Christmas card with G.-H. Andersen. Illustrator Klaus Becker - Olsen

The biography of Hans Christian Andersen is the story of a boy from a poor family who, thanks to his talent, became famous throughout the world, was friends with princesses and kings, but remained lonely, frightened and touchy all his life

One of the greatest storytellers of mankind was offended even by the fact that he was called a "children's writer". He claimed that his works were addressed to everyone and considered himself a respectable, "adult" writer and playwright.

On April 2, 1805, in the family of the shoemaker Hans Andersen and the laundress Anna Marie Andersdatter in the city of Odense, located on one of the Danish islands - Fune, the only son was born - Hans Christian Andersen.

Andersen's grandfather, Anders Hansen, a woodcarver, was considered insane in the city. He carved strange half-human-half-animal figurines with wings.

Andersen Sr.'s grandmother told him about the belonging of their ancestors to "high society." Researchers have found no confirmation of this story in the storyteller's pedigree.

Perhaps Hans Christian fell in love with fairy tales thanks to his father. Unlike his wife, he knew literacy, and read aloud to his son various magical stories, including “A Thousand and One Nights”.

There is also a legend about the royal origins of Hans Christian Andersen. He was allegedly the illegitimate son of King Christian VIII.

In an early autobiography, the storyteller himself wrote about how in childhood he played with Prince Frits, the future King Frederick VII, the son of Christian VIII. Hans Christian, according to his version, had no friends among street boys - only a prince.

Andersen's friendship with Frits, the storyteller argued, continued into adulthood, until the king's death. The writer said that he was the only person, with the exception of relatives, who was allowed to the coffin of the deceased.

Hans Christian's father died when he was 11 years old. The boy was sent to study at a school for poor children, which he attended from time to time. He worked as an apprentice with a weaver, then with a tailor.

From childhood, Andersen was in love with the theater and often played puppet shows at home.

Twisted in his own fairy-tale worlds, he grew up as a sensitive, vulnerable boy, it was hard for him to study, and not the most spectacular appearance left almost no chance for theatrical success.

At the age of 14, Andersen went to Copenhagen to become famous, and over time he succeeded!

However, success was preceded by years of failure and even greater poverty than that in which he lived in Odense.

Young Hans Christian had a wonderful soprano. Thanks to him, he was accepted into the boys' choir. Soon his voice began to change and he was fired.

He tried to become a dancer in ballet, but did not succeed either. Lanky, awkward with poor coordination - the dancer from Hans Christian turned out to be useless.

He tried manual labor - again without much success.

In 1822, the seventeen-year-old Andersen finally got lucky: he met Jonas Collin, director of the Royal Danish Theater (De Kongelige Teater). Hans Christian at that time already tried his hand at writing, he wrote, however, mainly poetry.

Jonas Collin was familiar with Andersen's work. In his opinion, the young man had the makings of a great writer. He was able to convince King Frederick VI of this. He agreed to partially pay for the education of Hans Christian.

For the next five years, the young man studied at schools in Slagelse and Helsingør. Both are located near Copenhagen. Helsingor Castle is world famous as a place

Hans Christian Andersen was not an outstanding student. In addition, he was older than his classmates, they teased him, and the teachers laughed at the son of an illiterate laundress from Odense, who was going to become a writer.

In addition, modern scholars have suggested that Hans Christian most likely had dyslexia. Probably, it was because of her that he studied poorly and wrote for the rest of his life in Danish with mistakes.

Andersen called the years of study the most bitter time of his life. What he had to do well is described in the fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling".

In 1827, due to constant bullying, Jonas Collin took Hans Christian from school in Helsingor and transferred him to homeschooling in Copenhagen.

In 1828, Andersen passed the exam, which testified to the completion of his secondary education and allowed him to continue his studies at the University of Copenhagen.

A year later, the young writer had his first success after publishing a short story, a comedy and several poems.

In 1833, Hans Christian Andersen received a royal grant that allowed him to travel. He spent the next 16 months touring Germany, Switzerland, Italy and France.

Italy was especially fond of the Danish writer. The first journey was followed by others. In total, throughout his life, he went on long foreign trips about 30 times.

In total, he spent about 15 years traveling.

Many have heard the phrase “traveling is living”. Not everyone knows that this is a quote from Andersen.

In 1835, Andersen's first novel, The Improviser, was published, which became popular immediately after its publication. In the same year, a collection of fairy tales was published, which also deserved praise from the reading public.

The four tales included in the book were written for a little girl named Ida Thiele, daughter of the secretary of the Academy of Arts. In total, Hans Christian Andersen published about 160 fairy tales - despite the fact that he himself was not married, did not have, and did not particularly like children.

