Hans Christian Andersen Popular Books

Hans Christian Andersen Biography & Facts

Hans Christian Andersen ( AN-dər-sən, Danish: [ˈhænˀs ˈkʰʁestjæn ˈɑnɐsn̩] ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fairy tales, consisting of 156 stories across nine volumes, have been translated into more than 125 languages. They have become embedded in Western collective consciousness, accessible to children as well as presenting lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity for mature readers. His most famous fairy tales include "The Emperor's New Clothes", "The Little Mermaid", "The Nightingale", "The Steadfast Tin Soldier", "The Red Shoes", "The Princess and the Pea", "The Snow Queen", "The Ugly Duckling", "The Little Match Girl", and "Thumbelina". His stories have inspired ballets, plays, and animated and live-action films. Early life Andersen was born in Odense, Denmark, on 2 April 1805. He had a stepsister named Karen. His father, also named Hans, considered himself related to nobility (his paternal grandmother had told his father that their family had belonged to a higher social class, but investigations have disproved these stories). Although it has been challenged, speculation suggests that Andersen was an illegitimate son of King Christian VIII. Danish historian Jens Jørgensen supported this idea in his book H.C. Andersen, en sand myte [a true myth].Andersen was baptised on 15 April 1805 in Saint Hans Church in Odense. According to his birth certificate, which was not drafted until November 1823, six godparents were present at the baptism ceremony: Madam Sille Marie Breineberg, Maiden Friederiche Pommer, shoemaker Peder Waltersdorff, journeyman carpenter Anders Jørgensen, hospital porter Nicolas Gomard, and royal hatter Jens Henrichsen Dorch.Andersen's father, who had received an elementary school education, introduced his son to literature, reading him Arabian Nights. Andersen's mother, Anne Marie Andersdatter, was an illiterate washerwoman. Following her husband's death in 1816, she remarried in 1818. Andersen was sent to a local school for poor children where he received a basic education and had to support himself, working as an apprentice to a weaver and, later, to a tailor. At fourteen, he moved to Copenhagen to seek employment as an actor. Having a good soprano voice, he was accepted into the Royal Danish Theatre, but his voice soon changed. A colleague at the theatre told him that he considered Andersen a poet, and taking the suggestion seriously, Andersen began to focus on writing. Jonas Collin, director of the Royal Danish Theatre, held great affection for Andersen and sent him to a grammar school in Slagelse, persuading King Frederick VI to pay part of his education. Andersen had by then published his first story, "The Ghost at Palnatoke's Grave" (1822). Though not a stellar pupil, he also attended school at Elsinore until 1827.He later said that his years at this school were the darkest and most bitter years of his life. At one school, he lived at his schoolmaster's home. There he was abused and was told that it was done in order "to improve his character." He later said that the faculty had discouraged him from writing, which resulted in a depression. Career Early work A very early fairy tale by Andersen, "The Tallow Candle" (Danish: Tællelyset), was discovered in a Danish archive in October 2012. The story, written in the 1820s, is about a candle that does not feel appreciated. It was written while Andersen was still in school and dedicated to one of his benefactors. The story remained in that family's possession until it was found among other family papers in a local archive.In 1829, Andersen enjoyed considerable success with the short story "A Journey on Foot from Holmen's Canal to the East Point of Amager". Its protagonist meets characters ranging from Saint Peter to a talking cat. Andersen followed this success with a theatrical piece, Love on St.Nicholas Church Tower, and a short volume of poems. He made little progress in writing and publishing immediately following these poems, but did receive a small travel grant from the king in 1833. This enabled him to set out on the first of many journeys throughout Europe. At Jura, near Le Locle, Switzerland, Andersen wrote the story "Agnete and the Merman". The same year he spent an evening in the Italian seaside village of Sestri Levante, which inspired the title of "The Bay of Fables". He arrived in Rome in October 1834. Andersen's travels in Italy were reflected in his first novel, a fictionalized autobiography titled The Improvisatore (Improvisatoren), published in 1835 to instant acclaim. Literary fairy tales Fairy Tales Told for Children. First Collection. (Danish: Eventyr, fortalt for Børn. Første Samling.) is a collection of nine fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen. The tales were published in a series of three installments by C. A. Reitzel in Copenhagen between May 1835 and April 1837. They were Andersen's first venture into the fairy tale genre. The first installment was a volume of sixty-one unbound pages published 8 May 1835 containing "The Tinderbox", "Little Claus and Big Claus", "The Princess and the Pea" and "Little Ida's Flowers". The first three tales were based on folktales Andersen had heard in his childhood. The fourth was Andersen's creation for Ida Thiele, the daughter of folklorist Just Mathias Thiele, Andersen's early benefactor. Reitzel paid Andersen thirty rigsdalers for the manuscript, and the booklet was priced at twenty-four shillings.The second booklet was published on 16 December 1835 and contained "Thumbelina", "The Naughty Boy", and "The Traveling Companion". "Thumbelina" was inspired by "Tom Thumb" and other stories of miniature people. "The Naughty Boy" was based on a poem about Eros from the Anacreontea, and "The Traveling Companion" was a ghost story Andersen had experimented with in the year 1830. The third booklet contained "The Little Mermaid" and "The Emperor's New Clothes", and it was published on 7 April 1837. "The Little Mermaid" was influenced by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué's "Undine" (1811) and legends about mermaids. This tale established Andersen's international reputation. The only other tale in the third booklet was "The Emperor's New Clothes", which was based on a medieval Spanish story with Arab and Jewish origins. On the eve of the third installment's publication, Andersen revised the conclusion (in which the Emperor simply walks in procession) to its now-famous finale of a child calling out, "The Emperor is not wearing any clothes!"Danish reviews of the first two booklets first appeared in 1836 and were not enthusiastic. The critics disliked the chatty, informal style and apparent immorality, since children's literature was meant to educate rather than to amuse. The critics discouraged Andersen from pursuing this type of style. Andersen believed that he was working against the c.... Discover the Hans Christian Andersen popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Hans Christian Andersen books.

