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The Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr (Penguin Classics) Paperback – November 1, 1999

by E. T. A. Hoffmann (Author), Anthea Bell (Editor, Translator), Jeremy Adler (Introduction)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 84 ratings
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Tomcat Murr is a loveable, self-taught animal who has written his own autobiography. But a printer's error causes his story to be accidentally mixed and spliced with a book about the composer Johannes Kreisler. As the two versions break off and alternate at dramatic moments, two wildly different characters emerge from the confusion - Murr, the confident scholar, lover, carouser and brawler, and the moody, hypochondriac genius Kreisler. In his exuberant and bizarre novel, Hoffmann brilliantly evokes the fantastic, the ridiculous and the sublime within the humdrum bustle of daily life, making The Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr (1820-22) one of the funniest and strangest novels of the nineteenth century.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
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  1. Print length
    384 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin Classics
  4. Publication date
    November 1, 1999
  5. Grade level
    12 and up
  6. Reading age
    18 years and up
  7. Dimensions
    7.8 x 5.08 x 0.91 inches
  8. ISBN-10
    0140446311
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0140446319
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

E T A Hoffmann (1776 - 1822) was born in Konigsberg and became one of the best known and influential authors of his time. He exploited the grotesque and the bizarre in a manner unmatched by any other Romantic writer. Jeremy Adler is Professor of German at King's College London. Anthea Bell has received many awards for her translations including the Mildred L. Batchelder Award in 1979, 1990 and 1995.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Prince Hector insisted on surprising his beloved bride to be, they then went on to Princess Hedwiga's room. They found Julia with her.

Prince Hector flew to the Princess's side with the haste of the most ardent lover, pressed her hand tenderly to his lips a hundred times, swore that he had lived only in his thoughts of her, that an unfortunate misunderstanding had caused him the torments of Hell, that he could no longer endure separation from her whom he adored, and that now all the bliss of Heaven had opened up before him.

Hedwiga received the Prince with an easy cheerfulness unlike her usual manner. She replied to his tender nothings as best a bride-to-be may, without giving too much of herself away in advance; indeed, she did not think it beneath her to tease him a little about his hiding place, assuring him that she could think of no prettier or more charming transformation than to see a milliner's block turn into a prince's head - for, she said, she had taken the head she saw in the gable window of the pavilion for just such a block. This gave rise to all manner of amiable chaffing of the happy pair, which seemed to please even Prince Irenaeus. He felt quite sure now that Madame Benzon had been in grave error about Kreisler, for in his opinion Princess Hedwiga's love for this handsomest of men was clear to see. The Princess seemed to be in rare, full bloom both of mind and body, as befits a happy bride.

With Julia, it was quite the opposite. As soon as she caught sight of the Prince she quivered in the grip of inner dread. Pale as death, she stood there with her eyes lowered to the ground, unable to make any movement, scarcely capable of standing upright.

After some time Prince Hector turned to Julia, with the words: 'Fraulein Benzon, if I am not mistaken?'

'A friend of the Princess's from earliest childhood - they're like a pair of sisters!'

As Prince Irenaeus spoke these words, Prince Hector took Julia's hand and whispered to her very softly, 'It is you alone I mean!'

Julia swayed; tears of the bitterest fear trickled from beneath her lashes. She would have fallen to the ground had Princess Hedwiga not swiftly thrust a chair towards her.

'Julia,' said the Princess quietly, as she leaned over her poor friend, 'Julia, pull yourself together! Don't you guess what a hard battle I am fighting?'

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Classics; Revised ed. edition (November 1, 1999)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0140446311
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140446319
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 12 and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.8 x 5.08 x 0.91 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 84 ratings

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E. T. A. Hoffmann

E. T. A. Hoffmann

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
84 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

