The Fermata

E. T. A. Hoffmann, originally encouraged to pursue law, shifted his focus to literature and philosophy, influenced by German classicists and Immanuel Kant. His most famous works include "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King," which inspired Tchaikovsky's ballet, and "The Sandman," which influenced both Léo Delibes's ballet "Coppélia" and Sigmund Freud's essay "The Uncanny." Hoffmann is celebrated for his mastery of the uncanny in literature, making his early 19th-century works both significant and sought after in modern republishing efforts.