Hoffmann, E. T. A. (Ernst Theodor Amadeus)
"Lebensansichten des Katers Murr" by E. T. A. Hoffmann is a satirical novel published between 1819 and 1821. This ingenious work interweaves two seemingly separate biographies: the self-satisfied memoirs of Murr, an educated cat who narrates his own life and bildung, and fragmentary passages from the biography of Johannes Kreisler, a tormented musical genius. The novel's playful structure arises from a fictitious accident—Murr allegedly tore up Kreisler's biography to use as scrap paper while writing his own memoir, and the printer mistakenly published both texts together, creating a deliberately fragmented masterpiece. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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