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 the name "Wilhelm" to "Amadeus" (Amadeus). He published notes on music under the name Johannes Kreisler (German: Johannes Kreisler).

Hoffmann was born into the family of a baptized Jew, the 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 uncle, a lawyer, an intelligent and talented man, prone to science fiction and mysticism. Hoffmann showed early aptitude for music and drawing. But, not without the influence of his uncle, Hoffmann chose for himself the path of jurisprudence, from which he tried to break out all his subsequent life and earn money with art.

1799 - Hoffmann writes the music and text of the three-act singspiel "Mask".

1800 - In January, Hoffmann unsuccessfully tries to stage his singspiel at the Royal National Theatre. On March 27, he takes the third exam in jurisprudence and in May is appointed to the post of assessor in the Poznań District Court. At the beginning of the summer, Hoffmann travels with Gippel to Potsdam, Leipzig and Dresden, and then arrives in Poznań.

Until 1807, he worked in various ranks, in his spare time doing music and drawing.

In 1801, Hoffmann writes the singspiel "Joke, Cunning and Revenge" to words, which is put on stage in Poznań. Jean Paul sends the score with his recommendation to Goethe.

In 1802, Hoffmann created caricatures of certain individuals of the Poznań high society. As a result of the ensuing scandal, Hoffmann is transferred as a punishment to Plock. In early March, Hoffmann breaks off his engagement to Minna Dörfer and marries a Polish woman, Michalina Rorer-Trzczyńska (he affectionately calls her Misha). In the summer, the young spouses move to Plock. Here Hoffmann is acutely experiencing his forced isolation, he leads a secluded life, writes church music and works for the piano, and studies the theory of composition.

In 1803 - Hoffmann's first literary publication: the essay "A Letter from a Monk to his Metropolitan Friend" was published on September 9 in "Pryamodushny". Unsuccessful attempt to enter the Kotzebue competition for the best comedy ("Award"). Hoffmann is busy about being transferred to one of the western provinces of Prussia.

In 1805, Hoffmann wrote music for Zacharia Werner's play Cross in the Baltic. The Merry Musicians are staged in Warsaw. On May 31, the Musical Society appears, and Hoffmann becomes one of its leaders.

In 1806, Hoffmann was engaged in the design of the Mnishkov Palace, acquired by the Musical Society, he painted many of its premises himself. At the grand opening of the palace, Hoffmann conducts his symphony in E-flat major. November 28 Warsaw is occupied by the French - the Prussian institutions are closed, and Hoffmann is deprived of his post.

In April 1808, Hoffmann took the position of bandmaster at the newly opened theater in Bamberg. In early May, Hoffmann came up with the idea of ​​Gluck's Cavalier. At this time, he is in dire need. June 9 Hoffmann leaves Berlin, visits Hampe in Glogau and picks up Misha from Poznań. 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 bandmaster, Hoffmann resigned from his duties as a conductor. He earns a living from private lessons and occasional musical compositions for the theatre.

In 1810, Hoffmann acts as a composer, decorator, playwright, director and assistant director of the Bamberg Theater, which is experiencing its heyday. 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 "Fantasy in the manner of Callot" are published. August 5 Hoffmann completes the opera Ondine. In September, the Prussian Ministry of Justice offers Hoffmann a position as a government official, at first without pay, and he accepts. On September 26, Hoffmann arrives in Berlin, where he meets Fouquet, Chamisso, Tiek, Franz Horn, Philipp Veit.

All Hoffmann's attempts to make a living from art led to poverty and disaster. Only after 1813 did things improve for him after receiving a small inheritance. The position of Kapellmeister in Dresden briefly satisfied his professional ambitions, but after 1815 he lost this position and was forced to enter the hated service again, already in Berlin. However, the new place also provided income and left a lot of time for creativity.

