E. T. A. Hoffmann

“ Preface Suppressed by the Author With the security and peace, the true genius of the innate, I hand over my biography to the world, so that they may learn from the writing of a large tomcat to recognize my excellence to the fullest extent; to love me, honor me, admire me, and a adore me just a little.
Should anyone be bold enough to raise doubts against the sterling value of this extraordinary book, he may consider that he has to do so against a tomcat with a spirit, a mind, and sharp claws. ”