Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann

The Profile

Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann (1776–1822) was a German Romantic author, composer, jurist, and artist. He is known for fantastical and Gothic tales such as Der Sandmann, Die Elixiere des Teufels, and Nußknacker und Mausekönig (basis for Tchaikovsky’s ballet). He also composed, notably the opera Undine.

Born in Königsberg in 1776 and died in Berlin in 1822; published fiction from 1809. Celebrated figure of German Romanticism; influential on Edgar Allan Poe and Robert Schumann; Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann is based on his stories.

A single, glowing review celebrates Hoffmann’s La Principessa Brambilla as a dazzling carnival phantasmagoria. It highlights his mirror-games of reality and fantasy, Doppelgänger, and a teeming cast led by Giacinta, Giglio Fava and the trickster Celionati. The piece nods to Goethe’s Italy and Heine’s praise, framing Hoffmann as a master of intricate, playful terror.