E. T. A. Hoffmann

Biography

Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann (1776–1822) was a German Romantic author, composer, and artist who is one of the most important figures in the history of fantasy and horror fiction. His tales of the uncanny, the grotesque, and the supernatural profoundly influenced Poe, Dostoevsky, Kafka, and the entire tradition of Gothic and weird fiction. Hoffmann created stories that blur the boundaries between reality and fantasy, sanity and madness, the mechanical and the living. His works include "The Sandman," "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" (the basis for Tchaikovsky's ballet), and the novel The Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr. He was also a significant composer and music critic.