Best Seller Hans Christian Andersen Books of 2024

  • Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen synopsis, comments

    Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen

    Hans Christian Andersen

    This book contains the complete Andersen's 127 fairy tales and stories in the chronological order of their original publication. Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author and...

  • Andersen synopsis, comments

    Andersen

    Hans Christian Andersen, Robert Klanten & Hendrik Hellige

    In Andersen, Gestalten presents an illustrated selection of fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen. As in Gestalten’s other successful Illustrated Fairy Tales books, the original t...

  • The Complete Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen synopsis, comments

    The Complete Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen

    Hans Christian Andersen

    This carefully crafted ebook: “The Complete Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen” is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. The stories of H...

  • Hans Christian Andersen synopsis, comments

    Hans Christian Andersen

    Hans Christian Andersen

    Всемирно известные сказки и рассказы Андерсена давно уже стали популярными и в России, благодаря многочисленным переводам их с немецкого и с др. переводов, остальные же произведени...

  • The Big Book of Classic Fantasy synopsis, comments

    The Big Book of Classic Fantasy

    Ann VanderMeer & Jeff VanderMeer

    A FINALIST FOR THE 2020 WORLD FANTASY AWARD  Unearth the enchanting origins of fantasy fiction with a collection of tales as vast as the tallest tower and as mysterious as the...

  • Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen synopsis, comments

    Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen

    H. C. Andersen

    Hans Christian Andersen was born on April 2, 1805, in Odense, Denmark. He was one of the most famous authors of his time and he will remain one of the best fairytale writers of all...

  • Complete Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen synopsis, comments

    Complete Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen

    Hans Christian Andersen & The griffin classics

    This Work contains an active table of contents (HTML), which makes reading easier to make it more enjoyable. 125 of the most famous, classic fairy tales. Includes The Ugly Duckl...

  • Hans Christian Andersen synopsis, comments

    Hans Christian Andersen

    Jens Andersen

    “Andersen provides a fascinating backdrop for the life of the acclaimed fairy tale writer . . . a budding genius placed in the context of his time.” Publishers Weekl...

  • Hans Christian Andersen synopsis, comments

    Hans Christian Andersen

    Claudia Gottschalk

    Hans Christian Andersen und seine Sublimierung von Sexualität in Literatur in Zusammenhang mit Queerstudies.

  • Hans Christian Andersen synopsis, comments

    Hans Christian Andersen

    Jack Zipes

    The 2005 bicentenary of Hans Christian Andersen's birth is an opportunity to reevaluate the achievement of one of the great figures of the fairy tale and storytelling tradition, a ...

  • Hans Christian Andersen synopsis, comments

    Hans Christian Andersen

    Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara

    In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillioncopy bestselling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Hans Christian Andersen, the father of fairy tales. ...

  • Hans Christian Andersen synopsis, comments

    Hans Christian Andersen

    Hans Christian Andersen

    Este libro recoge diez cuentos de Andersen en sus versiones originales, traducidos directamente del danés: Pulgarcita, El lino, El ruiseñor, El soldadito de plomo, El traje nuevo d...

  • The Starlit Wood synopsis, comments

    The Starlit Wood

    Dominik Parisien & Navah Wolfe

    This “first rate anthology of reimagined fairy tales” (Locus Magazine) features an allstar lineup of awardwinning and critically acclaimed writers.Once upon a time. It’s how so man...

