| The Golden Pot and Other Tales: A New Translation by Ritchie Robertson (Oxford World's Classics) | 
 enlarge | Author: E. T. A. Hoffmann
Creator: Ritchie Robertson
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Category: Book
List Price: $12.95
Buy Used: $3.25
You Save: $9.70 (75%)
New (22) Used (27) from $3.25
Avg. Customer Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 588609
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 464
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 0.9
ISBN: 0192837230
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780192837233
ASIN: 0192837230
Publication Date: September 7, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Not a used copy ....Cover has 2" tear on back and multiple creases. Inside pages clean, binding tight. No remainder marks. Shipped with delivery confirmation inside US. Selling books since 1979*d/BN-U6-4
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Product Description
Hoffmann, among the greatest and most popular of the German Romantics, is renowned for his humorous and sometimes horrifying tales of supernatural beings. This selection, while stressing the variety of his work, focuses on those stories in which the real and the supernatural are brought into contact and conflict. This new translation includes The Golden Pot, The Sandman, Princess Brambilla, Master Flea, and My Cousin's Corner Window.
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| Customer Reviews:
"The Golden Pot" is one of the brightest masterpieces of Western literature November 13, 2008
In 1814, E.T.A. Hoffmann wrote the best novella I have had the good fortune to get my hands on. Regrettably, I neither speak nor understand German, and I only read "The Golden Pot" in translation, but it still managed to enchant me, of course.
It is a fairytale, actually subtitled "A Fairytale for the Modern Times", and attempting to adequately summarize the story would be pointless, which its true for every masterpiece. At a very basic level, the story pits the world of reality against the world of imagination/magic/wonder/poetry. It would be more accurate to say that the latter is active within the former, unbeknownst to the well-to-do inhabitants of early 19th century Dresden. Reading the "Golden Pot" will make you feel it is a great pity that you are not a citizen of Dresden, or at least Germany, at the beginning of the 19th century. Being a modern fairytale, it would have been a much more fulfilling read for a reader of the time, as he would recognize the aspects of the mundane world that Hoffmann describes, and would be thus derive greater pleasure from the descriptions of the fantastical that he masterfully weaves hidden in plain sight within it. Hoffmann has chosen an ingenious approach to the relationship between the reader and the writer, best showcased in the seventh vigil (chapter).
This magical novella is required reading by everyone, alongside the works of Shakespeare and Goethe.
An author worth reading. April 1, 2003
14 out of 15 found this review helpful
I would like to take a moment to correct a very common misconception about E.T.A. Hoffmann...in all fairness to him, Hoffmann should not be known for writing The Nutcracker on which the ballet is based. The ballet is based on the version of the story written by Alexandre Dumas NOT Hoffmann! Hoffmann's version (the original, and the version Tchaikovsky thought he was writing the music for, until Petipa, the choreographer, decided it was too dark and strange to be made into a ballet and went with the sweet and fluffy Dumas version), is far superior and definiately worth reading even though it is one of his lighter tales. It's more fantasically strange and wonderful than dark and scary. It's also not as thought-provoking as some of his other works. If you're planning to read it I recommend the copy with Maurice Sendak's illustrations, as they set off the tone and mood of the story perfectly.In regards to this particular book (The Golden Pot and others), I have found that everything Herr Hoffmann wrote is worth reading...it's just unfortunate that there aren't more collections of his works available. I've had a devil of a time trying to find a good hardbound copy myself!
A beautiful, transcendent, and incredible book January 27, 1999
26 out of 26 found this review helpful
E.T.A. Hoffmann is, in my opinion, one of the best and, sadly, unknown authors ever. I came across his name in a study of German Romanticism and even now whenever I want to escape this mundane reality I turn to his tales. Although known for the Nutcracker, his other tales are far more beautiful, moving and fantastic. The Golden Pot is perhaps the best story I have ever read. For anyone wishing so submerge him/herself in another world for a little while, a world of magic, beauty and horror, this is the best book one could choose. Each of his tales is unique, fantastic and exquisite.
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