In 1818, Hoffmann conceived the book "Masters of Singing - A Novel for Friends of the Musical Art" (not written). There is an idea for a collection of stories "The Serapion Brothers" (originally - "The Seraphim Brothers") and the opera "The Lover after Death" based on the work of Calderon, the libretto to which Contessa writes.

In the spring of 1818, Hoffmann became seriously ill, and he came up with the idea of ​​"Tsakhes's Baby". On November 14, a circle of "Serapion brothers" is established, which includes, in addition to Hoffmann himself, Hitzig, Contessa and Koref.

Disgusted by philistine "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 would come home and sit down to write. The horrors created by his imagination sometimes brought fear to himself. And at the legalized hour, Hoffmann was already in the service and worked 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 fell 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. Hoffmann was charged with mocking officials and violating official secrets.

On February 23, the ill Hoffmann dictates a speech in his defense. On February 28, he dictates the end of Lord of the Fleas. On March 26, Hoffmann draws up a will, after which he becomes paralyzed.

At the age of 46, Hoffmann was completely exhausted by his way of life, but even on his deathbed he retained the power of imagination and wit.

In April, the writer dictates the novel "Corner Window". The Lord of the Fleas is published (in a truncated version). Around June 10, Hoffmann dictates the story "The Enemy" (left unfinished) and the joke "Naivety".

On June 24 the paralysis reaches the neck. On June 25 at 11 a.m. Hoffmann dies in Berlin and is buried at the Jerusalem Cemetery in 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 The Night of Hoffmann.

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 of Hoffmann.

In January 1807, Minna and Cecilia left for Poznań to stay with relatives. Hoffmann settles in the attic of the Mnishkov Palace, which became the residence of Daru, and is 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 Poznań.

In 1811, Hoffmann gives singing lessons to Julia Mark and falls in love with his student. She is unaware of the teacher's feelings. Relatives arrange the engagement of Julia and Hoffmann is on the verge of insanity and contemplating double suicide.

Bibliography of Hoffmann:

Collection of short stories "Fantasy in the manner of Callot" (German: Fantasiestücke in Callot's Manier) (1814);
"Jacques Callot" (German: Jaques Callot);
"Cavalier Gluck" (German: Ritter Gluck);
"Kreisleriana (I)" (German: Kreisleriana);
"Don Juan" (German: Don Juan);
"News of the further fate of the Berganz dog" (German: Nachricht von den neuesten Schicksalen des Hundes Berganza);
"Magnetizer" (German: Der Magnetiseur);
"Golden Pot" (German: Der goldene Topf);
"Adventure on New Year's Eve" (German: Die Abenteuer der Silvesternacht);
"Kreisleriana (II)" (German: Kreisleriana);
The play-tale "Princess Blandina" (German: Prinzessin Blandina) (1814);
The novel Elixirs of Satan (German: Die Elixiere des Teufels) (1815);
The story-tale "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" (German: Nußknacker und Mausekönig) (1816);
Collection of short stories "Night Studies" (German: Nachtstücke) (1817);
"Sand Man" (German: Der Sandmann);
"Vow" (German: Das Gelübde);
"Ignaz Denner" (German: Ignaz Denner);
"Church of the Jesuits in G." (German Die Jesuiterkirche in G.);
Majorat (German: Das Majorat);
"Empty House" (German: Das öde Haus);
"Sanctus" (German: Das Sanctus);
"Stone Heart" (German: Das steinerne Herz);
Essay "The Unusual Sufferings of a Theater Director" (German: Seltsame Leiden eines Theater-Direktors) (1818);
The story-tale "Little Tsakhes, 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 Crespel" (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);
"Competition of singers" (German: Der Kampf der Sänger);
"Ghost Story" (German: Eine Spukgeschichte);
"Automatic" (German: Die Automate);
Doge and Dogaresse (German: Doge und Dogaresse);
"Old and New Sacred Music" (German: Alte und neue Kirchenmusik);
Meister Martin der Küfner und seine Gesellen;
"Unknown Child" (German: Das fremde Kind);
"Information from the life of a famous person" (German: Nachricht aus dem Leben eines bekannten Mannes);
"The Choice of the Bride" (German: Die Brautwahl);
"Sinister guest" (German: Der unheimliche Gast);
"Mademoiselle de Scudéry" (German: Das Fräulein von Scudéry);
"Player'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 "Worldly Views of the Cat Murr" (German: Lebensansichten des Katers Murr) (1819-21);
The novel "Lord of the Fleas" (German Meister Floh) (1822);
Later novels (1819-1822): "Haimatochare" (German: Haimatochare);
"Marquise de la Pivardiere" (German: Die Marquise de la Pivardiere);
"Twins" (German: Die Doppeltgänger);
"Robbers" (German: Die Räuber);
"Mistakes" (German: Die Irrungen);
"Secrets" (German: Die Geheimnisse);
"Fiery Spirit" (German: Der Elementargeist);
"Datura fastuosa" (German: Datura fastuosa);
"Master Johann Wacht" (German: Meister Johannes Wacht);
"Enemy" (German: Der Feind (Fragment));
"Recovery" (German: Die Genesung);
"Corner Window" (German: Des Vetters Eckfenster)