In the early 1840s, the writer began to gain fame outside Denmark. When he arrived in Germany in 1846, and the next year in England he was already accepted there as a foreign celebrity.

In Great Britain, the son of a shoemaker and a laundress was invited to high society receptions. At one of them, he met Charles Dickens.

Shortly before the death of Hans Christian Andersen, he was recognized in England as the greatest living writer.

Meanwhile, in the Victorian era, his works were published in Great Britain, not in translations, but in "retellings". In the original tales of the Danish writer, there is a lot of sadness, violence, cruelty and even death.

They did not correspond to the ideas of the British in the second half of the 19th century about children's literature. Therefore, before publication in English, the most "non-childish" fragments were removed from the works of Hans Christian Andersen.

To this day in Great Britain, the books of the Danish writer are published in two very different versions - in the classic "retellings" of the Victorian era and in more modern translations corresponding to the original texts.

Andersen was tall, thin and stooped. He loved to go to visit and never refused a treat (perhaps, a hungry childhood affected).

However, he himself was generous, treated friends and acquaintances, came to their rescue and tried not to refuse help even to strangers.

At the same time, the storyteller had a very nasty and disturbing character: he was afraid of robberies, dogs, loss of a passport; he was afraid to die in the fire, so he always carried a rope with him so that during a fire he could get out through the window.

Hans Christian Andersen suffered from toothache all his life, and seriously believed that his fertility as an author depends on the number of teeth in his mouth.

The storyteller was afraid of poisoning - when the Scandinavian children chipped in for a gift to their beloved writer and sent him the world's largest box of chocolates, he in horror refused the gift and sent it to his nieces (we have already mentioned that he did not particularly like children).

In the mid-1860s, Hans Christian Andersen became the owner of the autograph of the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin.

While traveling in Switzerland, in August 1862 he met the daughters of the Russian general Karl Manderstern. In his diary, he described frequent meetings with young women, during which they talked a lot about literature and art.

In a letter dated August 28, 1868, Andersen wrote: "I am glad to know that my works are read in great, mighty Russia, whose flourishing literature I partially know, starting from Karamzin to Pushkin and right up to modern times."

The eldest of the Manderstern sisters, Elizaveta Karlovna, promised the Danish writer to get Pushkin's autograph for his collection of manuscripts.

She was able to fulfill her promise after three years.

Thanks to her, the Danish writer became the owner of a page from a notebook, in which, in 1825, preparing his first collection of poems for publication, Alexander Pushkin rewrote several works he had selected.

Now in the collection of Andersen's manuscripts in the Copenhagen Royal Library, Pushkin's autograph is all that has survived from the notebook of 1825.

Hans Christian Andersen's friends included royalty. It is known for sure that he was patronized by the Danish princess Dagmar, the future empress Maria Feodorovna, the mother of the last Russian emperor Nicholas II.

The princess was very kind to the elderly writer. They talked for a long time, walking along the embankment.

Hans Christian Andersen was among those Danes who accompanied her to Russia. After parting with the young princess, he wrote in his diary: “Poor child! Most High, be merciful to her and merciful. Her fate is terrible ”.

The storyteller's foresight came true. Maria Fedorovna was destined to survive the terrible death of her husband, children and grandchildren who died.

In 1919, she managed to leave Russia, engulfed in civil war. She died in Denmark in 1928.

The researchers of the biography of Hans Christian Andersen do not have an unambiguous answer to the question of his sexual orientation. He undoubtedly wanted to please women. However, it is known that he fell in love with girls with whom he could not have a relationship.

In addition, he was very shy and awkward, especially in the presence of women. The writer knew about this, which only increased his awkwardness when dealing with the opposite sex.

In 1840 in Copenhagen, he met a girl named Jenny Lind. On September 20, 1843, he wrote down in his diary "I love!" He dedicated poetry to her and wrote fairy tales for her. She addressed him exclusively as "brother" or "child", although he was under 40, and she was only 26 years old. In 1852 Jenny Lind married the young pianist Otto Goldschmidt.

In 2014, it was announced in Denmark that previously unknown letters from Hans Christian Andersen had been found.

In them, the writer admitted to his longtime friend Christian Voight that several poems written by him after Riborg's marriage, he was inspired by feelings for the girl, whom he called the love of his life.

Judging by the fact that he carried a letter from Riborg in a bag around his neck until his death, Andersen really loved the girl throughout his life.

