Nutcracker and mouse king and the tale of the nutcracker. His father, christoph ludwig hoffmann 173697, was a barrister in konigsberg, prussia now kaliningrad, russia, as well as a poet and amateur musician who played the viola da gamba. The last of his three ballets, it was first performed in december 1892. Hoffmann on which the famous ballet the nutcracker is based. The original 1853 edition with illustrations hoffmann, e. About nutcracker and mouse king and the tale of the nutcracker. From dracula and frankenstein to henry james and edgar allan poe, we illuminate your journeys through literatures darkest domains.
Kind reader, or listener, whatever may be your name, whether frank, robert, henry,anna or maria, i beg you to call to mind the table. Hoffmann 17761822 was a prussian lawyer, artist, composer and pioneering writer of horror stories. Maurice sendak designed brilliant sets and costumes for the pacific northwest ballets christmas production of nutcracker and has created. This 1816 story is perhaps best known as the basis for tchaikovskys popular ballet, but hoffmanns holiday legend is where the spell begins. Nutcracker and mouse king and the tale of the nutcracker by eta. Mouse king and the tale of the nutcracker penguin classics hoffmann, e.
Hoffmann was born on the 24th of january 1776 in konigsberg now russia as the son of a lawyer. After his fathers death he has a very bad childhood ending when he went to university to study law between 179295. The original stories behind everyones favorite christmas ballet it wasnt until the 1950s that seeing the nutcracker at christmastime became an american tradition. It has retained its freshness because it appeals to the sense of wonder we all share. But the story itself is much older and its original intent more complex. If that is what youre looking for, this edition is for you.
In this original version, a marie worries about a beautiful nutcracker thats been broken. The nutcracker tells a story about a girl who befriends a nutcracker that comes to life on christmas eve and wages a battle against the evil mouse king. Nov 04, 2018 but the bones of eta hoffmanns original story, the nutcracker and the mouse king, have been stripped down and reshaped, with grim efficiency, to fit the template of the disney princess narrative. Although available in direct translation from the german, hoffmanns stories tend to come to us via numerous reworkings and transpositions. Nov 12, 2018 throughout the englishspeaking world, eta hoffmann is best known for what others have made of his life and works. The story of the original nutcracker a mothers random thoughts. Hoffmann, in full ernst theodor amadeus hoffmann, original name ernst theodor wilhelm hoffmann, born january 24, 1776, konigsberg, prussia now kaliningrad, russiadied june 25, 1822, berlin, germany, german writer, composer, and painter known for his stories in which supernatural and sinister characters move in and out of mens lives, ironically revealing tragic or grotesque. Hoffmann, a german romantic author of fantasy and horror, composer, music critic, and caricaturist. Almost fifty years before lewis carrolls alices adventures in wonderland it incorporates its original audience as characters within the story, but whereas alice blends fantasy with. These tales, with their mysterious atmospheres and weird happenings, influenced writers such as poe, stevenson, kafka and freud. A story that spawned a thousand childrens books and countless adaptations for the stage, and then eventually made it to the silver screen. The nutcracker eta hoffmann maurice sendak pp9780385348645 the tale of nutcracker, written by e. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the nutcracker. The original stories behind everyones favorite christmas ballet it wasnt until the.
Hoffmann, in which young marie stahlbaums favourite christmas toy, the nutcracker, comes alive and, after defeating the evil mouse king in battle, whisks her away to a magical kingdom populated by dolls. One of the ten best illustrated childrens books of the year. Eta hoffman original and the ballet was pyotr ilyich tchaikovsky asked in ballet, composers. Disneys nutcracker fails to capture the uncanny original. The nutcracker and the mouse king is a christmas classic written in 1816, by e. Oldstyle tales press publishes annotated and illustrated editions of classic horror, classic weird fiction, classic ghost stories, and gothic novels. He managed to get into the bureaucratic services of the state prussia, but was not considered too well. He composed the ballet the nutcracker to a story by e. Nov 30, 2016 eta hoffmann was an artist with many talents and a lover of the performing arts. Hoffmann trade cloth at the best online prices at ebay. The original stories behind everyones favorite christmas ballet. The world would probably not know of the nutcracker if it werent for alexandre dumas. Christmas eve lyrics during the long, long day of the twentyfourth of december, the children of doctor stahlbaum were not permitted to enter the.
