Hans Christian Andersen (in many publications in Russian the name of the writer is indicated as Hans Christian, Dan. Hans Christian Andersen; April 2, 1805, Odense, Danish-Norwegian Union - August 4, 1875, Copenhagen, Denmark) - Danish prose writer and poet, author of world-famous fairy tales for children and adults: "The Ugly Duckling", "The King's New Dress", "The Steadfast Tin Soldier", "The Princess and the Pea", "Ole Lukoye", " The Snow Queen"and many others.
Hans Christian Andersen was born on April 2, 1805 in Odense on the island of Funen. Andersen's father, Hans Andersen (1782-1816), was a poor shoemaker, and his mother Anna Marie Andersdatter (1775-1833) was a laundress from a poor family, she had to beg in her childhood, she was buried in a cemetery for the poor.
He grew up as a very subtly nervous child, emotional and receptive. At that time, physical punishment of children in schools was common, so the boy was afraid to go to school, and his mother sent him to a Jewish school, where physical punishment of children was prohibited.
At the age of 14, Hans went to Copenhagen; his mother let him go, because she hoped that he would stay there a little and come back. When she asked the reason why he was leaving her and the house, young Hans Christian immediately replied: "To become famous!"
Hans Christian was a lanky teenager with elongated and thin limbs, a neck and an equally long nose, and out of pity, Hans Christian, despite his ineffectual appearance, was accepted into the Royal Theater, where he played minor roles. He was offered to study because of the good attitude towards him, seeing his desire. Sympathetic to the poor and sensitive boy, people petitioned the King of Denmark, Frederick VI, who allowed him to study at a school in the town of Slagels, and then at another school in Elsinore at the expense of the treasury. The students at the school were 6 years younger than Andersen. He later recalled his years at school as the darkest time of his life, due to the fact that he was subjected to severe criticism from the rector educational institution and painfully worried about this until the end of his days - he saw the rector in nightmares.
Andersen completed his studies in 1827. Until the end of his life, he made many grammatical errors in writing - Andersen never mastered the letter.
Andersen never married and had no children.
In 1829, Andersen published a fantastic story "Hiking from the Holmen canal to the eastern tip of Amager" brought fame to the writer. Andersen writes a lot literary works, including in 1835 - "Tales" that glorified him. In the 1840s, Andersen tried to return to the stage, but without much success. At the same time, he confirmed his talent by publishing the collection "A Picture Book without Pictures".
In the second half of the 1840s and in the following years, Andersen continued to publish novels and plays, trying in vain to become famous as a playwright and novelist.
In 1872, Andersen fell out of bed, badly hurt himself and never recovered from his injuries, although he lived for another three years. He died on 4 August 1875 and is buried in the Assistance Cemetery in Copenhagen.
List of the most famous fairy tales:
Storks (Storkene, 1839)
Thumbelina, Wilhelm Pedersen, 1820-1859.
Godfather's Album (1868)
Angel (Engelen, 1843)
Anne Lisbeth (1859)
Grandmother (Bedstemoder, 1845)
Bloch and the Professor (Loppen og Professoren, 1872)
Will-o'-the-wisps in the city (Lygtemændene ere i Byen, sagde Mosekonen, 1865)
God Never Dies (Den gamle Gud lever endnu, 1836)
Great sea serpent (Den store Søslange, 1871)
Bronze boar (reality) (Metalsvinet, 1842)
Elder Mother (Hyldemoer, 1844)
Bottleneck (Flaskehalsen, 1857)
On the day of death (Paa den yderste Dag, 1852)
In the Nursery (I Børnestuen, 1865)
Cheerful disposition (Et godt Humeur, 1852)
The wind tells about Valdemar Do and his daughters (Vinden fortæller om Valdemar Daae og hans Døttre, 1859)