Other notable personal letters from the storyteller suggest that he may have had a connection with Danish ballet dancer Harald Scharff. There are also known comments from contemporaries about their alleged relationship.

However, there is no evidence that Hans Christian Andersen is bisexual - and it is unlikely that they will ever appear.

The writer to this day remains a mystery, a unique personality, whose thoughts and feelings were and remain shrouded in mystery.

Andersen did not want to have his own home, he was especially afraid of furniture, and most of all furniture - beds. The writer feared that the bed would become the place of his death. In part, his fears were justified. At the age of 67, he fell out of bed and suffered severe injuries, which he treated for another three years, until his death.

It is believed that in old age, Andersen became even more extravagant: spending a lot of time in brothels, he did not touch the girls who worked there, but simply talked to them.

Although almost a century and a half has passed since the death of the storyteller, in his homeland, previously unknown documents telling about his life, letters from Hans Christian Andersen, are still found from time to time

In 2012, a previously unknown fairy tale called "Grease Candle" was found in Denmark.

“This is a sensational discovery. On the one hand, because this is most likely the very first fairy tale of Andersen, on the other hand, it shows that he was interested in fairy tales at a young age, before he became a writer, ”said Einar, an expert on the work of Andersen Stig Askgor from the city museum of the city of Odense.

He also suggested that the discovered manuscript "Grease Candle" was created by the storyteller at school - around 1822.

The project of the first monument to Hans Christian Andersen began to be discussed during his lifetime.

In December 1874, in connection with the approaching seventieth birthday of the storyteller, plans were announced to install his sculptural image in the Royal Garden of Rosenborg Castle, where he loved to walk.

A commission was assembled and a project competition was announced. 10 participants submitted a total of 16 entries.

The winner was the project of August Sobue. The sculptor depicted a storyteller sitting in an armchair surrounded by children. The project sparked the outrage of Hans Christian.

“I couldn't even say a word in such an atmosphere,” said the writer Augusto Sobue. The sculptor removed the children, and Hans Christian was left alone - with only one book in his hands.

Hans Christian Andersen died on 4 August 1875 of liver cancer. The day of Andersen's funeral was declared a day of mourning in Denmark.

The farewell ceremony was attended by members of the royal family.

Found in the Assistance Cemetery in Copenhagen.

The famous Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen was born on a fine spring day on April 2, 1805 in Odnes, which is located on the island of Funen. Andersen's parents were not rich. Father Hans Andersen was a shoemaker, and mother Anna Marie Andersdatter worked as a laundress, and was also not from a noble family. Since childhood, she was in poverty, begging for alms on the street, and after her death she was buried in the cemetery for the poor.

Nevertheless, in Denmark there is a legend that Andersen was of royal descent, because in his early biography he repeatedly mentioned that in childhood he had to play with the Danish prince Frits himself, who eventually became King Federic VII ...

According to Andersen's fantasy, their friendship with Prince Frits continued throughout their lives until Frits's death. After the death of the monarch, only relatives and he was admitted to the coffin of the late king ...

And the origin of such fantasy thoughts in Andersen, the stories of his father, as if he was a kind of relative of the king himself. From early childhood, the future writer showed a great inclination for daydreaming and an exuberant imagination. More than once he made improvised home performances in the house, acted out various scenes that caused laughter and mockery from his peers.

1816 was a difficult year for young Anders, his father died and he himself had to earn his own living. He began his working life as an apprentice for a weaver, after which he worked as an assistant to a tailor. The boy's labor activity continued at the cigarette factory ...

From early childhood, the boy with big blue eyes had a rather reserved character, he always liked to sit somewhere in the corner and play puppet theater (his favorite game). He carried his love for puppet theater in his soul throughout his life ...

From early childhood, Andersen was distinguished by emotionality, irascibility and over-measured sensitivity, which led to physical punishment in schools of that time. Such reasons forced the boy's mother to send him to a Jewish school, where all kinds of executions were not practiced.

Therefore, Andersen forever retained a connection with the Jewish people, knew its traditions and culture very well. He even wrote several fairy tales and stories on Jewish themes. But, unfortunately, they were not translated into Russian.

Youth

Already at the age of 14, the boy went to the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen. Letting him go so far, his mother really hoped that he would soon return back. Leaving his home, the boy made a kind of sensational statement, he said: "I'm going there to become famous!" He also wanted to find a job. She should be to his liking, that is, work in the theater, which he liked so much, and which he loved very much.

