The First English Translation of Hoffmann’s The Sandman
The First English Translation of Hoffmann’s The Sandman

Summary/Abstract: The English reception of The Sandman seems to begin with Walter Scott’s overview of Hoffmann’s writing in 1827. The first English translation of the novella was published in 1834. The text was abridged and appeared in The Keepsake, highlighting the name of the translator, Lord Albert Conyngham, rather than that of the author. The choice of words and phrases, along with the missing parts of the text, closes the door for the common sense and the rationalisations of the Enlightenment, leaving readers with Nathaniel’s feverish imagination. Thus, the alignment with the literature of the supernatural that Coleridge had preferences for becomes even more pronounced. What is generally considered the first translation of The Sandman, Oxenford’s translation for the collection Tales from the German, was published a decade later, in 1844. Comparing and contrasting the two versions of the text in English reveals the translators’ diverging sensibilities.

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