When does the event take place?

The event takes place on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 7 PM.

Where does E. T. A. Hoffmann and the Romantic Poet's Love take place?

The venue is the Bamberg State Library in the New Residence at Domplatz 8 in 96049 Bamberg.

What can visitors expect?

Christoph Klein reads from his illustrated manuscript of E. T. A. Hoffmann's Klein Zaches and discusses romantic poet's love, drawing, and the connection between literature and visual art.

What is the admission fee?

A specific admission fee is not noted in the researched event information.

Are there tours or workshops?

No tours or workshops are noted in the researched information for this event.

Is the event suitable for children?

The event thematically addresses literature and art enthusiasts. No specific age recommendation is given.

Discover Romantic Poet's Love between Hoffmann's Literature and Contemporary Book Art

Name: E. T. A. Hoffmann and Romantic Poet's Love
Start: 2026-10-24T19:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-10-24T21:00:00+02:00
Location: Staatsbibliothek Bamberg in der Neuen Residenz

Romantic Poet's Love between Manuscript, Image, and Irony

On October 24, 2026, the Bamberg State Library in the New Residence invites you to a special art experience: Christoph Klein reads from his illustrated manuscript of E. T. A. Hoffmann's fairy tale Klein Zaches called Zinnober and discusses the romantic poet's love of Balthasar for Candida.

When Romantic Ideals Become Projections

The focus is on blinding and projection. Hoffmann connects the love story with a satirical examination of romantic enthusiasm and social perception. Balthasar's love for Candida appears not as a flawless ideal but as a poetic construction with contradictory consequences.

The narrative moves between magic, irony, and psychological observation. It is in this tension that the art historical and literary quality of the evening unfolds: Romanticism is not only celebrated but also critically illuminated.

An Illustrated Manuscript as an Independent Work of Art

Christoph Klein's manuscript translates Hoffmann's narrative world into a visual form. Balthasar's poet's love gains a pictorial presence in which drawing, literature, and book art intertwine. The examination of the work offers an immediate view of the relationship between text and image.

Klein drew inspiration for his illustrations from Philipp Otto Runge and Johann Friedrich Overbeck. Thus, the manuscript refers to central visual concepts of German Romanticism: symbolic nature, poetic inwardness, and the search for a connection between art, feeling, and spiritual experience.

Christoph Klein between Art Education and His Own Artistic Practice

Christoph Klein, born in 1963, studied art education under Professor Hans Peter Reuter and initially worked as an art teacher at the Albertinum Gymnasium in Coburg. Today, he works as Academic Director at the Academy of Fine Arts in Nuremberg.

His field of work includes drawing, art history, art theory, subject didactics, and the mediation of conceptual art. Alongside his art educational work, Klein also paints and draws. This connection between teaching, research, and artistic practice shapes his approach to his illustrated Hoffmann manuscript.

Making Literature Visible

The event demonstrates how a literary template gains a new aesthetic experience through drawing and handwritten design. Lines, image motifs, and page compositions make romantic poet's love sensually palpable and direct attention to Hoffmann's ironic breaks.

In the exhibition atmosphere of the Bamberg State Library, literature history, painting, illustration, and cultural education meet. The conversation with Christoph Klein provides a focused access to the creation and impact of a contemporary artist's book.

Conclusion: An Evening for Literature and Art Lovers

Visitors can expect an art historically grounded encounter with E. T. A. Hoffmann, German Romanticism, and an extraordinary illustrated manuscript. The event combines reading, artist talk, and work examination into a concentrated art experience. Those who wish to experience literature as a pictorial space and drawing as a thinking form should not miss this evening at the Bamberg State Library.