horse with no name
5.0 out of 5 stars one of the strangest books I have ever read
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2017
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Today E.T.A. Hoffmann is best remembered as author of the story that inspired "The Nutcracker." Hoffmann would have been pleased that many of his stories have been adapted as operas or ballets, since he was a composer in his own right and wrote one opera, "Undine." Musician, artist, writer, lawyer, and jurist, Hoffmann was a true Renaissance man who accomplished more in a span of 46 years than many people who live twice as long. A master of droll humor and the macabre, he influenced everyone from Poe and Dickens to Dostoevsky and Kafka. "The Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr," widely regarded as Hoffmann's masterpiece, was unfinished at the time of his death in 1822, which I sincerely regret.. Hoffmann audaciously combined two stories--the autobiography of the aforementioned tomcat and the life of the eccentric musician Johannes Kreisler--never quite finishing one narrative thread before shifting gears. The two narratives are loosely linked through the character of Master Abraham, Murr's master and Kreisler's friend, who plays an important part in the Kreisler story. As the title suggests, Hoffmann was influenced by Lawrence Sterne's "Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy" (which alas, I have not read). The result is a funhouse mirror of a novel, a wild ride that constantly veers between comedy, tragedy, melodrama and farce as the two stories vie for the reader's attention. Murr, a cat who has taught himself to read and write and fancies himself an intellectual, is a conceited but endearing Falstaffian figure who considers himself the greatest genius of all time, superior not only to other cats but to human beings as well. His inflated self-image makes his picaresque adventures all the more hilarious as he struggles to survive in a world that does not appreciate his special gifts. Kreisler, in contrast, is a moody, high-strung nervous musician (today we would call him bipolar) whose mocking sense of humor does not endear him to the aristocracy. The novel abounds in satire: on Burschenschaften (German university fraternities, under suspicion for their radical leanings), the petty nobility and their rigid court etiquette, the intelligentsia, academia, and fashionable society. The tone constantly changes: while Murr's adventures are strictly for laughs, Kreisler's story is darker and combines romance, intrigue, and Gothic horror as well as sharply satirical humor. Since the novel is unfinished, a number of plot lines remain unresolved and the story lacks resolution.
"The Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr" requires patience from the reader, since is full of confusing twists and turns and one can easily lose one's place. It assumes an urbane, cosmopolitan, well-educated readership that understands its multiple allusions to music, art, literature, philosophy, religion, current politics, and the newly-emerging science of psychology. Like the self-educated tomcat, its author was clearly a genius. An unusual book by an unusual author.
12 people found this helpful
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Guillermo Maynez
5.0 out of 5 stars Adventures in a toy Royal Court
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2012
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The first thing that called my attention about this book is that, although it was written in 1819-1820, its atmosphere and plot are totally Medieval. These are the memories of the Tomcat Murr, written on the back of the leaves of the biography of musician Johannes Kreisler, printed as they were, so both stories (totally independent) alternate each other and are abruptly interrupted and continued at random stages.

Far from being a nusance, this "fact" or "narrative technique" is part of the charm. The only thing both stories have in common is the presence of Master Abraham, an interesting and lovable character. Beyond that, the tales run parallel. In a small and absurd German princedom there lives a toy court, dedicated to all kinds of firvolous and innocent entertainments, as well as minor intrigue. Master Abraham is an organ-builder and magician who has become the Prince's main adviser, and who has a tragic story. One day his protege, the sensitive and eccentric Kreisler, appears in the castle and revolutionizes the court's life. At first, he attracts the attention of a young Jewish girl, Princess Hedwiga's best friend and daughter of an ambitious lady, a former lover of the Prince's. Opposed to that, Kreiseler inspires in the nervous - and almost crazy - Hedwiga panic attacks, disguising a strong passion. The Jewish lady, who has other designs for both girls' future, conspires witht the Abbott of a monastery nearby, in order to expel Kreisler from court and convince him to take the habits, to which he refuses.

Meanwhile, the Tomcat Murr, Master Abraham's companion, relates us his life. This is an erudite, academic cat, possessed by an infinite love and the highest opinion of his own self, as well as plagued by bad luck wtih the cute kitties from his neighborhood. In a hilarious spoof of Bildungromans, Murr tells us about his sexual, intellectual and emotional growth. In the process of intertwining with Kreisler's story, the novel creates a farcic atmosphere. It contains numerous cultural references, and it is the confessed progeny of Don Quixote, Jacques the Fatalist and, above all, Tristram Shandy, in a softer tone. Hoffmann makes savage mockery of the minuscule and ridiculous German principalities and duchies which prevailed until 1870, as well as of all kinds of presumptuous academics, sending poisoned arrows to his contemporaries and including quotes from drama and epic poems, especially by Shakespeare, Ariosto, and Schiller. A light-hearted, enjoyable book which does much to illuminate a cultural, literary, social and popular tradition.
4 people found this helpful
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David S. Wellhauser
4.0 out of 5 stars Brillian and Origin -- Highly Recommended
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2014
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Always a fan of E.T.A. Hoffmann I was not disappointed by this tale of a self aware cat and his journey through life. Though not as compelling as The Tales of Hoffmann there was a lot to recommend this work of Fabulist Satire. Though considered his masterpiece, I found the Tales of Hoffmann more enjoyable -- but this is a personal choice and not meant to be read for an objective statement.

Essentially, it is the story of the self-taught cat Tomcat Murr who has written is own autobiography which, because of a printer's error, has caused his story to be spliced with the biography of the composer Johannes Kreisler -- in some ways Hoffmann's book is almost postmodern...in the same way that The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy is almost postmodern. So much for postmodernism.