Screen adaptations of Hoffmann's works:

The Nutcracker (cartoon, 1973);
Nut Krakatuk, 1977 - a film by Leonid Kvinikhidze;
The Old Wizard's Mistake (film), 1983;
The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (cartoon), 1999;
The Nutcracker (cartoon, 2004);
"Hoffmaniada";
The Nutcracker and the Rat King (3D movie), 2010

Musical works of Hoffmann:

the singspiel The Merry Musicians (German: Die lustigen Musikanten) (libretto: Clemens Brentano) (1804);
music for the tragedy "The Cross on the Baltic Sea" by Zacharias Werner (German: Bühnenmusik zu Zacharias Werners Trauerspiel Das Kreuz an der Ostsee) (1805);
sonatas for piano: A-dur, f-moll, F-dur, f-moll, cis-moll (1805-1808);
ballet "Harlequin" (German: Arlequin) (1808);
Miserere b-moll (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);
the opera Aurora (German: Aurora) (libretto: Franz von Holbein) (1812);
opera Undine (libretto: Friedrich de la Motte Fouquet) (1816)

He graduated from the University of Koenigsberg, where he studied legal law.

After a short practice in the court of the city of Glogau (Glogow), Hoffmann successfully passed the exam for the rank of assessor in Berlin and was assigned to Poznan.

In 1802, after a scandal caused by his caricature of a representative of the upper class, Hoffmann was transferred to the Polish town of Plock, which in 1793 was ceded to Prussia.

In 1804, Hoffmann moved to Warsaw, where he devoted all his leisure time to music, several of his musical stage works were staged in the theater. Through the efforts of Hoffmann, a philharmonic society and a symphony orchestra were organized.

In 1808-1813 he served as bandmaster at the theater in Bamberg (Bavaria). In the same period, he worked part-time as singing lessons for the daughters of the local nobility. Here he wrote the operas Aurora and Duettini, which he dedicated to his student Julia Mark. In addition to operas, Hoffmann was the author of symphonies, choirs, and chamber compositions.

His first articles were placed on the pages of the Universal Musical Gazette, of which he had been an employee since 1809. Hoffmann imagined music as a special world capable of revealing to a person the meaning of his feelings and passions, as well as comprehending the nature of everything mysterious and inexpressible. Hoffmann's musical and aesthetic views were vividly expressed in his short stories Cavalier Gluck (1809), Musical Sufferings of Johann Kreisler, Kapellmeister (1810), Don Giovanni (1813), and the dialogue Poet and Composer (1813). Hoffmann's stories were later combined in the collection Fantasies in the Spirit of Callot (1814-1815).

In 1816, Hoffmann returned to public service as an adviser to the Berlin Court of Appeal, where he served until the end of his life.

