E.T.A. Hoffmann (1776–1822) was a German Romantic writer best known for his darkly imaginative fantasy and horror stories. Born Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann, he adopted the pen name E.T.A. Hoffmann—swapping his middle name Wilhelm for Amadeus—and became one of the defining voices of Romantic literature.

He wore many hats beyond writing: he worked as a jurist, composed music, wrote music criticism, and spent time drawing and creating caricatures. His stories had enormous reach throughout the 19th century and shaped the Romantic movement significantly. He's probably most famous today as the subject of Jacques Offenbach's opera The Tales of Hoffmann, though Offenbach's version is largely fictional invention rather than biographical fact.