The work of the great German writer E. T. A. Hoffmann is presented in this book by two fairy tales - 'The Golden Pot' (1814) and 'Little Zaches, nicknamed Zinnober' (1819), which are among the recognized masterpieces of European romantic prose and largely determined the author's literary fate.

On the pages of these works, Hoffmann is revealed as an original mythologist-mystic, a singer of 'elemental spirits' and a creator of 'combined realities', under whose pen 19th-century Dresden can turn into a utopian Atlantis; and as a caustic satirist, keenly observing the social and moral flaws of his era; and as a sly parodist-mocker, artistically and selflessly 'playing at literature'; and as a thoughtful, observant researcher of life and art, inviting the reader to a fascinating improvisational conversation and an inspired search for truth.

The publication of the texts of the stories is accompanied by detailed commentary prepared especially for this edition.