Andersen, Hans Christian (1805-1875), was Denmark’s most famous author. His fairy tales are among the most widely read works in world literature. His stories of make-believe have enchanted young readers around the world for generations.
Andersen wrote with wisdom, deliberate simplicity, and often with sly humor. Like Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, Andersen’s fairy tales can be considered both children’s literature and adult literature. Many of Andersen’s fairy tales have serious moral meanings that are intended for adults.
Andersen gave each tale its own style, but his stories can be roughly classified into several groups: imitations of folk tales (“The Tinder Box,” “Little Claus and Big Claus,” and “The Traveling Companion”); tales based on Andersen’s life (“The Ugly Duckling” and “She Was Good for Nothing”); tales that make fun of human faults (“The Emperor’s New Clothes” and “The Rags”); and philosophical tales (“The Story of a Mother” and “The Shadow”). Some of the tales use settings in Denmark (“The Wind Tells About Valdemar Daae and His Daughters” and “Holger Danske”), but others can take place anywhere.
Andersen was born on April 2, 1805, in Odense. He was the son of a poor shoemaker who died when Hans was 11 years old. After attending the city school for poor children, Andersen left Odense at the age of 14 to seek a career as an artist in Copenhagen. He nearly starved while trying to earn a living as an actor, singer, and dancer. In Copenhagen, he received help from Jonas Collin, who became his lifelong friend. Collin got him a royal scholarship, which permitted Andersen to continue his education from 1822 to 1828.
In 1829, his first play, Love in St. Nicolai Church Tower, was produced. For several years, Andersen’s reputation as a writer rested on his many plays and novels. But his plays are no longer produced. His novels, the best of which is The Improvisation (1835), are now seldom read outside of Scandinavia.
Andersen published the first of his 156 fairy tales in 1835, and continued writing them until he died. The tales first appeared in a series of pamphlets, and later were collected and published in books. The stories became popular in the early 1840’s, and made Andersen famous. His acquaintances included royalty and such fellow artists as the composer Franz Liszt, the poet Heinrich Heine, and the novelists Charles Dickens and Victor Hugo. Andersen traveled throughout Europe and wrote many lively books about his experiences. A Poet’s Bazaar (1842) and In Sweden (1851) are probably his best travel books. He also wrote an autobiography called The Fairy Tale of My Life (1855).
Andersen was a sensitive man who eagerly sought fame and success. He never married, although he fell in love with three women, including the Swedish singer Jenny Lind and the daughter of Jonas Collin. None of the women returned his love. But Andersen won admiration and fame for his writing. He died on Aug. 4, 1875.