Windmill (Veirmøllen, 1865)
Magic Hill (Elverhøi, 1845)
Collar (Flipperne, 1847)
Everybody know your place! (Everything has its place) ("Alt paa sin rette Plads", 1852)
Van and Glen (Vænø og Glænø, 1867)
The ugly duckling (Den grimme Ælling, 1843)
Hans Chump (or Fool Hans) (Klods-Hans, 1855)
Buckwheat (Boghveden, 1841)
Two Brothers (To Brødre, 1859)
Two Maidens (To Jomfruer, 1853)
Twelve Passengers (Tolv med Posten, 1861)
Yard cock and weather vane (Gaardhanen og Veirhanen, 1859)
Ice Maiden (Iisjomfruen, 1861)
The Little Match Girl (Den lille Pige med Svovlstikkerne, 1845)
The girl who stepped on the bread (The girl who stepped on the bread) (Pigen, som traadte paa Brødet, 1859)
Moving Day (Flyttedagen, 1860)
Wild swans (De vilde Svaner, 1838)
Director of the puppet theater (Marionetspilleren, 1851)
Days of the Week (Ugedagene, 1868)
Brownie and hostess (Nissen og Madamen, 1867)
Small trader brownie (Nissen hos Spekhøkeren, 1852)
Roadmate (Reisekammeraten, 1835)
Marsh King's Daughter (Dynd-Kongens Datter, 1858)
Dryad (Dryaden, 1868)
Thumbelina (Tommelise, 1835)
Jewess (Jødepigen, 1855)
Spruce (Grantræet, 1844)
Bishop of Berglum and his Relatives (Bispen paa Børglum og hans Frænde, 1861)
There is a difference! ("Der Forskjel!", 1851)
Toad (Skrubtudsen, 1866)
Bride and Groom (Kjærestefolkene or Toppen og Bolden, 1843)
Green crumbs (De smaa Grønne, 1867)
Evil prince. Tradition (Den onde Fyrste, 1840)
Golden Boy (Guldskat, 1865)
And sometimes happiness is hidden in a pinch (Lykken kan ligge i en Pind, 1869)
Ib and Christine (Ib og lille Christine, 1855)
From the Window of the Almshouse (Fra et Vindue i Vartou, 1846)
True Truth (Det er ganske vist!, 1852)
History of the Year (Aarets Historie, 1852)
The Story of a Mother (Historien om en Moder, 1847)
How the Storm Outweighed the Signs (Stormen flytter Skilt, 1865)
How good! ("Deilig!", 1859)
Galoshes of happiness (Lykkens Kalosker, 1838)
Drop of Water (Vanddraaben, 1847)
Gate Key (Portnøglen, 1872)
Something (Noget, 1858)
Bell (Klokken, 1845)
Bell Pool (Klokkedybet, 1856)
Ole's bell watchman (Taarnvægteren Ole, 1859)
Comet (Kometen, 1869)
Red Shoes (De røde Skoe, 1845)
Who is the happiest? (Hvem var den Lykkeligste?, 1868)
Swan's Nest (Svanereden, 1852)
Flax (Hørren, 1848)
Little Claus and Big Claus (Lille Claus og store Claus, 1835)
Little Took (Lille Tuk, 1847)
Moth (Sommerfuglen, 1860)
The Muse of the New Age (Det nye Aarhundredes Musa, 1861)
On the Dunes (En Historie fra Klitterne, 1859)
At the Edge of the Sea (Ved det yderste Hav, 1854)
On a Child's Grave (Barnet i Graven, 1859)
In the poultry yard (I Andegaarden, 1861)
Dung beetle (Skarnbassen, 1861)
The Silent Book (Den stumme Bog, 1851)
Bad Boy (Den uartige Dreng, 1835)
The King's New Dress (Keiserens nye Klæder, 1837)
Old Bachelor's Nightcap (Pebersvendens Nathue, 1858)
What the old woman Johanna told about (Hvad gamle Johanne fortalte, 1872)
Fragment of a string of pearls (Et stykke Perlesnor, 1856)
Steel (Fyrtøiet, 1835)
Ole Lukøie (1841)
Offspring of a paradise plant (Et Blad fra Himlen, 1853)
Couple (Kærestefolkene, 1843)
Shepherdess and Chimney Sweep (Hyrdinden og Skorsteensfeieren, 1845)
Peiter, Peter and Per (Peiter, Peter og Peer, 1868)
Pen and Inkwell (Pen og Blækhuus, 1859)
Dance, doll, dance! (Dandse, dandse Dukke min! 1871)
Twin Cities (Venskabs-Pagten, 1842)
Under the Willow (Under Piletræet, 1852)
Snowdrop (Sommergjækken, 1862)
The Last Dream of the Old Oak (Det gamle Egetræes sidste Drøm, 1858)
The Last Pearl (Den sidste Perle, 1853)
Great-grandfather (Oldefa "er, 1870)
The Ancestors of Greta the Poultry Bird (Hønse-Grethes Familie, 1869)
The most beautiful rose in the world (Verdens deiligste Rose, 1851)
The Princess and the Pea (Prindsessen paa Ærten, 1835)
Lost ("Hun duede ikke", 1852)
Jumpers (Springfyrene, 1845)
Psyche (Psychen, 1861)
Folk Song Bird (Folkesangens Fugl, 1864)
