berlin and is buried in the Jerusalem Cemetery of Berlin in the Kreuzberg district.
The circumstances of Hoffmann's biography are played out in Jacques Offenbach's opera "The Tales of Hoffmann" and M. Bazhan's poem "Hoffmann's Night".
Personal life of Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann:
1798 - Hoffmann's engagement to his cousin Minna Dörfer.
In July 1805, daughter Cecilia was born - the first and only child Hoffmann.
In January 1807, Minna and Cecilia left for Poznan to visit relatives. Hoffmann settles in the attic of the Mnischkov Palace, which became Daru’s residence, and becomes seriously ill. His move to Vienna is disrupted, and Hoffmann goes to Berlin, to Hitzig, on whose help he really counts. In mid-August, his daughter Cecilia dies in Poznan.
In 1811, Hoffmann gave singing lessons to Julia Mark and fell in love with his student. She has no idea about the teacher's feelings. Relatives arrange Julia's engagement and Hoffman is on the verge of madness and is contemplating double suicide.
Bibliography of Hoffmann:
Collection of short stories “Fantasies in the manner of Callot” (German: Fantasiestücke in Callot's Manier) (1814);
"Jacques Callot" (German: Jaques Callot);
"Cavalier Glück" (German: Ritter Glück);
"Kreisleriana (I)" (German: Kreisleriana);
"Don Juan" (German: Don Juan);
"News about future destinies Berganza's dogs" (German: Nachricht von den neuesten Schicksalen des Hundes Berganza);
“Magnetizer” (German: Der Magnetiseur);
“The Golden Pot” (German: Der goldene Topf);
“Adventure on New Year's Eve” (German: Die Abenteuer der Silvesternacht);
"Kreisleriana (II)" (German: Kreisleriana);
Fairy tale play “Princess Blandina” (German: Prinzessin Blandina) (1814);
The novel “The Elixirs of Satan” (German: Die Elixiere des Teufels) (1815);
Fairy tale “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” (German: Nußknacker und Mausekönig) (1816);
Collection of short stories “Night Studies” (German: Nachtstücke) (1817);
"The Sandman" (German: Der Sandmann);
"Vow" (German: Das Gelübde);
"Ignaz Denner" (German: Ignaz Denner);
"Jesuit Church in G." (German: Die Jesuiterkirche in G.);
“Majorat” (German: Das Majorat);
“The Empty House” (German: Das öde Haus);
"Sanctus" (German: Das Sanctus);
“Heart of Stone” (German: Das steinerne Herz);
Essay “The Extraordinary Sufferings of a Theater Director” (German: Seltsame Leiden eines Theater-Direktors) (1818);
The story-fairy tale “Little Zaches, nicknamed Zinnober” (German: Klein Zaches, genannt Zinnober) (1819);
The story-tale “Princess Brambilla” (German: Prinzessin Brambilla) (1820);
Collection of short stories “The Serapion Brothers” (German: Die Serapionsbrüder) (1819-21);
“The Hermit Serapion” (German: Der Einsiedler Serapion);
“Counselor Krespel” (German: Rat Krespel);
"Fermata" (German: Die Fermate);
“Poet and Composer” (German: Der Dichter und der Komponist);
“An Episode from the Life of Three Friends” (German: Ein Fragment aus dem Leben dreier Freunde);
“Arthur's Hall” (German: Der Artushof);
“Falun Mines” (German: Die Bergwerke zu Falun);
“The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” (German: Nußknacker und Mausekönig);
“Singing Competition” (German: Der Kampf der Sänger);
“Ghost Story” (German: Eine Spukgeschichte);
“Automatic machines” (German: Die Automate);
“Doge and Dogaresse” (German: Doge und Dogaresse);
“Old and new sacred music” (German: Alte und neue Kirchenmusik);
“Meister Martin the cooper and his apprentices” (German: Meister Martin der Küfner und seine Gesellen);
“The Unknown Child” (German: Das fremde Kind);
“Information from the life of a famous person” (German: Nachricht aus dem Leben eines bekannten Mannes);
"The Bride's Choice" (German: Die Brautwahl);
“The Sinister Guest” (German: Der unheimliche Gast);
“Mademoiselle de Scudéry” (German: Das Fräulein von Scudéry);
"Gambler's Happiness" (German: Spielerglück);
"Baron von B." (German: Der Baron von B.);
"Signor Formica" (German: Signor Formica);
"Zacharias Werner" (German: Zacharias Werner);
“Visions” (German: Erscheinungen);
“Interdependence of Events” (German: Der Zusammenhang der Dinge);
“Vampirism” (German: Vampirismus);
“Aesthetic tea party” (German: Die ästhetische Teegesellschaft);
"The Royal Bride" (German: Die Königsbraut);
The novel “The Worldly Views of the Cat Murr” (German: Lebensansichten des Katers Murr) (1819-21);
The novel “Lord of the Fleas” (German: Meister Floh) (1822);
Late short stories (1819-1822): “Haimatochare” (German: Haimatochare);
“Marquise de la Pivardiere” (German: Die Marquise de la Pivardiere);
“Doubles” (German: Die Doppeltgänger);
"The Robbers" (German: Die Räuber);
"Errors" (German: Die Irrungen);
"Secrets" (German: Die Geheimnisse);
“Fiery Spirit” (German: Der Elementargeist);
"Datura fastuosa" (German: Datura fastuosa);
“Master Johannes Wacht” (German: Meister Johannes Wacht);
"Enemy" (German: Der Feind (Fragment));
“Recovery” (German: Die Genesung);
“Corner window” (German: Des Vetters Eckfenster)
Film adaptations of Hoffmann's works:
The Nutcracker (animated film, 1973);
Nut Krakatuk, 1977 - film by Leonid Kvinikhidze;
The Old Wizard's Mistake (film), 1983;
The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (cartoon), 1999;
The Nutcracker (cartoon, 2004);
"Hoffmaniad";
The Nutcracker and the Rat King (3D film), 2010
Musical works of Hoffmann:
Singspiel "The Merry Musicians" (German: Die lustigen Musikanten) (libretto: Clemens Brentano) (1804);
music for the tragedy of Zacharias Werner “The Cross on the Baltic Sea” (German: Bühnenmusik zu Zacharias Werners Trauerspiel Das Kreuz an der Ostsee) (1805);
piano sonatas: A-Dur, f-moll, F-Dur, f-moll, cis-moll (1805-1808);
ballet “Harlequin” (German: Arlequin) (1808);
Miserere b minor (1809);
“Grand Trio for piano, violin and cello” (German: Grand Trio E-Dur) (1809);
melodrama “Dirna. Indian melodrama in 3 acts" (German: Dirna) (libretto: Julius von Soden) (1809);
opera "Aurora" (German: Aurora) (libretto: Franz von Holbein) (1812);
opera “Ondine” (German: Undine) (libretto: Friedrich de la Motte Fouquet) (1816)