He received funds for the trip on the recommendation of a man in whose house he had more than once staged impromptu performances. The first year of his life in Copenhagen did not advance the boy to the dream of working in the theater. He somehow came to the house of a famous (at that time) singer and in moved feelings began to ask her to help him get a job in the theater. To get rid of the strange and awkward teenager, the lady promised to help him. But she never fulfilled this promise. Many years later, she somehow confesses to him that at that moment she mistook him for a man whose mind was clouded ...

In those years, Hans Christian himself was a lanky, awkward teenager with a long nose and slender limbs. In fact, he was the counterpart of the Ugly Duckling. But he had a pleasant voice, with which he expressed his requests, and either because of that, or simply out of pity, Hans was nevertheless accepted into the bosom of the Royal Theater, despite all his external shortcomings. Unfortunately, he was given supporting roles. He did not achieve success in the theater, and with a broken voice (age) he was soon fired altogether ...

But Andersen at that time was already composing a play, which had five acts. He wrote a letter of intercession to the king, in which he convincingly asked the monarch to give money for the publication of his work. The book also included the writer's poems. Hans did everything to buy the book, that is, he held promotions in the newspaper, announcing the publication, but the expected sales did not follow. But he did not want to give up and took his book to the theater, hoping to stage a play based on his play. But here, too, failure awaited him. He was refused, explaining the refusal by the complete lack of professional experience of the author ...

However, he was given a chance and offered to study. Because he had a very strong desire to prove himself extraordinary ...

People who sympathized with the poor teenager sent a request to the king of Denmark himself, in which they asked to allow the teenager to study. And "His Majesty" heeded the requests, allowing Hans to go to school, first in the city of Slagels, and then in the city of Elsinore, and at the expense of the state treasury ...

This turn of events, incidentally, suited a talented teenager, because now he did not need to think about how to earn a living. But science at school was not easy for Andersen, firstly, he was much older than the students with whom he studied, and felt some discomfort about this. Also, he was constantly subjected to merciless criticism from the rector of the educational institution, about which he was too worried .... Very often he saw this man in his nightmares. Then he will say about the years spent within the walls of the school, that it was the darkest time in his life ...

After completing his studies in 1827, he was never able to master the spelling, and until the end of his life he made grammatical mistakes in writing ...

In his personal life, he was also unlucky, he was never married and did not have children of his own ...

Creation

The first success brought the writer a fantastic story entitled "Walking journey from the Holmen Canal to the eastern tip of Amager", which was published in 1833. For this work, the writer received a reward (from the king), which allowed him to make the trip abroad, which he so dreamed of ...

This fact became an impromptu launching pad for Anderson and he began to write many different literary works (including the famous "Fairy Tales", which made him famous). Once again the writer makes an attempt to find himself on the stage in 1840, but the second attempt, like the first, does not bring him complete satisfaction ...

But on the other hand, in the writing field, he has some success, having published his collection entitled "A book with pictures without pictures." Also had a continuation and "Tales", which in 1838 came out in the second issue, and in 1845 appeared "Tales - 3" ...

He becomes a famous writer, moreover, famous not only in his own country, but also in European countries. In the summer of 1847, he was able to visit England for the first time, where he was greeted triumphantly ...

He continues to try to write plays, novels, trying to become famous as a playwright and novelist. At the same time, he hates his fairy tales, which brought him true fame. But nevertheless, tales from his pen appear over and over again. The last tale that he wrote appeared during the Christmas period of 1872. In the same year, through negligence, the writer fell out of bed and was severely injured. He never managed to recover from the injuries sustained during the fall (although he lived after the fall for another three years). The famous storyteller died in the summer of 1875 on August 4. He was buried in the Assistens cemetery in Copenhagen ...

Biography

Childhood

Hans Christian Andersen was born on April 2, 1805 in Odense on the Danish island of Funen. Andersen's father, Hans Andersen (1782-1816), was a poor shoemaker, mother Anna Marie Andersdatter (1775-1833), was a washerwoman from a poor family, she had to beg for alms as a child, she was buried in a cemetery for the poor. In Denmark, there is a legend about the royal origin of Andersen, because in his early biography, Andersen wrote that in childhood he played with Prince Frits, later - King Frederick VII, and he had no friends among street boys - only a prince. Andersen's friendship with Prince Frits, according to Andersen's fantasy, continued into adulthood, until the latter's death. After the death of Frits, with the exception of relatives, only Andersen was admitted to the coffin of the deceased. The reason for this fantasy was the stories of the boy's father that he was a relative of the king. From childhood, the future writer showed a penchant for dreaming and composing, often staging impromptu home performances that caused laughter and mockery of children. In the city of Andersen's father died, and the boy had to work for food. He was apprentice first to a weaver, then to a tailor. Then Andersen worked in a cigarette factory. In early childhood, Hans Christian was an introverted child with big blue eyes, who sat in the corner and played his favorite game - the puppet theater. He retained this only occupation in his youth.

