The Sandman by E T A Hoffman

[@WoodyMarx]

Tony Walker is simply the best narrator I've yet listened to! His Dracula is beyond compare.

[@BrookeReadsBooks333]

Agree! 🧛

[@allysonlewis1576]

Agreed he’s gifted at narrating. Superb

[@tokatulu]

I like his literary work too. If you haven’t yet, check out his DarkWorlds stuff.

[@denisegiannakis5667]

Oh! i enjoy your ramblings at end. They're truly organic (or freerange?) the tangent you take!.

[@ClassicGhost]

Free range . I like that

[@colettelee-k2466]

To be completely honest, when I first started listening I stopped before the bit about the authors but because of your no-nonsense sense of humor and hearty insight it's become my favorite part ! I agree, though sometimes the artist's choices can muddle your opinion of their art, I find it is still possible to respect their work without respecting their actions or opinions!

[@lisahastings2927]

Love this narrators voice, I find it so soothing thank u for the upload

[@ClassicGhost]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@donaldmccleary9015]

Great job, Tony! I felt bad for Nathaniel. That man who finally gave him the "weatherglass" was a vile person indeed! Great story! I never knew he wrote the story The Nutcracker was based on.

[@shroomyk]

Poor Clara in this story! Thanks for the story and the ramble. I enjoy them a lot.

[@ClassicGhost]

Though Clara got herself fixed up in the end. Well deserved too.

[@martiwilliams4592]

Gripping, fantastic narration, Tony! You truly are the best! More Hoffman, please?! Thank you!!!

[@nancynickerson4341]

We enjoy all your rambling Tony, whether late or early!

[@ClassicGhost]

I can't help myself.

[@blixten2928]

Oh my goodness, what a treat, Hoffman! I wonder if you'll be moving on to his less-known, and then increasingly strange, satiric work... And what after this? Kafka? He has some truly scary stories (the country doctor, for one)... I can't wait for this. -- You know Offenbach's opera that includes this story? try the version for TV put out by East Germany. Perhaps the rhythms and cadences there will further inspire your reading!

[@ClassicGhost]

I may do a Kafka indeed. Country Doctor on the list.

[@mariameere5807]

@@ClassicGhost great 👍

[@Elder-Witch299]

Really enjoyed this one. I don't know why but it reminded me of the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; the Sandman being the Child Catcher in the film and there's also a part where the toy maker makes Truly Scrumptious into a clockwork doll. A bizarre comparison I know but my mind is rambling at this time of night, 03.01 hrs. I loved your ramble too, Tony. Looking forward to whatever you share next.

[@ClassicGhost]

It has that Chitty Chitty Bang Bang vibe for sure.

[@violetfemme411]

Finally settling down for this..I love the longer ones 💜

[@MSYNGWIE12]

I'm behind with Tony- audio books- must catch up- I loved his "in full" reading of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Grey. Fantastic "gift" to narrate the entire novella, a story which seems timely - we live in such a celebrity fixated culture where looks and youth count for too much and it is making for a mass depressive mood world wide- thanks Tony - Namaste ( promise to catch up) Holly Golightly

[@thelastsausage635]

Really looking forward to this. Dracula was fantastic! 👍🥇

[@ClassicGhost]

Glad you liked it. It hasn't got much traction yet so share if you can. It's on eternal loop.

[@brianthesnail5452]

Vabout time I’ve been waiting all night for this so I can go to sleep. Keep up the good work 👍

[@ClassicGhost]

:) I love the Magic Roundabout

[@brianthesnail5452]

@@ClassicGhost Yes Those were the days me and Florence used to have a bit of a thing going you know until that git Dylan got involved.

[@Story-Voracious66]

Oh poor Bryan. Did Zebidee not sort it all out in the end?

[@brianthesnail5452]

@@Story-Voracious66 No he just said “ time for bed “ and went off with the two of them 🤷‍♂️

[@kalliopikopanitsa7631]

Love your stories and your late night rambles Tony ! An avid listener of yours Athens , Greece . You are really helping me get through a hip replacement operation at the moment and I thank you for that 😊 ps interesting you mentioning us Greeks being the most disciplined in following regulations during covid pandemic . It is not in our genes but our “ responsible” behaviour was largely enforced on us by our authoritarian government and a lot of police monitoring …

[@ClassicGhost]

I have a soft spot for the Greeks after working briefly out there with the Hellenic Ornithological Society in the 90s at Prespa

[@kalliopikopanitsa7631]

How can I buy you a coffee/ green tea Tony ? It s the least I can do to thank you for the pleasure of listening to your stories 😊

[@ClassicGhost]

@@kalliopikopanitsa7631 well thank you ko-fi.com/Manage/

[@Lemon_N555]

I respectfully disagree with the 'authoritarian government' . Greece's government was no more or no less 'authoritarian ' than any other E.U. government . It was 'easier ' for Greeks to follow the rules because the M.S.M. scared the sh*t out of us every day upon the minute with covid stats & deaths. Greeks deeply respect their parents & grandparents & they are an essential part of the family. We obeyed because of the propaganda (a.ka. Fauci science) that we could accidentally kill our loved ones if we breached covid protocols !!!!

[@robbitt4430]

Lovely stuff, really enjoyed listening

[@ClassicGhost]

Glad you enjoyed it. it’s not listened to enough so I’m very happy you did

[@dshe8637]

Perfect Freudian slip 1:31:44

[@bluegreenglue6565]

Now that I'm working outside of home once again, it's harder for me to keep up with these stories as they come out. Nevertheless, your stories are always worth the wait, and most enjoyable. Thank you very much.

