Most of the tales in the collection of translations we are featuring, Hoffmann’s Strange Stories, first appeared in German in Nachtstücke [Night Pieces] published in 1816. Its most famous story concerns the Sandman, a benevolent character from European folklore who sprinkles magic sand into people’s eyes to help them get to sleep and to bring on good dreams (hence the sleepy dust in the corner of your eyes in the morning). In his telling, “Coppelius, the Sandman”, Hoffmann realises the dark potential lurking inside this friendly figure. Coppelius visits children who won’t go to sleep at night and throws handfuls of sand into their eyes, until they pop out. The wicked thief then flies to his iron nest on the Moon where his beaked children can feast on the bloody hoard.