The original story of the nutcracker, weird and wonderful by. E t a hoffmann after hearing how the toy nutcracker that she and her brother received for christmas got his ugly face, marie helps break the spell he is under and watches him change into a handsome prince. Hoffmanns classic childrens tale, nutcracker and mouseking, which was penned in german. When sendak agreed to design sets and costumes for the pacific northwest ballets christmas production of the tale, he made it his mission to restore the weird, dark qualities that made the original something of a master piece. Dec 25, 2012 and sendaks version of the nutcracker with his sets and libretto is the only version that jack zipes says captures hoffmanns original spirit.
Hoffmann s classic childrens tale, nutcracker and mouseking, which was penned in german in 1816. The nutcracker and the mouse king illustrated by e. I feel like this translation did not do the original story justice at all and a lot of the magic. The story of the hard nut from nutcracker and mouseking e. The original version of the nutcracker and the mouse king by e. In 1892, the russian composer pyotr ilyich tchaikovsky and choreographers marius petipa and. The nutcracker by eta hoffman illustrated by maurice sendak. The original story of the nutcracker, weird and wonderful by one of the masters of horror and weirdness.
The nutcracker in 3d was released on dvd as the nutcracker. Not only would its complicated plot be difficult for a child of that age to follow, but it also contains a number of. Hoffmanns classic childrens tale, nutcracker and mouseking, which was penned in. The nutcracker adapted from the original book by eta hoffmann this is definitely not a ballet. The original 1853 edition with illustrations kindle edition by hoffmann, e t a, simon, st.
His stories form the basis of jacques offenbachs opera the tales of hoffmann, in which hoffmann appears heavily fictionalized as the hero. He wrote 49 tales and two novels, composed eight operas, and was also a productive music critic and a conductor. This is one of the earliest known english translation of e. The legacy of the mouse king and the history of nutcracker. Hoffmann 1776 1822 the original story of the nutcracker, weird and wonderful by one of the masters of horror and weirdness. Throughout the englishspeaking world, eta hoffmann is best known for what others have made of his life and works. Librivox recording of nutcracker and mouse king by e. Ernst theodor amadeus hoffmann commonly abbreviated as e. Nutcracker and mouse king and the tale of the nutcracker by e. Buy nutcracker and mouse king and the tale of the nutcracker penguin classics by hoffmann, e.
But the nutcracker ballet many of us are familiar with is far from the story e. The story of the original nutcracker a mothers random. The nutcracker and the mouse king literawiki fandom. Dec 11, 2012 the nutcracker and the mouse king german. Nutcracker and mouse king by eta hoffmann and the tale of. This is one of the earliest known english translations of e. Nutcracker and mouse king and the tale of the nutcracker penguin.
Hoffmann perlipats mother was the wife of a kingthat is, a queen. Instead its a riotously colourful crazy helter skelter of a story about a nutcracker who comes to life, defeats the evil mouse king and goes to visit the sugar plum fairy. And sendaks version of the nutcracker with his sets and libretto is the only version that jack zipes says captures hoffmann s original spirit. Here is the original tale of sevenyearold marie and her beloved nutcracker, beset by a dark mystery that surrounds this story within a story. She stays up late playing with him, gets attacked by lots of mice led by a sevenheaded mouse king, the nutcracker and all of fritzs toy soldiers come to life and have a battle with the mice, and marie gets injured in the fray, but saves nutcracker from the ravages of the mouse king by throwing her shoe at him. Hoffmann in 1816, has fascinated and inspired artists, composers, and audiences for almost two hundred years.
Disneys nutcracker fails to capture the uncanny original fantasy of eta hoffmann posted on nov. Hoffmanns ancestors, both maternal and paternal, were jurists. In the tale, young marie stahlbaums favorite christmas toy, the nutcracker, comes alive and, after. Although available in direct translation from the german, hoffmann s stories tend to come to us via numerous reworkings and transpositions. The nutcracker and the mouse king translated into french. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. You may have seen hoffmans name recently in matthew guerrieris. In the story young marie stahlbaums favorite christmas toy, the nutcracker, comes alive and, after defeating the evil mouse king in battle, whisks her away to a magical kingdom populated by dolls. This 1816 story is perhaps best known as the basis for tchaikovskys popular ballet, but hoffmann s holiday legend is where the spell begins. The story of the hard nut 19thcentury german stories.