The author of “The Sandman” was born Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann on January 24, 1776, in Königsberg, Prussia, at the time part of the German Empire, now Kaliningrad, Russia. Later, out of admiration for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, he changed his name, signaling his profound love for music.

His personal life was marked by early disruption, and Hoffmann was raised by his emotionally volatile mother and her strict family after his parents’ divorce. He took refuge in his imagination, and by 13 years old, he was composing his own stories and drawing caricatures. His mother’s death in March of 1796 was a significant turning point in his life. Around this time, he began to pursue his artistic aspirations in earnest. In “The Sandman,” the protagonist, Nathanael, similarly experiences early trauma that haunts him throughout adulthood.

Hoffmann studied law, like his father, and by 1802 was working as a jurist in Posen when the tensions between his civil duties and artistic inclinations came to a head. His habit of sketching and distributing mocking caricatures of well-known public figures, including military officials, caused controversy and resulted in his transfer to the remote South Prussian province of Płock.