In 1816, Hoffmann's most famous opera, Ondine, was staged, but a fire that destroyed all the scenery put an end to its great success.

After that, in addition to the service, he devoted himself to literary work. The collection "Serapion's Brothers" (1819-1821), the novel "Everyday Views of Cat Murr" (1820-1822) earned Hoffmann worldwide fame. The fairy tale "The Golden Pot" (1814), the novel "Devil's Elixir" (1815-1816), the story in the spirit of the fairy tale "Little Tsakhes, nicknamed Zinnober" (1819) gained fame.

Hoffmann's novel "The Lord of the Fleas" (1822) led to conflict with the Prussian government, compromising parts of the novel were withdrawn and published only in 1906.

Since 1818, the writer developed a disease of the spinal cord, which for several years led to paralysis.

June 25, 1822 Hoffmann died. He was buried in the third cemetery of the Church of John of Jerusalem.

Hoffmann's works influenced the German composers Carl Maria von Weber, Robert Schumann, Richard Wagner. Hoffmann's poetic images were embodied in the works of composers Schumann ("Kreislerian"), Wagner ("Flying Dutchman"), Tchaikovsky ("The Nutcracker"), Adolphe Adam ("Giselle"), Leo Delibes ("Coppelia"), Ferruccio Busoni (" The Choice of the Bride"), Paul Hindemith ("Cardillac") and others. The plots for the operas were the works of Hoffmann "Master Martin and his apprentices", "Little Tsakhes, nicknamed Zinnober", "Princess Brambilla" and others. Hoffmann is the hero of the operas by Jacques Offenbach "Tales of Hoffmann".

Hoffmann was married to the daughter of the Poznań clerk Michalina Rohrer. Their only daughter Cecilia died at the age of two.

In the German city of Bamberg, in the house where Hoffmann and his wife lived on the second floor, a writer's museum has been opened. In Bamberg there is a monument to the writer holding the cat Murr in his arms.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

Tales of Hoffmann and his best work - The Nutcracker. Mysterious and unusual, with the deepest meaning and reflection of reality. Hoffmann's tales are advised to read by the golden fund of world literature.

Tales of Hoffmann read

Brief biography of Hoffmann

Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann, now known as Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann, was born in Königsberg in 1776. Hoffmann changed his name already in adulthood, adding to it Amadeus in honor of Mozart, the composer whose work he admired. And it was this name that became a symbol of a new generation of fairy tales from Hoffmann, which both adults and children began to read with rapture.

The future famous writer and composer Hoffmann was born in the family of a lawyer, but his father divorced his mother when the boy was still very young. Ernst was raised by his grandmother and uncle, who, by the way, also practiced as a lawyer. It was he who brought up a creative personality in the boy and drew attention to his penchant for music and drawing, although he insisted that Hoffmann receive a law degree and work in law to ensure an acceptable standard of living. Ernst was grateful to him for the rest of his life, because it was not always possible to earn a living with the help of art, and it happened that he had to starve.

In 1813, Hoffmann received an inheritance, although it was small, it nevertheless allowed him to get on his feet. Just at that time, he had already got a job in Berlin, which came in very handy, by the way, because there was still time to devote himself to art. It was then that Hoffmann first thought about the fabulous ideas that hovered in his head.

The hatred of all social gatherings and parties led to the fact that Hoffmann began to drink alone and write his first works at night, which were so terrible that they led him to despair. However, even then he wrote several works worthy of attention, but even those were not recognized, as they contained unambiguous satire and at that time did not appeal to critics. The writer became much more popular outside his homeland. To our great regret, Hoffmann finally exhausted his body with an unhealthy lifestyle and died at the age of 46, and Hoffmann's fairy tales, as he dreamed, became immortal.

Few writers have received such attention to their own lives, but on the basis of Hoffmann's biography and his works, the poem Night of Hoffmann and the opera Tales of Hoffmann were created.

Creativity Hoffmann

Hoffmann's creative life was short. He released the first collection in 1814, and after 8 years he was gone.