Phoenix bird (Fugl Phønix, 1850)
Five from One Pod (Fem fra en Ærtebælg, 1852)
Garden of Eden (Paradisets Have, 1839)
Sunbeam Tales (Solskins-Historier, 1869)
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 ramparts (Et Billede fra Castelsvolden, 1846)
The Gardener and the Gentlemen (Gartneren og Herskabet, 1872)
Tallow candle (Tællelyset, 1820s)
The Most Incredible (Det Utroligste, 1870)
Candles (Lysene, 1870)
Swineherd (Svinedrengen, 1841)
Piggy bank pig (Pengegrisen, 1854)
Heartbreak (Hjertesorg, 1852)
Silver coin (Sølvskillingen, 1861)
Seat (Krøblingen, 1872)
Walkers (Hurtigløberne, 1858)
Snowman (Sneemanden, 1861)
The Snow Queen (Sneedronningen, 1844)
Hidden - Not Forgotten (Gjemt er ikke glemt, 1866)
Nightingale (Nattergalen, 1843)
Sleep (En Historie, 1851)
Neighbors (Nabofamilierne, 1847)
Old gravestone (Den gamle Gravsteen, 1852)
The Old House (Det gamle Huus, 1847)
Old street lamp (Den gamle Gadeløgte, 1847)
Old church bell (Den gamle Kirkeklokke, 1861)
Steadfast Tin Soldier (Den standhaftige Tinsoldat, 1838)
The fate of the burdock (Hvad Tidselen oplevede, 1869)
Flying chest (Den flyvende Kuffert, 1839)
Sausage stick soup (Suppe paa en Pølsepind, 1858)
The Happy Family (Den lykkelige Familie, 1847)
The Gatekeeper's Son (Portnerens Søn, 1866)
Talisman (Talismanen, 1836)
Shadow (Skyggen, 1847)
The thorny path of glory ("Ærens Tornevei", 1855)
Auntie (Moster, 1866)
Aunt Toothache (Tante Tandpine, 1872)
Rags (Laserne, 1868)
What the hubby does is fine (Whatever the hubby does, everything is fine) (Hvad Fatter gjør, det er altid det Rigtige, 1861)
Snail and Roses (Snail and Rosebush) (Sneglen og Rosenhækken, 1861)
Philosopher's Stone (De Vises Steen, 1858)
Holger Danske (1845)
Flowers of little Ida (Den lille Idas Blomster, 1835)
Kettle (Theepotten, 1863)
What They Can't Think Up… (What You Can Think Up) (Hvad man kan hitte paa, 1869)
In a thousand years (Om Aartusinder, 1852)
What the Whole Family Said (Hvad hele Familien sagde, 1870)
Darning needle (Stoppenaalen, 1845)
Rose bush elf (Rosen-Alfen, 1839).
Anderson was born into a family of a laundress and a shoemaker. It happened on April 2, 1805. Hans Christian Anderson I have been familiar with fairy tales since childhood. He liked to read them to his father. In the evenings, he spoiled his children with various stories - "A Thousand and One Nights", the Bible, novels, etc. Hans also inherited a love of singing and theater from his father. Especially for his son, the father built a home theater, and Hans himself came up with the plots for the action. Unfortunately, this happy time did not last long for the children - soon the elder Andersen died. His wife was left with a young daughter and Hans in her arms. As a child, the child talked a lot with the mentally ill in the hospital, where his grandmother then worked. The boy was fond of their crazy stories and subsequently wrote himself that his father's songs and the stories of the crazy made him a writer.
Hans Christian I had to go and earn my own living. His seniority started with a weaver's assistant. Then he worked as an assistant to a tailor, and even worked for a while at a cigarette factory. Since Andersen was very fond of singing, and he had a clear beautiful soprano, he often sang right in the factory until the guys who worked with him caught him and pulled down his pants to see if he was a girl.
Hans Christian learned to read by the age of four. And he graduated from a school for the poor, but since Andersen grew up as an emotional and nervous child, his mother sent him to a Jewish school - since corporal punishment was in use in all other schools at that time. Andersen forever retained this connection with the Jewish people, knowledge of its traditions and language. Subsequently, Hans Christian even wrote several stories and fairy tales on a Jewish theme, they were never translated into Russian.