Youth

At the age of 14, Andersen went to Copenhagen, his mother let him go, because she hoped that he would stay there for a while and return. When she asked the reason why he was going, leaving her and the house, young Andersen immediately replied: "To become famous!" He went with the aim of getting a job at the theater, motivating this with his love for everything connected with him. He received money from a letter of recommendation from a colonel, in whose family he staged his performances as a child. During his year in Copenhagen, he tried to get into the theater. First, he came to the home of a famous singer and, bursting into tears from excitement, asked her to arrange him in the theater. She, just to get rid of the annoying strange lanky teenager, promised to arrange everything, but, of course, did not fulfill her promise. Much later, she will tell Andersen that she simply took him for a madman. Hans Christian was a lanky teenager with elongated and slender limbs, a neck and an equally long nose, he was the quintessence of the Ugly Duckling. But thanks to his pleasant voice and his requests, as well as out of pity, Hans Christian, despite his ineffectual appearance, was admitted to the Royal Theater, where he played secondary roles. He was less and less involved, and then the age-related breakdown of his voice began, and he was fired. Andersen, meanwhile, composed a play in 5 acts and wrote a letter to the king, convincing him to give money for its publication. This book also included poetry. Hans Christian took care of the advertising and gave an announcement in the newspaper. The book was printed, but no one bought it, it went to the wrapper. He did not lose hope and took his book to the theater to stage a play based on the play. He was refused with the wording "due to the complete lack of experience of the author." But he was offered to study because of the kind attitude towards him, seeing his desire. People who sympathized with the poor and sensitive boy petitioned King Frederick VI of Denmark, who allowed him to study at a school in the town of Slagelse, and then at another school in Elsinore at the expense of the treasury. This meant that it would no longer be necessary to think about a piece of bread, about how to live on. The students at the school were 6 years younger than Andersen. He subsequently recalled the years of schooling as the darkest time of his life, due to the fact that he was subjected to severe criticism of the rector of the educational institution and was painfully worried about this until the end of his days - he saw the rector in nightmares. In 1827, Andersen completed his studies. Until the end of his life, he made many grammatical mistakes in writing - Andersen never mastered literacy.

Andersen did not fit the image of a storyteller surrounded by children, telling them his stories. His isolation and self-centeredness resulted in a dislike for children. When the famous sculptor wanted to portray the already famous storyteller surrounded by children, he was so angry that he kicked him out and said that he had no habit of talking to children. He died all alone.

