The Nutcracker and the Mouse King

When I was a little boy I had a set of a dozen postcards titled The Nutcracker and the Mouse King but I had no fairy tale. When I perused the cards I imagined what a mysterious tale it must be. I read the story first time in my twenties when E. T. A. Hoffmann already became one of my favourite write......more

This is a wonderful, magical tale which I regret not having read as a child.......more

The Nutcracker Ballet Suite, composed in 1892 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, has become an indispensable part of Christmas celebrations all over the world. Many people who would be skeptical about attending an actual live performance by a ballet company nonetheless look forward to firing up their down......more

Translations are, as a rule, pretty bad. I feel like this translation did not do the original story justice at all and a lot of the magic had seeped through the cracks as a result. The story itself has dark layers to it that the ballet does not possess. It has a rather disjointed flow to it and alto......more

What a truly imaginative and festive little classic! A timeless story I had never actually read before, but was so charmed by the imagination of E.T.A. Hoffman, as a young girl called Marie witnesses toys coming to life at the stroke of midnight, including a Nutcracker. The Nutcracker is in battle w......more