At the age of 14, the young man leaves his home and goes to Copenhagen. And for 3 years trying to become an actor. At the same time, he began to write plays. But since they were still weak, they did not attract the attention of the management. However, from the theater, Hans is arranged for a free gymnasium and even a scholarship is knocked out for him. In the second half of the 20s of the 19th century, he began to publish his works. His poems were the first to be published. Then the author published his fantastic story. But fame brought him, of course, fairy tales. The first fairy tale was published in 1835.
The second was published in 1839, and the third already in 1845. Oddly enough, Hans Christian Anderson did not like his fairy tales and protested when he was called a children's writer. He wanted to become famous as a playwright and novelist, continued to write plays and novels in the second half of the 40s. But they were not as popular as his fairy tales. So he was forced to write them over and over again. Andersen wrote his last fairy tale in 1872. This year Hans Christian was seriously injured and was treated for three years. However, already in 1875 he died, and was buried in Copenhagen at the famous Assistens cemetery.
Andersen is one of the most famous writers of fairy tales. short biography for schoolchildren of this author should include the main stages of his life, the main milestones of creativity, and most importantly, the features of literary activity. In this regard, it is also necessary to mention his main works, and also to show that he wrote not only fairy tales, but tried himself in different genres, while studying in the theater and writing travel notes. This man was a very versatile and versatile personality, while the general public knows him, as a rule, only as the author of fairy tales. However, a brief biography of Andersen should also include a mention of other areas of his interests and activities.
Childhood
He was born in 1805 on the island of Funen. He came from a poor family: his father was a carpenter and shoemaker, and his mother was a laundress. The future writer already then had problems with getting an education: he was afraid of corporal punishment, and therefore his mother sent him to a Jewish school, where they were forbidden. However, he learned to read and write only by the age of ten and wrote with errors until the end of his life.
At school lessons, it is very important to emphasize how difficult Andersen went through the labor school of life. A biography for children should be briefly set out in view of several facts of this kind, namely, that he was an apprentice in two factories, and these severe ones left a strong imprint on his worldview.
Adolescence
His father and grandfather had a great influence on him. He himself wrote in his autobiography that his interest in theater and writing arose in childhood, when he listened to the stories of his grandfather and, together with his father, arranged improvised home performances. In addition, the boy remembered his grandfather for carving funny toys from wood, and the future storyteller himself made clothes and costumes, arranging real scenes at home. A visit to the Copenhagen troupe had a great influence on him, where he once even played one small role. So he realized that he wanted to be a writer and artist. A brief biography of Andersen is also interesting in that he himself, at a very young age, decided that he wanted to be famous and, having saved some money, went to Copenhagen.
Study and theater experience
In the capital, he tried to become an actor, but he never managed to master this art. But here he received a good education. At the request of influential acquaintances, he studied in two cities of the country, learned several languages and passed the exams for the degree of candidate. Seeing in the young man a great desire to become an actor, the theater director gave him small roles, but very soon he was told that he would never be able to play professionally on stage. However, by that time his talent as a writer, playwright and writer had already manifested itself.
First works
A very short biography of Andersen should also include his most famous works (in addition to his fairy tales, which everyone probably knows about, even those who have not read them). It is significant that his first literary experience was not fairy tales, but plays written in the genre of tragedies. Here success awaited him: they were published, and the writer received his first fee. Inspired by his success, he continued to write in the genres of large-scale prose, miniature novels, plays, and notes. A brief biography of Andersen, the most important content of which, of course, is the stage associated with writing fairy tales, should also take into account other aspects of the activity of this author.
Travel and dating
Despite the constraint on funds, the writer still had the opportunity to travel around Europe. Having received small monetary rewards for his literary works, he visited various countries of Europe, where he made many interesting acquaintances. So, he met the famous French writers V. Hugo and A. Dumas. In Germany, he was introduced to the German poet Heine. To interesting facts his life can be attributed to the fact that he had Pushkin's autograph. These travels were of great importance for the further development of his work, because thanks to them he mastered a new genre of travel notes.
The heyday of creativity
A short biography of Andersen that children study school age, should include, first of all, that life stage of the writer, which is associated with writing fairy tales that have gained popularity not only in his homeland, but throughout the world. The beginning of their creation dates back to the second half of the 1830s, when the author began to publish his first collections. They immediately gained fame, although many criticized the author for being illiterate, too free in this genre. Nevertheless, it was this genre that glorified the writer. A feature of his fairy tales is a combination of reality and fantasy, humor, satire and elements of drama. It is indicative that the writer himself did not consider that he was writing for children, and even insisted that there should not be a single figure of a child around his sculptural image. The secret of the success of the popularity of the author's fairy tales lies in the fact that he created a new type of writing, where inanimate objects, as well as plants, birds and animals, became full-fledged characters.
