Eta hoffmann was an artist with many talents and a lover of the performing arts. The original story of the nutcracker, weird and wonderful by one of the masters of horror and weirdness. The story of a young german girl who dreams of a nutcracker prince and a fierce battle against a mouse king with. But the nutcracker ballet many of us are familiar with is far from the story e. Hoffmann is a major figure of the romantic period and among the bestknown writers of the german romantic movement outside germany. The nutcracker and the mouse king was a story by e. The story concerns a girl named marie, who is given a nutcracker which looks like a soldier on christmas eve. Caught up in the beauty of the ballet, id never thought about how much that whole scenario would scare the bejeezus outta me. Nutcracker and mouse king and the tale of the nutcracker penguin classics 9780143104834. The story of the original nutcracker a mothers random. Maurice sendak worked on a version of the nutcracker for the pacific northwest ballet in 1983, and put out a book in 1984.
Although what is seen on the stage today is different in detail from the original story, the basic plot remains the same. Hoffman s bestknown story today is the nutcracker and the mouse king, giving rise as it did to the famous ballet set to tchaikovskys score. Hoffmanns ancestors, both maternal and paternal, were jurists. Hoffmanns the nutcracker this is a beautifully well done crochet book. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. One of the ten best illustrated childrens books of the year. Dec 24, 2015 we can trace accounts of wooden nutcrackers springing to life back to the folk tales of bohemia, poland and muscovy. Hoffmann, a german romantic author of fantasy and horror, composer, music critic, and caricaturist in the tale, 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. Hoffmans version of the story was the original, and was adapted by dumas.
Hoffmann s title for it was nutcracker and mouse king. Oldstyle tales press publishes annotated and illustrated editions of classic horror, classic weird fiction, classic ghost stories, and gothic novels. Hoffmans bestknown story today is the nutcracker and the mouse king, giving rise as it did to the famous ballet set to tchaikovskys score. Hoffmanns 1816 fairy tale, on which the ballet is based, is troubling. Read online the nutcracker and the mouse king pdf by e. In the tale, young marie stahlbaums favorite christmas toy, the nutcracker, comes alive and, after. Hoffmann, but most everyone is familiar with his most famous creation. Ive seen balletmets the nutcracker at the ohio theatre multiple times, but id never read the 1816 story the nutcracker and the mouse king by eta hoffman. The dark roots of the nutcracker and the man who wrote. Originally choreographed by marius petipa, was first performed in st. From dracula and frankenstein to henry james and edgar allan poe, we illuminate your journeys through literatures darkest domains. While alexandre dumas, pere was making this story famous in france, this translation by mrs. The dark roots of the nutcracker and the man who wrote it this is the time of year when one mans work is widely if indirectly celebrated. It was on this folklore that eta hoffman drew in his nutcracker and mouse king.
With 120 pages of full colored illustrations by renowned artist maurice sendak, eta hoffmanns classic story of the nutcracker takes on an added dimension of fantasy. He wrote 49 tales and two novels, composed eight operas, and was also a productive music critic and a. Dumas explicitly acknowledged hoffman within the text of his version of. In 1892, the russian composer pyotr ilyich tchaikovsky and choreographers marius petipa and lev ivanov turned the adaptation of the story into the famous ballet the nutcracker. Now young children can enjoy this beloved classic in a specially abridged version by bob blaisdell. The link between hoffmann and drosselmeier belongs to literary history or biography, but that between drosselmeier and the nutcracker is at the centre of the. Caught up in the beauty of the ballet, id never thought about how much. And the edition i read has them both together, translated into english by joachim. Nutcracker and mouse king the story begins on christmas eve at the stahlbaum house. Maurice sendak designed brilliant sets and costumes for the pacific northwest ballets christmas production of nutcracker and has created. Action centers on a young girl, clara, whos guided through a magical kingdom by her. Hoffmann on which the famous ballet the nutcracker is based.
The nutcracker by eta hoffman illustrated by maurice sendak. Im not saying all the magic is lost, but i feel cheated to find paperbacklikeearlyreaderskindoftext printed and bound in high quality book. I found it easier to understand what was going on in the story and its so cute. It was the dumas version that inspired themore tiffanys correct, e. The nutcracker story is told with each vignette, introducing a different character or accessory to craft. Nutcracker and mouse king read book online for free. It was the tale of a little girl, marie, and her christmas toys. The little nutcracker pagemarker is a lovely extra. The nutcracker eta hoffmann maurice sendak pp9780385348645 the tale of nutcracker, written by e.
The nutcrackers origin can be traced back to russia in the late 1800s where choreographer marius petipa and composer peter ilyitch tchaikovsky created the ballet based on eta hoffmans story of the nutcracker and the mouse king. This item turns up on amazon when you search for eta hoffman. Translated by ralph manheim and published by crown in 2012 isbn 9780385348645. His stories form the basis of jacques offenbachs opera the tales of hoffmann, in which hoffmann appears heavily fictionalized as the hero. Nutcracker and mouse king and the tale of the nutcracker by eta. The nutcracker history the nutcracker is a ballet based on the story written by eta hoffman, the nutcracker and the mouse king. The 1892 ballet is based on an 1816 short story the nutcracker and the mouse king, by e. Hoffmann, a german romantic author of fantasy and horror, composer, music critic, and caricaturist. However, what you probably dont know is that the original nutcracker story was written years early in 1816. The nutcracker is a christmas story about a little girl named maria and her wooden doll, the nutcracker, who becomes alive to fight the evil sevenheaded mouse king.
