E.T.A. Hoffmann

Ritchie Robertson is a Fellow of the Queen’s College, Oxford, and Emeritus Schwarz-Taylor Professor of German at the University of Oxford. His books include Friedrich Nietzsche (Reaktion Books, 2022) and German Political Tragedy: The Machiavellian Plot and the Necessary Crime (2024).

"In this concise yet informative and incisive study, Ritchie Robertson investigates Hoffmann’s lesser-known achievements in music, figurative art and legal practice to generate new insights into familiar literary works. Not least, the result is a productive biographical perspective on Hoffmann himself." - Nicholas Saul, Professor Emeritus of German Intellectual and Literary History, Durham University"Hoffmann’s world springs to life in Robertson’s prose. The Gothic writer of longstanding stereotype comes back into the light as a multi-talented Romantic with his finger on the pulse of modernity. Rich in detail and insightful readings, this study is, like the best of Hoffmann himself, both deeply empathetic and entertaining. Indispensable." - Joanna Neilly, Associate Professor, Fellow and Tutor in German, St Peter's College, Oxford