Hoffmann, E T A

Hoffmann, E(rnst) T(heodor) A(madeus)

 orig. Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann

(born Jan. 24, 1776, Königsberg, Prussia—died June 25, 1822, Berlin, Ger.) German writer and composer, a major figure of German Romanticism. He initially supported himself as a legal official (the conflict between the ideal world of art and daily bureaucratic life is evident in many of his stories) and later turned to writing and music, which he often pursued simultaneously. His story collection Fantasy Pieces in the Style of Callot (1814–15) established his reputation as a writer. His later popular collections Hoffmann's Strange Stories (1817) and The Serapion Brethren (1819–21) combine wild flights of imagination with vivid examinations of human character. Hoffmann also worked as a conductor, music critic, and theatrical musical director. The most successful of his many original musical works were the ballet Arlequin (1811) and the opera Undine (performed 1816). He died at age 46 of progressive paralysis. His stories inspired notable operas and ballets by Jacques Offenbach (Tales of Hoffmann), Léo Delibes (Coppélia), Pyotr Tchaikovsky (The Nutcracker), and Paul Hindemith (Cardillac).