Creation

List of famous fairy tales

• Storks (Storkene, 1839)
• Angel (Engelen, 1843)
• Anne Lisbeth (1859)
• Grandmother (Bedstemoder, 1845)
• Bronze boar (true) (Metalsvinet, 1842)
• Elderly Mother (Hyldemoer, 1844)
• Bottleneck (Flaskehalsen, 1857)
• The wind tells about Waldemar Do and his daughters ( Vinden fortæller om Valdemar Daae og hans Døttre, 1859)
• Magic Hill (1845)
• Collar (Flipperne, 1847)
• Everyone, know your place! ("Alt paa sin rette Plads", 1852)
• The ugly duckling (Den grimme Ælling,)
• Hans Churban (Klods-Hans, 1855)
• Buckwheat (Boghveden, 1841)
• Two girls (1853)
• Yard Rooster and Weather Vane (Gaardhanen og Veirhanen, 1859)
• Match Girl ( Den lille Pige med Svovlstikkerne, 1845)
• The girl who stepped on bread ( Pigen, som traadte paa Brødet, 1859)
• Wild Swans (De vilde Svaner, 1838)
• Director of the Puppet Theater (Marionetspilleren, 1851)
• Brownie at the Shopkeeper (1852)
• Travel Companion (Reisekammeraten, 1835)
• The Swamp King's Daughter (Dynd-Kongens Datter 1858)
• Fool Hans (Klods-Hans, 1855)
• Thumbelina (Tommelise, 1835) (see also Thumbelina (character))
• There is a difference! (“Der er Forskjel!”, 1851)
• Spruce (Grantræet, 1844)
• Toad (Skrubtudsen, 1866)
• Bride and Groom (Kjærestefolkene or Toppen og Bolden, 1843)
• Evil prince. Tradition (Den onde Fyrste, 1840)
• Ib and Christine (Ib og lille Christine, 1855)
• The True Truth (Det er ganske vist !, 1852)
• History of the Year (Aarets Historie, 1852)
• The Story of One Mother (Historien om en Moder, 1847)
• How good! (1859)
• Galoshes of Happiness (Lykkens Kalosker, 1838)
• Drop of Water (Vanddraaben, 1847)
• Bell (Klokken, 1845)
• Bell pool (Klokkedybet, 1856)
• Red Shoes (De røde Skoe, 1845)
• Forest Hill (1845)
• Linen (Hørren, 1848)
• Little Claus and Big Claus (Lille Claus og store Claus, 1835)
• Little Tuk (1847)
• Moth (1860)
• On the Dunes (En Historie fra Klitterne, 1859)
• In the duck yard (1861)
• The Silent Book (Den stumme Bog, 1851)
• Bad boy
• The King's New Dress (Keiserens nye Klæder, 1837)
• How the storm outweighed the signboards (1865)
• Fire (Fyrtøiet,)
• Ole Lukøie (1841)
• Scion of the Paradise Plant (Et Blad fra Himlen, 1853)
• Couple (Kjærestefolkene, 1843)
• Shepherdess and chimney sweep ( Hyrdinden og Skorsteensfeieren, 1845)
• Peiter, Peter og Peer (1868)
• Pen and inkwell (Pen og Blækhuus, 1859)
• Twin Cities (Venskabs-Pagten, 1842)
• Snowdrop (excerpt) (1862)
• The last dream of an old oak tree ( Det gamle Egetræes sidste Drøm, 1858)
• The Last Pearl (Den sidste Perle, 1853)
• The Princess and the Pea (Prindsessen paa Ærten, 1835)
• Lost ("Hun duede ikke", 1852)
• Jumpers (Springfyrene, 1845)
• Phoenix Bird (Fugl Phønix, 1850)
• Five from one pod (Fem fra en Ærtebælg, 1852)
• Garden of Eden (Paradisets Have, 1839)
• Childish Chatter (Børnesnak, 1859)
• Rose from Homer's grave (En Rose fra Homers Grav, 1842)
• Chamomile (Gaaseurten, 1838)
• The Little Mermaid (Den lille Havfrue, 1837)
• From the rampart (Et Billede fra Castelsvolden, 1846)
• The Most Incredible (Det Utroligste, 1870)
• Swineherd (Svinedrengen,)
• The Snow Queen (Sneedronningen, 1844)

• Nightingale (Nattergalen,)
• Sleep (En Historie, 1851)
• Neighbors (Nabofamilierne, 1847)
• Old House (Det gamle Huus, 1847)
• Old street lamp (Den gamle Gadeløgte, 1847)
• The Steadfast Tin Soldier (Den standhaftige Tinsoldat,)
• The Fate of the Burdock (1869)
• Plane Chest (1839)
• Sausage stick soup (1858)
• Happy Family (Den lykkelige Familie, 1847)
• Shadow (Skyggen, 1847)
• Well, what the hubby does, then okay ( Hvad Fatter gjør, det er altid det Rigtige, 1861)
• Snail and Roses (Sneglen og Rosenhækken, 1861)
• Little Ida's Flowers (Den lille Idas Blomster, 1835)
• Teapot (1863)
• What Can They Not Think of ... (1869)
• After a Thousand Years (Om Aartusinder, 1852)
• Darning needle (Stoppenaalen, 1845)
• Rosebush Elf (Rosen-Alfen, 1839)

Screen adaptations of works

• - “Hans Christian Andersen. Fairy Tales "- a collector's edition of cartoons:
  • Wild swan
  • Dung-beetle
  • Jumper
  • Flint
  • Mermaid
  • Whatever the husband does is good
  • Ole Lukkoye
  • Flying Chest
  • The Steadfast Tin Soldier
  • Little Ida's Flowers
  • Golden treasure
  • The professor and the flea
  • Princess on the Pea
  • Swineherd
  • Galoshes of Happiness
  • The king's new dress
  • Bride and groom
  • Old street lamp
  • Bottleneck
  • Gardener and family
  • ugly duck
  • True truth
  • Sausage stick soup
  • Satellite
  • The Snow Queen (in two parts)
  • snowman
  • Thumbelina
  • Nightingale
  • Hans Churban

Operas based on Andersen's tales

• Opera-parable The Ugly Duckling, Op. 1996, - free opera version by Lev Konov to music by Sergei Prokofiev (op.18 and op.22) for soprano solo, children's choir and piano. Act 1: 2 Epigraphs and 38 fleeting pictures, duration - 28 minutes.
• "The Ugly Duckling" Opera-Parable By Andersen For Mezzo-Soprano (Soprano), Three-part Childrens Choir And the Piano *