[@ClassicGhost]

Very welcome Blue

[@jamesblahut5008]

Freud wrote about this in his essay The Uncanny. I love Hoffman. My favorite is The King's Bride, but that's because bad poetry saves the day. This one is much scarier.

[@thurayya8905]

What a strange person Nathaniel was! Excitable boy, they all said. Poor Clara. What a field day Reddit would have with that ex-boyfriend story.

[@dshe8637]

The story reminds me of those young men who get obsessed with anime characters. They fall in love with cartoon waifus.

[@ClassicGhost]

i suppose if they fall in love with film stars .but it does seem weird

[@dshe8637]

@ClassicGhost I suppose it goes back to the original meaning if the word 'glamour; the enchantment in making someone love

[@ClassicGhost]

good point. Very interesting

[@jessicahatala4040]

Oh, Sheila, let him have the cat! They don’t do much damage and they bring so much more joy.

[@ClassicGhost]

I found my old cats name tag in my memory box. Made me cry

[@sabrinasjourney]

See also Coppelia and Poor Things 😂

[@Josephinejefferies]

Enjoyed this a second time

[@andreac5724]

Thanks for the story

[@ClassicGhost]

Thanks for listening

[@creative2716]

This is not one I could sink my teeth into... I am trying.

[@LiaLe-mk9bf]

Thank you for the great reading and story! ❤🙏

[@Bebecat477]

Thank you for the story!

[@ireneanderson7699]

This story reminds me very much of the story of the ballet Copelia. It's a Russian ballet. I had a trio of stories as a child in which Copelia was one. There was also Petrushka and The Fire Bird. Anyways, loved your narration as usual!

[@ClassicGhost]

Thanks, Irene. Welcome as ever.

[@msamelienp]

Well read Tony. I enjoy all of your narrations.

[@bloke1348]

Got myself a cryin talkin sleepin walkin..... ...

[@ClassicGhost]

Your android replica's playing up again. It's no joke.

[@kittima3218]

I own the movie In Bruges! Love it Great read

[@violetfemme411]

Wow...that was all around brilliant! It's now 3:30 am and I've yet to sleep but I'm so glad I was able to listen to all without a break. Your ramble was especially entertaining, and I was riveted. Btw I have 2 dogs and 2 cats and they are all the best of friends (even though the dogs do more than a bit of bothering and molesting, the cats don't retaliate.) I think you deserve a big ginger kitty. They do seem to be the most affectionate and many have dog like qualities. Have a marvelous weekend 💜

[@ClassicGhost]

Suprised the cats don;'t clip them.

[@violetfemme411]

@@ClassicGhost No, they pretty much ignore them, feeling superior I think and knowing if they get too annoyed they can easily jump on a higher surface. These cats are brother and sister striped tabby and they are probably at least 8-9 yrs old. I got them just after they were weaned and the dogs are both still pretty new to the household so they have seniority and know it! 😼🐈

[@sugarfalls1]

Tony, I looked up Hoffman on Wikipedia and he was a very creative and smart man! He actually influenced Edgar Allan Poe and other writers in the 1800s. There's a self-portrait on his wikipedia page and there were lawyers on both sides of his family. Hoffman also wrote music and some operas! He sounds like a very bright and talented man! He had to uproot his family (wife & daughter) to get out of the throws of Napoleon's army and the war. He moved around quite a bit in Germany. He was also friends with Immanuel Kant! Apart from the syphilis, he had a very interesting life. There is also a synopsis of this story on Wikipedia. It lists all the characters and gives details for each. Unlike some of your listeners, I haven't heard of all these writers before so I love reading their bios. Crazy story, and I chuckled at your comment about your ruffled soul in contrast to well, I don't want to ruin it for anyone reading this. Anyway, well done! Great job and I will be reading more about the story and him on Wiki. Thank you for introducing me to such an interesting writer. Love your sense of humor! Look @ all the places you've gone, Japan, etc. Nicely done, Mr. Walker!

[@ClassicGhost]

Absolutely, he was probably what we would call a genius

[@bobbyjosson4663]

Great to have this, thank you. The only thing that's a mystery is who was the translator and how did you choose them over others? It's a story on my reading list but too many versions out there.

[@layali1]

Really scary and uncanny. Do you think the episode when dr coppelius threatens to throw burning sand in the child's eyes is supposed to be a true réminiscence ? It is almost worse than the truly mad moments especially because of the father's reaction

[@sabrinasjourney]

Clearly something sinister happened when he was a child with Coppelius. Coppelius was a black magician and also killed Nathaniels father. Presumably due to some kind of Faustian bargain...

[@alexandramontes3944]

The Uncanny by Freud

[@ahuddleston6512]

Mr Sandman bring me a dream😜

[@MrRolloTomasi]

Truly, love is blindness ... Possible precursor to "Ex Machina"?

[@ClassicGhost]

Very good point !

[@Bbergster]

Dummies making more dummies. Oh, man…. I’ve met some automatons. Lars and the real girl” meets “Pinocchio!”

[@mijiyoon5575]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@garybernstein3527]

I just read Mary Shelley story The invisible girl and it is nothing like what you are describing here She was not born with a talent to be invisible things happen very differently in almost every respect from what you describe here about halfway through your description you touch him one or two points that are vaguely similar to something that actually happens in the story I don't think I'm going to listen to the rest of your description but I want to warn anybody who listens to your description the story they really ought to check it out with a story itself to see if you're not in fact totally different misrepresenting it

[@ClassicGhost]

+Gary Bernstein This is the E T A Hoffman story The Sandman isn’t it? I’m not familiar with that Mary Shelley story so I don’t think I was describing it here. I was just reading The Sandman