“Night Stories” by the German writer, composer and artist E.T.A. Hoffmann (1776–1822), who created his own special aesthetics, is published in full in Russian for the first time. This is a whole world where the real and the surreal are intricately mixed , ghostly, fantastic images reign, and an inevitable mystical principle reigns over all events and destinies. This is an image of the “night side of the soul”, a poetic consolidation of the unknown and mysterious, seen and felt in life, influencing human destinies, disturbing the mind and imagination.

From childhood, Nathanael has been haunted by the terrible Sandman - at first he was a lawyer - the warlock Coppelius, then the seller of barometers and optical instruments Coppola. One day, having forgotten himself, Nathanael bought a telescope from him and looked through it at the prim beauty Olympia, the daughter of the naturalist Spalanzani...