This man, who was going to be the poet of the uncanny, was born on January 24th 1776 in Konigsberg, Germany. Before his mother Luise Albertine Dorffer already had given birth to two other childs, but lost the first one in his early age. Hoffmann was baptized as Ernst Theodor Wilhelm and he later on in 1804 changed his name Wilhelm to Amadeus, because he became a passionate admirer of the great musician Amadeus Mozart.

His family, originating from old traditional polish nobility, had a strong background in the profession of law and therefore his father was a lawyer at the court in Konigsberg.

As a young child, E.T.A. Hoffmann had inherited some negative genes from his parents. His father was a highly talented, impulsive and moody character and tended to be a notorious alcohol addict. His mother on the other side was a hysteric person, who was often falling in deep

His professional career began to flourish in 1813, when he successfully published his literature works "Fantasiestuecke in Callots Manier" ("Fantasy stories in Callots Manier") and started a new position as musical director for the publisher Seconda in Leipzip and Dresden. At this time he transfers Fouque's "Undine" into an successful opera, which was first presented in 1816 together with stage paintings of the famous artist Schinkel. In addition he further finished the literature work on the fantasy stories "Der Goldene Topf" ("The Golden Pot") and began with the first part of the story "Elixiere des Teufels" which was published 1816. In this story we can find the leitmotif of the "Doppelgaenger" ("double"), which presented the psychological status of Hoffmann, who was suffering severely on schizophrenia.

In 1781 Hoffmann starts his academic education and visits the Burgschule, where he was gaining his knowledge in the spirit of enlightenment. In addition he was getting musical instruction courses by his uncle and private teachers, but at this time had no outstanding talent for music. Works by Swift, Sterne and Rousseau and the writers Schiller, Goethe and Jean Paul had been a strong influence in Hoffmann's studies of literature. At this period the first musical compositions and two fragments of stories are created by him, the "Conaro, Memoiren des Grafen Julius von S." and "Der Geheimnisvolle" ("The Mysterious Man"). Hoffmann also liked to read the ghost stories of Grosse, an author not known anymore in present times. During his time at the High School, in 1787 he founded a deep friendship with Theodor Gottlieb Hippel, which lasted until the end of his life.

Wolzogen, Hans von: E.T.A. Hoffmann, der deutsche Geisterseher. Leipzig 1922

Hoffmann, who always had problems with his physical appearance, started in the young age of eighteen a passionate relationship with Dora Hatt, a married woman nine years older than him. Due to this relationship, who left deep impressions in the young Hoffmann, he developed his attitude towards mores and sexuality. Because his family did not agree of his relationship to an older woman, they forced him in 1796 to leave the city and to start a new position at the court in Golgau.

Gabrielle Wittkop-Menardeau, E.T.A. Hoffmann, rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag, Hamburg 1966

Forced to leave Warsaw, E.T.A. moved 1807 to Berlin, where he tried unsuccessfully to promote his artwork in music, literature and drawings. Not having a job and under the great depression of the Franco-Prussian war, his economical situations worsens.

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Approximate Word count = 1999
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)