Hoffmann was one of the founders of fantasy literature in Europe and was already called the "Gespenster-Hoffmann" (Ghost Hoffmann) by his contemporaries. In works such as "Lebens-Ansichten des Katers Murr" (Life Views of Tomcat Murr), he confronted the torn psyche of romantic geniuses with the matter-of-fact, uncomprehending bourgeoisie. Double characters, automata, artificial people and music played a leading role in the stories and novels. His caricature drawings also show grotesque humour. Hoffmann's restless life was marked by financial shortages and alcoholism. He assumed Amadeus as one of his first names as an admirer of Mozart; among other things he composed the opera "Undine". After studying law in Königsberg, Hoffmann was appointed an assessor in 1800 in Poznan. From 1808 to 1813 he was a conductor, later a music director in Bamberg, Dresden and Leipzig, from 1816 a councillor at the court of appeal in Berlin. Among his most famous works are the literary fairy tales "The Golden Pot" and "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" as well as the story "The Serapion Brethren".
Illustration:
Hugo Steiner-Prag, book illustration of "Kreisleriana" by E.T.A. Hoffmann, 1923
"Kreisleriana" is a collection of individual texts about conductor Johannes Kreisler, who is regarded as the ultimate "artistic figure of Romanticism".
The picture shows the fantasizing Kreisler at the top left next to worried friends and his visions of five bizarre fantasy figures. The figure of the Kreisler lookalike on the left resembles E.T.A. Hoffmann himself.