1 Act: 2 Epigraphs, 38 Theatrical Pictures * Length: Approximately 28 minutes * The opera version (Free transcription) Written by Lev Konov (1996) On music of Sergei Prokofiev: The Ugly Duckling, op. 18 (1914) And Visions Fugitives, op. 22 (1915-1917) * (Vocal score language: Russian, English, German, French)

Photo gallery

		House of H. H. Andersen in Odense
Monument in Copenhagen		Grave of G. H. Andersen

Links

• Complete Works of Andersen. Fairy tales in 7 languages ​​with illustrations, stories, novels, poems, letters, autobiography, photographs, paintings. (Russian) (Ukrainian) (Belorussian) (Mong.) (English) (French) (Spanish)

The work of Hans Christian Andersen is one of the most significant phenomena in the history of Danish and world literature of the 19th century. The author of numerous works in various genres, he reached the pinnacle in his tales, for the humanistic, ideological and aesthetic significance of these tales is unusually great, revealing the world of great and pure human feelings, deep and noble thoughts.
Andersen's fairy tales are one of the most significant phenomena of world literature of the 19th century. They occupy an important place in the history of Danish national culture, since the writer put a deep concrete historical meaning in them. In his works, a broad criticism of the Danish society of the 20-70s of the XIX century is given.
Andersen's tales are dear and understandable to people of different ages, different eras, and different countries. They contribute to the formation of children's consciousness, educate in the spirit of democracy. Adults see deep philosophical content in them.
An extraordinary, fascinating plot is combined in Andersen's tales with high moral ideals, innocent naivety is intertwined with deep life wisdom, reality - with inspired poetic fiction, complacent humor - with the subtlest irony and sarcasm. An amazing mixture of the funny and the serious, the funny and the sad, the ordinary and the miraculous, is the peculiarity of Andersen's style. His fairy tales, truly democratic in the entire structure of thoughts and feelings, are imbued with the humanist writer 's faith in the coming triumph of social justice, in the victory of the good, truly human principle over the forces of evil.
Andersen's life was spent on wanderings. Italy became the country that appeared in the eyes of the traveler as the earthly embodiment of Eden. The action of many of his tales and stories takes place in Italy or is transferred there ("Thumbelina", "The Little Mermaid", etc.). While in Germany, he talked with Jacob Grimm. The fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm influenced his work: traces of influence are especially distinct in the fairy tales "Big Klaus and Little Klaus", "Flint", "Blue Fire". The fairy tale genre became for Andersen a universal form of aesthetic comprehension of reality. It was he who introduced the fairy tale into the system of "high" genres.
The main part of Andersen's legacy is his fairy tales and stories (collections: "Tales told to children", 1835-1842; "New fairy tales", 1843-1848; "History", 1852-1855; "New fairy tales and stories", 1858-1872 ), which made his name world famous.
"Tales Told to Children" (1835-1842) is based on a rethinking of folk motives ("Flame", "Wild Swans", "Swineherd", etc.), and "Stories Told to Children" (1852) - on the rethinking of history and modern reality. At the same time, even Arabic, Greek, Spanish and other subjects acquired the flavor of Danish folk life from Andersen.
Using Danish folk plots and creating new original fairy tales, Andersen introduced deeply relevant content into his works, reflected in them the complex contradictions of contemporary reality ("Little Klaus and Big Klaus", "The Princess and the Pea", "The King's New Dress" (a favorite fairy tale Leo Tolstoy), "Galoshes of Happiness", etc.).
In early fairy tales, Andersen is especially close to folklore sources. “In the first issue,” he wrote in his autobiography, “there were fairy tales that I heard as a child; I just wrote them down. " But in reality, the matter was not limited to a simple recording. The writer transformed each plot, subordinating it to his own artistic manner. From the very first lines in the work, a swift action unfolds and a living image of the hero appears in front of the reader's eyes. Andersen deliberately emphasized the social subtext in folk fairy tales, and further strengthened the optimism inherent in folk art. When the dashing soldier from the fairy tale "Flame" defeated the evil king and his advisers, "all the people shouted:" Servant, be our king and marry a beautiful princess! "
Little Klaus, thanks to his natural intelligence and resourcefulness, decisively deals with his tormentor - the greedy and envious rich man Big Klaus, and in the author's tone one can feel satisfaction ("Little Klaus and Big Klaus").
The extraordinary power of Eliza's selfless love for her brothers helps her withstand all trials and triumph over evil spells. At the same time, among the enemies of the good girl, we see not only the fairy queen-witch, but also the ordinary Catholic bishop ("Wild Swans").