If we wanted to somehow characterize in what direction Hoffmann wrote, we would call him a romantic realist. What is the most important thing in Hoffmann's work? One line through all his works is the awareness of the deep difference between reality and the ideal and the understanding that it is impossible to get off the ground, as he himself said.

Hoffmann's whole life is a continuous struggle. For bread, for the opportunity to create, for respect for yourself and your works. Hoffmann's fairy tales, which both children and their parents are advised to read, will show this struggle, the strength to make difficult decisions and even greater strength not to give up in case of failure.

The first tale of Hoffmann was the tale of the Golden Pot. Already from it it became clear that a writer from ordinary everyday life is able to create a fabulous miracle. There, people and objects are real magic. Like all the romantics of that time, Hoffmann is fond of everything mystical, everything that usually happens at night. One of the best works was the Sandman. Continuing the theme of mechanisms coming to life, the author created a real masterpiece - the fairy tale The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (some sources also call it The Nutcracker and the Rat King). Hoffmann's fairy tales are written for children, but the topics and problems that they touch on are not entirely childish.

Ernst Hoffmann is a German romantic writer, artist, lawyer and composer. He was a very versatile person. During his biography, he managed to create many brilliant works in the field of literature and music.

Music

During the biography of 1807-1808. Hoffman lived in During this time, he made money by tutoring, teaching music lessons.

However, this money was completely lacking even for a meager existence, as a result of which he often experienced serious financial difficulties.

Nevertheless, Hoffmann continued to get involved in art, because he saw only in it. Over time, he discovered his talent as a composer.

Over the course of several years, he wrote many musical works, including the operas Aurora and Ondine, Harlequin and piano sonatas.

In 1808, Hoffmann worked as a theater conductor. After that, he conducted in German theaters.

An interesting fact is that when he was about 30 years old, he changed the name "Wilhelm" to "Amadeus", because he was a great admirer. It is fair to say that he showed himself excellently as a music critic.

Biographers of Hoffmann agree that his literary works are inseparable from music. This is perfectly traced in the short stories - "Cavalier Glitch" and "Kreisleriana".

In 1815, Hoffmann lost his place as a bandmaster, in connection with which he was forced to return to the service that he hated so much. However, working as a lawyer allowed him to be financially independent and left a lot of time for creativity.

Hoffmann's works

During his life, Hoffmann composed dozens of fairy tales, short stories and novels. Many animated and feature films have been shot based on his works. In addition, performances based on the plays of the playwright are staged all over the world.

As a writer, Hoffmann realized himself most of all in the last decade of his biography. The following works brought him the greatest popularity:

• "Elixirs of Satan";
• "Lord of the Fleas";
• "The Life Beliefs of Murr the Cat";
• "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King";
• "Serapion brothers".

Personal life

During his biography, Hoffmann repeatedly fell in love with women. While still a student, he dated a young girl, Dora, for several years. However, he could not propose to her because she was married and had five children.

In 1800, Hoffmann met Michaelina Rorer-Tzhczynska. Young people often talked and found a lot in common. After 2 years, he realized that he was in love with a girl.

For this reason, Hoffmann broke off his engagement to his cousin Minna Derfer in order to marry Michaelina. An interesting fact is that for the sake of his future wife, he converted to Catholicism.

Hoffmann never regretted his decision. He loved unconsciously his wife, who supported him in every possible way and was a reliable support for him.

Death

From 1818, Hoffmann's health began to gradually deteriorate. This was facilitated by problems at work, as well as alcohol abuse. Soon he was diagnosed with a spinal cord disease.

In addition, the writer had strained relations with representatives of the authorities. In his writings, he repeatedly criticized and ridiculed policemen, scammers and spies, who are held in high esteem by the Prussian government.

He even managed to achieve the dismissal of the chief of police, in connection with which he aroused the hatred of the entire police department.

