Elixirs of the Devil

This edition presents the novel «Elixirs of the Devil», devoted to Hoffman’s favorite theme of the destructive influence of the dark side of human personality. Moreover, the invasion of evil into a person's soul is conditioned by both hereditary causes and the action of external, demonic supernatural forces. The main character, monk Medardus, after accidentally tasting a mysterious liquid from a crystal vial, becomes an involuntary bearer of evil. The narrative, told from his perspective, allows one to navigate through the monastery's corridors and cells, and then through a colorful world, experiencing everything that the monk faced in life: the terrifying, the horrifying, the insane, and the ridiculous...
It is addressed to all who are drawn to the world of the mysterious and unusual.
The edition is supplemented with comments from the translator Vladimir Mikushevich.