Andersen's creative heyday, which made him the king of storytellers, came in the late thirties and forties. Such masterpieces as The Steadfast Tin Soldier (1838), The Nightingale, The Ugly Duckling (both - 1843), The Snow Queen (1844), The Girl with Matches (1845), The Shadow (1847) ), "Mother" (1848) and others.
Sometimes fairy tales turn into whole stories, in which the folklore basis is combined with free fiction. In The Snow Queen, as in other fairy tales, a high moral idea follows from the plot itself. A fragment of the devil's mirror falls into the heart of little Kai. "Reflecting in him, everything great and good seemed insignificant and nasty, everything evil and evil looked even more evil, and the shortcomings of each thing were immediately evident." But Gerda cannot leave her friend in trouble. To free him from witchcraft, she withstands unthinkable tests, barefoot bypasses half the world. And when the boy and girl returned from cold Lapland to their home, they felt completely grown up.
Reflections on their own extraordinary fate have determined the character of many of Andersen's heroes - small, defenseless in a vast world, among the back streets of which it is so easy to get lost. The steadfast tin soldier, Thumbelina, Gerda, Chimney sweep, Chamomile - these and other heroes embody the author's ideal of courage and faith in goodness.
The world famous fairy tale "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" - the sad story of the selfless love of a one-legged tin soldier for a cardboard dancer is full of deep humanistic meaning. The reward for the Steadfast Tin Soldier is the opportunity to look at a lovely dancer and burn out either from the fire of the stove, or from love; the death of both is perceived not as a tragedy, but as a triumph of love. This tale sounds like a hymn to human dignity and dedication. Toys behave like people, they are endowed with reason and feelings.
The originality of Andersen's wonderful fairy tales lies in the fact that, on the one hand, he extraordinarily humanized, brought the most fantastic characters of his works ("Thumbelina", "The Little Mermaid") closer to life. On the other hand, he gave fantasy to ordinary, real objects and phenomena. People, toys, household items, etc. become the heroes of his works, experience unprecedented magical adventures ("Bronze Boar", "Darning Needle", "Collar", etc.).
Andersen's humor and lively spoken language give the fairy tales an unfading charm. The role of the storyteller is unusually great in them. The storyteller has developed his own style of storytelling - directly naive, mildly ironic. His storyteller knows how to admire everything that children like, while remaining an adult. The narrator is the bearer of Andersen's ethical ideal, an exponent of his credo, a model of his positive hero. He reveals the plight of the people and condemns its enslavers, he denounces the vices of secular society.
Andersen became a European celebrity: his fairy tales passed the exam for eternity in the capital of world culture - Paris. Since then, Andersen began to call his collections "New Tales", emphasizing that they are addressed not only to children, but also to adults. After all, it was the adults who appreciated the philosophical satire of The New Dress of the King and The Shadow, the anti-mining pathos of Thumbelina, the problems of art raised in The Nightingale. Indeed, Andersen's tales are multi-genre. Thus, "Darning Needle", "Bride and Groom", "Collar", "Pig-Piggy Bank", "True Truth" are close to a fable; "The Old House", "The Match Girl" are essentially novellas; "The King's New Dress", "The Snow Queen" are philosophical parables.
Andersen does not take on the mission of a moralizer, although his tales and stories are highly instructive. They develop in the reader an unchanging love of life, wisdom in relation to evil, form that harmonious state of mind, which is the guarantee of happiness. The philosophy of life is expressed in the words of the storyteller: “There is no such person in the world who would not smile with happiness at least once in his life. Only for the time being this happiness is hidden where it is least expected to be found. "
In Russia, Andersen's tales appeared in the mid-40s of the 19th century. thanks to the professor of St. Petersburg University P. A. Pletnev, who published the first translations. These were the fairy tales "The Leaf", "The Bronze Boar", "The Rose from Homer's Grave", "The Union of Friendship". And for more than a century they have been giving thought to not only children, but also adults. Their heroes, plots, positions gave us aphorisms and sayings, metaphors and allegories, themes and philosophical generalizations ... faithful Gerda, the heartless Snow Queen, the steadfast tin soldier, the gentle Thumbelina ... - in our culture they have become stable images that can be found in a variety of texts: fiction, journalistic, critical, popular science. Andersen, like no one else in the world, managed to express a whole philosophy of life in a fairy tale, which is why his books accompany us from the cradle to the wise gray hairs.