Murr and Kreisler are polar opposites in temperament and this allows Hoffmann to play with the fantastic, the ridiculous and the sublime at almost the same time. Much of the book is concerned with everyday life and the genius of the work comes within the format of observations and reactions to life.

This satire is one of the most engaging novels of the 19th century.

Highly Recommend -- 4 out of 5 stars.
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Top reviews from other countries

I. Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and entertaining novel
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 10, 2019
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A few months ago I read an article in the Guardian Review about the Penguin Classics series. The author of the article selected ten titles – apparently at random – to illustrate the richness and variety of the works available from Penguin. I realised that of the ten works, I had only read one, so I resolved to read the other nine this year. This is the third of those nine that I’ve read.
From the start you have to accept that cats – and dogs – have an intellectual life that is hidden from us humans. As a kitten Murr learns to read and write. Thanks to his master’s extensive library he’s able to read all the German masters as well as Shakespeare and the classics. Not only him. Many of the cats he associates with seem to be equally well-educated. His mate Ponto the poodle isn’t as bookish but has a lot of worldly-wise advice to offer. Of course there is a lot of rough and tumble in a tomcat’s life, but even their fights are managed like human duels.
What we learn is that Murr is busy writing his autobiography on sheets of paper “borrowed” from his master, Abraham. On the reverse side of these sheets is a biography of the composer Johannes Kreisler. Abraham also features in his life as a kind of Daedalus figure, an ingenious maker of contraptions and illusions. Kreisler’s story is set in one of those tiny German states that existed before unification. Its ruler, the pompous Prince Irenaeus, seems to believe he is a great statesman, and Hoffmann has a lot of fun at his expense. He is trying to marry off his daughter to the evil Prince Hector, but Irenaeus can’t think badly of Hector because, well, blue-blooded chaps must be virtuous by definition. That’s what makes them “noble”.
I won’t spoil the plot. Suffice to say that, thanks to Murr’s meddling, Kreisler’s story keeps breaking off and some bits are “missing”, so we don’t get the full story. This doesn’t matter as what we get are the entertaining bits. Murr’s story is very different from Kreisler’s, as the blurb on the back of the Penguin edition makes clear, but it does mirror the human world in some ways. Murr has his share of life’s disappointments. His love life isn’t that brilliant and it’s clear that cats can be as fickle and ruthless as humans when it comes to matters of love.
The introduction to the Penguin edition is very thorough and enlightening, but I would recommend reading it after you’ve read the novel as there is a plot spoiler, and a very sad one. The translation itself is very lively and has helpful notes. This is a great book, a real gem and I will be reading more Hoffmann as a result.
5 people found this helpful
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Ananya
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars!
Reviewed in India on August 30, 2016
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Bought this as a gift for my brother, and he says it's awesome. The copy is good, and the delivery was timely. I give it Five Stars.
One person found this helpful
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wölfing
5.0 out of 5 stars A classic in fresh new guise
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 29, 2018
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Hoffman's Kater Murr is a witty classic with farcically intertwining narratives which strike the reader as modernistic, but the book has several serious points to make. The excellent translation performs the impossible by recreating the jokes and the deathless verse and prose of Murr in English and rising to the serious Romantic moments, and the annotations are erudite and informative. I read the book in the original many years ago and thoroughly enjoyed re-reading the translation, experiencing the work anew.
4 people found this helpful
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Mrs. M. Connolly
3.0 out of 5 stars Hard going
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 28, 2023
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This book made for a confusing read, as it has a novel form. The idea is that a very well educated tomcat Murr, wrote his autobiography, but due to an error at the printers, the pages got mixed up with an account of the life of Capel Meister Kreisler, whose life was considerably less interesting than that of Tomcat Murr.
Each section ends abruptly, and when you return to it a few pages later, you have completely forgotten what was happening, and you have to reread quite a bit of the text. Should I reread this book, I would read all the tomcat bit first, and then consider of I could face repeating Kreisler.
The book has a vast amount of contemporary references, demanding much checking in Wikipedia .
It is , however, very memorable, and I wouldn’t want to put anyone off reading it, only don’t expect to be able to sustain your interest for very long. Do not be in a hurry, just go slowly and suspend belief…good luck !
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Michael P.
3.0 out of 5 stars It’s slow going
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 12, 2018
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I don’t know what I enjoyed most - biographical details of the author - what a life he had, to be outstandingly good at so many things or the story of Tomcat Murr. Spoiler alert - he’s just like every cat I have ever known but he’s still a class act.
2 people found this helpful
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