At the beginning of 1822, Hoffmann's health deteriorated sharply. Soon he developed paralysis, which constantly progressed and did not allow him to fully engage in creativity. The day before his death, paralysis reached the composer's neck.

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German literature

Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann

Biography

Hoffman, Ernst Theodor Amadeus (Hoffman, Ernst Theodor Amadeus) (1776−1822), German writer, composer and artist, whose fantastic 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 the talents of 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, the love of music prompted Hoffmann to take the post of theater bandmaster in Bamberg, six years later he conducted the orchestra 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 are Fantasies in the manner of Callot (Fantasiestcke in Callots Manier, 1814−1815), Night stories in the manner of Callot (Nachtstcke in Callots Manier, 2 vol., 1816−1817) and the Serapion Brothers (Die Serapionsbrder, 4 vol., 1819 −1821); dialogue about the problems of the theater The extraordinary suffering of a theater director (Seltsame Leiden eines Theaterdirektors, 1818); a story in the spirit of a fairy tale Little Tsakhes, 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 Worldly Views of the Cat Murr (Lebensansichten des Kater Murr, 1819−1821), partly an autobiographical work full of wit and wisdom. Among the most famous stories of Hoffmann included in the mentioned collections are the fairy tale The Golden Pot (Die Goldene Topf), the gothic story Das Mayorat, a realistically reliable psychological story about a jeweler who is unable to part with his creations, Mademoiselle de Scuderi (Das Frulein von Scudry) and a cycle of musical short stories, in which the spirit of some musical compositions and images of composers are extremely successfully recreated. Brilliant fantasy, 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 an everyday setting. 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 - The Tale of Hoffmann (1870) by J. Offenbach. All the works of Hoffmann testify to his talents as a musician and artist. He illustrated many of his works himself. Of the musical works of Hoffmann, the most famous was the opera Undine, first staged in 1816; among his compositions - chamber music, mass, 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 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 the works of Hoffmann that he named his Kreisleriana in honor of Kapellmeister Kreisler, the hero of several of Hoffmann's works.

Hoffmann Ernst Theodor Amadeus, German writer, composer and artist, was born on January 24, 1776 in Königsberg in the family of a Prussian lawyer. In 1778, the marriage of his parents broke up, so Hoffmann and his mother moved to the house of the Derfers, relatives on the maternal side.

Having discovered musical and artistic talents at an early age, Hoffmann, however, chooses the profession of a lawyer and in 1792 enters the University of Königsberg. Vain attempts to earn a living with art lead Hoffmann to public service - for 12 years he has been a judicial official. He is a passionate music lover, in 1814 he still receives the post of conductor of the orchestra in Dresden, but in 1815 he loses his position and returns to the hated jurisprudence. It was during this period that Hoffmann was fond of literary activity.

In Berlin, he publishes the novel "Devil's Elixir", the short stories "The Sandman", "The Church of the Jesuits", which are included in the collection "Night Stories". In 1819, Hoffmann creates one of his most prominent stories - "Little Tsakhes, nicknamed Zinnober."

The artistic word has become for the writer the main means of expressing the inner "I", the only way to personify his attitude to the outside world and its inhabitants. In Berlin, Hoffmann is gaining literary success, he is published in the almanacs "Urania" and "Notes of Love and Friendship", his earnings increase, but he is only enough to visit drinking establishments, for which the author had a weakness.

An extraordinary fantasy, told in a strict and understandable style, brings Hoffmann literary fame. The author places his paradoxical heroes in an unremarkable everyday environment, such a contrast creates an indescribable atmosphere for Hoffmann's fairy tales. Despite this, eminent critics do not recognize the work of Hoffmann, since his satirical works do not correspond to the canons of German romanticism. Abroad, Hoffmann is becoming more famous, Belinsky and Dostoevsky speak of his creations.

Hoffmann's literary heritage is not limited to phantasmagoric stories. As a music critic, he publishes several articles on the works of Beethoven and Mozart.