A download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. 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. The story of the nutcracker kindle edition by hoffmann, e. He was a leading figure of german romanticism and most of his short stories have elements of the gothic fairy tale. The nutcracker story is told with each vignette, introducing a different character or accessory to. Dec 25, 2012 maurice sendak worked on a version of the nutcracker for the pacific northwest ballet in 1983, and put out a book in 1984. Hoffmann in 1816, has fascinated and inspired artists, composers, and audiences for almost two hundred years. About nutcracker and mouse king and the tale of the nutcracker.
Marie, seven, and her brother, fritz, eight, sit outside the parlor. I think this book is perfect to read at christmas because it takes place on christmas eve. This struggle between artistry and bureaucracy is played out in many of his works. From the folk tales of eta hoffman and alexandre dumas to tchaikovskys ballet and beyond, translater sarah ardizzone traces the evolution.
He managed to get into the bureaucratic services of the state prussia, but was not considered too well. Read pdf the nutcracker and the mouse king absolutely for free at. He was by education a jurist but it is for his short fiction and most of all for the nutcracker and the mouse on which the famous ballet the nutcracker is based. 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. Dec 11, 2012 the nutcracker and the mouse king german. The story of the original nutcracker a mothers random thoughts. The story is wellknown, but the beauty of this book made it seem brand new. The original stories behind everyones favorite christmas ballet it wasnt until the. Since its premiere in 1954, the nutcracker has been performed by the new york city ballet over 2,000 times, carrying children and adults alike into the dreamlike realm of a story that has fascinated and inspired artists, composers, and audiences for almost two hundred years. 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. Nutcracker and mouse king and the tale of the nutcracker by e.
Ernst theodor amadeus hoffmann commonly abbreviated as e. The edition i read, nutcracker, featured illustrations by maurice sendak which i loved. But the story itself is much older and its original intent more complex. He was a germanborn in prussia, which is now russia, and he was a lawyer and judge. The nutcracker ballet is based on the story the nutcracker and the king of mice written by e. Hoffmann was born on the 24th of january 1776 in konigsberg now russia as the son of a lawyer. 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. It has retained its freshness because it appeals to the sense of wonder we all share. One of hoffmann s stories was adapted by the french writer alexandre dumas.
The original stories behind everyones favorite christmas ballet it wasnt until the 1950s that seeing the nutcracker at christmastime became an american tradition. 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. Hoffmanns classic childrens tale, nutcracker and mouseking, which was penned in german in 1816. The nutcracker and the mouse king is a christmas classic written in 1816, by e. Nutcracker and mouse king and the tale of the nutcracker. Included are all the wonderful scenes and characters. The story concerns a girl named marie, who is given a nutcracker which looks like a soldier. After his fathers death he has a very bad childhood ending when he went to university to study law between 179295.
Hoffmann 1776 1822 the original story of the nutcracker, weird and wonderful by one of the masters of horror and weirdness. Nov 30, 2016 eta hoffmann was an artist with many talents and a lover of the performing arts. Hoffmann claire bloom, pyotr ilyich tchaikovsky, e. Simon was making it popular in the englishspeaking world. Although it would be difficult to trace completely his. Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 first edition with your subscription. Christmas eve at the stahlbaum house, the arrival of godpapa drosselmeier and the presentation of the nutcracker, the fierce battle between the nutcracker and the sevenheaded mouse king, the adventures in christmas wood, toyland, marzipan. It was on this folklore that eta hoffman drew in his nutcracker and mouse king, a macabre exploration of wideeyed childlike imagination pitted against the bourgeois values of 19thcentury bavaria. This is my favorite holiday story and if you are like me. Originally written in the early twentieth century, the story of a little girls love for an enchanted nutcracker has delighted generations of readers, while the tchaikovsky ballet based on the tale has become a holiday tradition. He described hoffmanns story as having bite and muscle, the way the.
My favorite version of the story is the one by alexandre dumas called the tale of the nutcracker. This is one of the earliest known english translations of e. Nutcracker and mouse king by eta hoffmann and the tale. The original story is horribly butchered they call it adapted to mere 32 pages. In the 1900s, touring russian ballet companies brought the nutcracker to the united states.
Feb 23, 2010 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Christmas eve lyrics during the long, long day of the twentyfourth of december, the children of doctor stahlbaum were not permitted to enter the. After beginning a career in the law, hoffman turned to music, working as a conductor, music director, and critic, and later composing a ballet, an opera, and other works. Marie is convinced this story is about her new nutcracker, especially when she gets visited by the mouse king for several nights running. Nov 25, 2019 he tells her a long story about a princess named pirlipat, some wicked mice, and a brave young man who tried to save the princess from the mice, only to get turned into a nutcracker. The ballet coppelia 1870, by leo delibes, is also based on a hoffmann story, as is pyotr ilyich tchaikovskys ballet suite, the nutcracker 1892. Marie, a young girl, falls in love with a nutcracker doll, whom she only sees come alive when she falls asleep. 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. Hoffmann practised law in order to support his ideal artistic life. Not only is the cover exquisite, but the art and illustrations inside the book are fantastic. The story of the nutcracker in pictures books the guardian.
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