Эрнст Theodore Амадей Гофман (1776-1822) is the German writer, composer, artist of romantic direction. Pseudonym as composer Johannes Крейслер. The artistic world view he expressed in the long row of unmatched in its way fantastic stories and fairy-tales the "Gold pot", "Crumb of Цахес", "Щелкунчик", satiric novel the "Worldly views of Cat Мура" et al. In them Гофман skilfully "микширует" wonderful and fantastic phenomena of all centuries and people with the personal fiction, both darkly-sickly or gracefully-merry and mocking.In this edition a novel is presented "Elixirs of satan", sanctified to sweet one for Гофмана to the theme - destructive action of "dark half" of human personality. Thus intruding of evil in the soul of man is stipulated by both the inherited reasons and action of external, demonic supernatural forces. A main acting person is a monk Медард, by chance tasting to the mysterious liquid from a crystalbottle, becomes the unintentional carrier of evil. The narration conducted from his person allows to follow on monasterial transitions and monastic cells, and then on the pied world and to try everything, that was carried by a monk in life frightful, pointing horror, reckless and ridiculous.