Which German Romantic author wrote the novella 'The Sandman'?

E. T. A. Hoffmann wrote the German Romantic tale “The Sandman.” Its original German title is “Der Sandmann,” and it was first published in 1816 in Hoffmann’s collection Night Pieces.

The story follows Nathanael, a young man haunted by childhood memories of the terrifying Sandman, a folkloric figure said to throw sand into children’s eyes. Nathanael becomes convinced that the sinister Coppelius from his past is connected to Coppola, an Italian seller of optical instruments. The tale repeatedly links eyesight, observation, and uncertainty about what is real.

One of its most famous characters is Olimpia, whom Nathanael believes to be a beautiful and responsive woman. She is eventually revealed to be an automaton created by Professor Spalanzani and Coppola. This unsettling episode made the story an important early exploration of artificial life, illusion, and the uncanny.

Readers sometimes call “The Sandman” a novella, but it is more commonly classified as a short story or literary tale. Hoffmann’s initials stand for Ernst Theodor Amadeus, although he was born Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann. He was also a composer, artist, music critic, and jurist.