
audiobook
by E. T. A. (Ernst Theodor Amadeus) Hoffmann
In a sun‑baked countryside village a destitute farmer’s wife collapses under the weight of a basket of fire‑dry wood, her life reduced to hunger and loss. When she summons the strength to free herself, she is haunted not by relief but by a tiny, otherworldly child – a changeling that the villagers whisper about with dread. The infant’s strange appearance marks the beginning of a cascade of misfortunes, from stolen gold to a fire that razes the family’s home, setting the stage for a wildly imaginative tale where ordinary poverty collides with the uncanny.
Soon the narrative lifts beyond the humble farm, spiraling into a court of eccentric princes, peculiar scholars, and mischievous fairies who all seem oddly connected to the cursed child. Amidst absurd legal disputes, enchanted teas, and baffling academic rituals, the story blends dark humor with fairy‑tale wonder, inviting listeners to follow a labyrinth of wit and whimsy that questions what is truly magical in a world full of folly.
Language
de
Duration
~3 hours (226K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2005-10-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1776–1822
A master of the uncanny, he filled Romantic-era fiction with doubles, dreams, automata, and sly humor. His stories helped shape modern fantasy and horror, and they still feel wonderfully strange.
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