The Wounded Storyteller: The Traumatic Tales of E. T. A. Hoffmann

by E.T.A. Hoffmann, Natalie Frank (Illustrations), Jack D. Zipes (Translation)

E. T. A. Hoffmann’s classic tales of Gothic horror and fantasy are presented in a new translation accompanying the beguiling drawings of Natalie Frank
 
“Sumptuous. . . . [Natalie Frank’s] artwork . . .  is gruesome perfection.”—Meghan Cox Gurdon, Wall Street Journal
 
E. T. A. Hoffmann (1776–1822) was one of the greatest German Romantic authors of fantasy and a pioneer in the genre we now call Gothic horror. His innovative stories explore ideas of madness, genius, doppelgängers, artificial intelligence, and the boundaries between realities and dreams. Artist Natalie Frank and leading fairy-tale scholar Jack Zipes have joined forces in this lavishly illustrated volume of five of Hoffmann’s most influential The Golden Pot , The Sandman , The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, The Mystifying Child, and The Mines of Falun .
 
In addition to offering fresh translations, Zipes introduces the project and sheds light on how Hoffmann’s lifetime of personal traumas shaped his writing. Frank’s richly rendered gouache and chalk pastels reveal Hoffmann’s worlds in full-page drawings and marginalia. Pivotal scenes of transformation, courage, love, desire, and betrayal are illustrated through a feminist lens, focusing on strong, self-aware female characters. A foreword by novelist Karen Russell delves into the influence the tales had on her own literary career and the ways in which she emulates Hoffmann today. The Wounded Storyteller will introduce Hoffmann’s timeless work to a new generation of readers.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Horror, Fantasy, Weird Fiction, Anthologies, Classics

304 pages, Hardcover

Published May 30, 2023

About the author

Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann, better known by his pen name E. T. A. Hoffmann (Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann), was a German Romantic author of fantasy and horror, a jurist, composer, music critic, draftsman and caricaturist. His stories form the basis of Jacques Offenbach's famous opera The Tales of Hoffmann, in which Hoffman appears (heavily fictionalized) as the hero. He is also the author of the novella The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, on which the famous ballet The Nutcracker is based. The ballet Coppélia is based on two other stories that Hoffmann wrote, while Schumann's Kreisleriana is based on Hoffmann's character Johannes Kreisler.

Hoffmann's stories were very influential during the 19th century, and he is one of the major authors of the Romantic movement.

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 1 out of 5]

So, unfortunately, this was not for me. The stories were so absurdist that they became ridiculous, and everything felt dreamy and intangible and that is just not my type of story. The writing and plots often seemed convoluted, but I'm not sure if that is the original nature of the writing or if something got lost in the German translation.
Never horrifying, never traumatic, just a collection of absurd ramblings.
Also, can we please stop with introductions taking themselves so seriously that they become unreadable? Sigh...
The cover, the artwork, and the design of this edition are gorgeous, but it just ended up feeling like pretty wrapping for a bunch of dud stories.

[Daniel Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Years ago, I read Hoffman's "The Sandman" in an older translation, and I had a very hard time with it. Not so in Jack Zipes's translation--I don't speak German, so I can't comment on what might have been lost or changed, but I found all the stories readable and by turns vital. My only criticism of the collection would be its premise, which seemed like a thin excuse to yoke five of Hoffman's best-known stories in a single book; on the upside, though, wanting to revisit this author, I was very happy to find five of his best-known stories in a single book, and once I was into the actual tales, the academic premise of course drifted away.

[Sofie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an edition of translated stories of ETA Hoffman, highlighted (championed) by incredible and evocative paintings on every page.

I got stuck on the first story, ‘The Golden Pot,’ for more than a month, as I found it difficult to follow. The other stories, including, ‘The Sandman,’ and ‘The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,’ were excellent.

[Louise Blais]

I have not started reading this book yet, but simply had to comment on how beautiful and well put together this novel is! It's a work of art in itself and looks very expensive! Will give my review upon completion of reading!

[Jordan]

I struggled through the 17 pages of foreword and introduction; it’s very…cerebral. The illustrations were very odd and off-putting. I made it 17 more pages into the first story, but it was unenjoyable, strangely plotted, and confusing in structure.

[Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art is absolutely gorgeous.
The stories are dark, strange, and the structure can be a challenge at times.
If you're looking for something whimsical and weird, this will do it.