Tales of Hoffmann

Ernst Theodor Wilhelm (Amadeus) Hoffmann may very well be the grandfather (or great-grandfather) of a number of fictional genres and this collection of his short stories provides a great overview of his work.

Mademoiselle de Scudery is a classic murder mystery with plot twists, false heros and a surprise ending. The Entail is a creepy ghost story, set in a dilapidated castle with secret rooms, that plays on some Gothic themes such as mental illness and payment for “sins of the father.” However, where Hoffmann truly shines is in his favored genre of romantic tragedy.

Doge and Dogaressa and The Mines at Falun are both stories of love cut short by misfortune. These tales are full of missed opportunities and strangled attempts at show more happiness then culminate in brief victory only to be cut short by a devastating event. Of the entire collection, I think The Mines at Falun may have been my favorite because of the clarity of characterization, the succinct plot and the surprise ending.

While the stories were enjoyable and they were all relatively short, this wasn’t an easy read. Hoffmann was a prolific writer and, in addition to fiction, also wrote plays and operas. His broad style combined with his native German may have resulted in a rough translation. The writing appeared choppy in parts and I attribute this to the edition I read. I may try picking up a different edition someday to see if there is much difference. show less

"Intenta, estimado lector, penetrar en el mundo de las hadas, lleno de maravillas que provocan las grandes alegrías y los grandes terrores, donde las diosas levantan sus velos para que podamos contemplar sus rostros...bien, pues en este reino, que por lo menos en sueños se nos abre algunas veces, trata de penetrar querido lector, y de reconocer las figuras tal y como las ves en la vida diaria. Entonces creerás que el tal reino está más cerca de ti de lo que te figurabas."

The stories are pretty good and I enjoyed them, although oddly enough I've never seen the opera!

Not as good as the opera, but what the hell.

A novel about Jewish immigrants in St. Paul Minnesota in the first half of the 20th century.

Franklin Library, 1983. Leather Bound. Book Condition: Near Fine. Nearly Fine Condition! Full genuine leather with silk moire end papers. Elaborate gold embossed decorations, raised spine bands, all page edges gilt, and permanently bound-in ribbon page marker. A magnificent volume

La materia de sus extraños y estremecedores cuentos son los sueños, el magnetismo, la telequinesia, el sonambulismo, los presentimientos, la premonición y la telepatía.