  • The Ugly Duckling - an Illustrated Fairy Tale By Hans Christian Andersen synopsis, comments

    The Ugly Duckling - an Illustrated Fairy Tale By Hans Christian Andersen

    Hans Christian Andersen, Arthur Friday & Tom eMusic

    Sometimes life seems a little sad for everyone. The darkest hour is just before dawn. The Ugly Duckling shows us that even when things seem at their bleakest, there is always hope,...

  • Hans Christian Andersen synopsis, comments

    Hans Christian Andersen

    Paul Binding

    Rarely does an American or European child grow up without an introduction to Hans Christian Andersen’s "The Ugly Duckling," "The Princess and the Pea," or "Thumbelina." Andersen be...

  • The Snow Queen. An Illustrated Fairy Tale by Hans Christian Andersen synopsis, comments

    The Snow Queen. An Illustrated Fairy Tale by Hans Christian Andersen

    Hans Christian Andersen, James Kuzma & Tom eMusic

    This illustrated book for children is a brand new version of Hans Christian Andersen’s Snow Queen. It is at once exciting, enchanting and educational an ideal fairy tale to read a...

  • Hans Christian Andersen synopsis, comments

    Hans Christian Andersen

    Hans Christian Andersen

    Hans Christian Andersen, der wohl berühmteste Dichter und Schriftsteller Dänemarks, hat Weltliteratur mit seinen Märchen und Geschichten geschrieben. In diesem Werk sind sämtliche ...

  • Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen synopsis, comments

    Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen

    H. C. Andersen

    A comprehensive collection of over fifty of the most popular fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen, including “The Emperor’s New Suit,” “The Red Shoes,” “The Ugly Duckling,” and m...

  • Hans Christian Andersen synopsis, comments

    Hans Christian Andersen

    Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara

    In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillioncopy bestselling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Hans Christian Andersen, the father of fairy tales. ...

  • Mermaid synopsis, comments

    Mermaid

    Carolyn Turgeon

    A surprising take on Hans Christian Anderson's classic tale, Mermaid is the story of two women with everything to lose.   Princess Margrethe has been hidden away while her kin...

  • Fables and Fairy Tales synopsis, comments

    Fables and Fairy Tales

    Aesop, Hans Christian Andersen, The Brothers Grimm & Andrew Lang

    Four timeless anthologies of cherished fables, fairy tales, and bedtime stories from Aesop, Hans Christian Andersen, the Brothers Grimm, and Andrew Lang.   The most enchanting...

  • The Nightingale. An Illustrated Fairy Tale by Hans Christian Andersen synopsis, comments

    The Nightingale. An Illustrated Fairy Tale by Hans Christian Andersen

    Hans Christian Andersen, Marcin Poludniak & Tom eMusic

    Within the category of Classic Literature for Children, this Andersen’s fairy tale ranks as one of the best loved classic fairy tales.  This is an updated version which will e...

  • Matchless synopsis, comments

    Matchless

    Gregory Maguire

    With Matchless, Gregory Maguire has reinvented the Hans Christian Andersen classic The Little Match Girl for a new time and new audiences. Originally asked by National Public Radio...

  • Works of Hans Christian Andersen synopsis, comments

    Works of Hans Christian Andersen

    Hans Christian Andersen

    This collection was designed for optimal navigation on iPad and other electronic devices. It is indexed alphabetically and by category, making it easier to access individual books...

  • Hans Christian Andersen synopsis, comments

    Hans Christian Andersen

    Hans Christian Andersen

    Всемирно известные сказки и рассказы Андерсена давно уже стали популярными и в России, благодаря многочисленным переводам их с немецкого и с др. переводов, остальные же произведени...

  • Hans Christian Andersen synopsis, comments

    Hans Christian Andersen

    Mariena Foley

    From his early life, through his career, personal life, death, and legacy, learn about the father of the fairy tale, Hans Christian Andersen in this compiled biography.

  • The Ugly Duckling synopsis, comments

    The Ugly Duckling

    Hans Christian Andersen

    A classic story by Hans Christian Andersen in its original text presented with modern illustrations. The story of how a little bird endures the abuses and miseries as he was growin...

  • Hans Christian Andersen synopsis, comments

    Hans Christian Andersen

    Hans Christian Andersen

    The Complete Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen is a collection of classic stories that have inspired movies, animation, plays, ballets, and much more. Some of the most popular...

  • The Steadfast Tin Soldier synopsis, comments

    The Steadfast Tin Soldier

    Hans Christian Andersen

    A fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen presented with modern illustrations.  It’s a story about love at first sight.  When the onelegged tin soldier saw the paper baller...