Hartman was born in Germany, in an Ashkenazi Jewish family. He came to the United States in 1946, and later became an American citizen.

He is now "Sterling Professor emeritus of English and Comparative Literature" at Yale University. One of his long-term interests is the English poet, William Wordsworth.

His work explores the distinction between literature and literary commentator. He helped found the Yale Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, and lectures on issues dealing with the production and implications of testimony.