Weird Tales: The Cremona Violin. (Rath Krespel) the Fermata. Signor Formica. the Sand-Man. the Entail. Arthur's Hall

by E.T.A. Hoffmann

This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

376 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1810

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

[Joseph F.]

An old translation of a large sampling of wonderful stories by Hoffmann.
It’s a larger selection than Dover’s Best Tales of Hoffmann, but I like the Dover selection better.
Still, there are some wonderful tales here.

Although there is “weird” in the title, many stories are not as weird as today’s reader might imagine.
Sure The Entail is a creepy ghost story, and The Sandman borders on outright horror.
But many stories are what I might call mildly strange. In the Cremona Violin, a woman has strange ties to a violin, and in The Fermata, a young musician sees a painting that exactly captured an event in his life that happened years ago. Mademoiselle De Scuderi is an outright murder mystery.
A few stories are even rather heartwarming.

The odd and supernatural poke their heads here and there into the mundane world. That’s the beauty of this writer: some have even said he’s the true originator of magical realism.

[William Blackwell]

Widely lauded as the bridge between Gothic atmosphere and psychological horror, E.T.A. Hoffman was the master of the uncanny. He was uncannily adept at giving readers the impression that, although on the surface things appeared normal, something was definitely wrong.

Both Weird Tales Volume I and II deliver powerful examples of his storytelling talent.

In The Cremona violin, a violin can sing, and it's a haunting tale that blends creativity and madness.

In The Fermata, a single pause in a singer's voice becomes a powerful symbol for catatonia and emotional paralysis.

Signor Formica is a classic tale of life mirroring art and art mirroring life, often with disastrous consequences.

The Entail casts new light on a family legacy, making their inheritance more a family curse than a financial benefit.

The other tales are powerful and disturbing on many levels. Once you become accustomed to the often-wandering prose, it's a collection that is well worth reading.