Mature stage of creativity
A brief biography of Andersen should also indicate his other achievements in the field of fiction. So, he wrote in the genre of large-scale prose (the novel The Improviser brought him European fame). He wrote miniature novels. The completion of his long and fruitful career was the writing of his autobiography entitled "The Tale of My Life". It is interesting because it reveals the character of this difficult person. The fact is that the writer was a closed and very receptive person. He was not married and had no children. The impressions of youth, a difficult childhood left an indelible imprint on him: he remained an extremely sensitive person for the rest of his life. The author died in Copenhagen in 1875.
The value of his work can hardly be overestimated. It's hard to find another popular school writer like Andersen. Biography for children is briefly one of the important topics on schoolwork: after all, he became, perhaps, the most famous storyteller in the whole world. Interest in his work continues to this day. So, in 2012, a manuscript of a previously unknown fairy tale by the writer “The Wax Candle” was found on the island of Funen.
The biography of Hans Christian Andersen is the topic of this article. The years of the life of this great writer are 1805-1875. Hans was born in Odense, a Danish city located on the island of Funen. A photo of Andersen Hans Christian is presented below.
His father was a shoemaker and a dreamer, most of all he loved to make various toys. He was in poor health and died when Hans was 9 years old. Maria, the boy's mother, worked as a laundress. The need that came after the death of her husband forced this woman to give her son to a cloth factory as a worker, and then to a tobacco factory, but here he mainly entertained the workers with singing, and also played scenes from Golberg and Shakespeare.
First appearance on stage
Hans Christian read a lot as a teenager, put up posters and was interested in the theater. Actors from the city of Copenhagen toured in Odense in the summer of 1918. Everyone was invited for mass scenes. So Andersen got on stage. His zeal was noted, which caused the boy incredible dreams and great hopes.
The photo below shows the house in Odense, where the future writer lived in his childhood.
Andersen sets off to conquer Copenhagen, patronage of Siboney
The biography of Hans Christian Andersen continued in Copenhagen. The 14-year-old theatergoer decided to go here and appear before the ballerina Schall, the prima of the local theater. He sang and danced in front of her. Prima thought it was a crazy tramp. A visit to the director also yielded nothing. He found Andersen too thin and devoid of the appearance necessary for an actor (already here there was a fairy tale written by him in the future " ugly duck"). Then Hans went to the singer Siboney, whom he managed to conquer with his singing. A subscription was organized in favor of Andersen. Siboney began to give him singing and music lessons. However, Andersen lost his voice six months later, and the singer invited him to return home.
New patrons and first debut
Hans had incredible tenacity. He was able to find new patrons - the poet Guldberg, whose brother he knew from Odens, and the dancer Dalen. The latter taught the boy to dance, and the poet taught German and Danish. Hans Christian soon made his debut on the stage of the local royal theater, in the ballet "Armida", performing a minor role of the 7th troll, of which there were only 8. He also sometimes sang in the choir of warriors and shepherds.
Hans, having made friends with the librarian, began to spend most of his time among books, and also began to compose poetry himself (decorating them without much embarrassment with stanzas from famous poets), after which tragedies ("Alfsol", "Robbers in Wissenberg"). The poet Guldberg became its first editor and reader.
Studying at the Latin school and at the university, the first works
The theatrical directorate eventually managed to secure a royal scholarship for the novice playwright. He also received the right to study free of charge at a Latin school, where he spent 5 years. In 1828 Andersel passed the entrance exams to the University of Copenhagen. By this time he was the author of two poems that he managed to publish - "The Dying Child" and "Evening".
From under his pen, a year later, the work "Traveling on foot ...", full of humor and fantasy, appears. At the same time, Andersen's vaudeville "Love on the Nikolaev Tower" is staged on the stage of the Copenhagen theater. The audience greeted this production favorably. Andersen in 1830 published a poetry collection, which included the fairy tale "The Dead Man" as an appendix.
The first love
At the same time, the writer Hans Christian Andersen falls in love. The sister of one of his university friends causes Andersen's nightly insomnia. This girl came from a burgher family with moderate ideals, in which wealth was valued above all else. Parents did not like the poor writer at all. In addition, his mother was in an almshouse. The fact is that after the death of her second husband, Maria gave up a lot. She began to drink, and the neighbors decided to place the woman in a poor house.
Traveling in Germany and a creative crisis
Andersen's beloved refused him, preferring the son of a pharmacist. In order to cure Hans of love, Collin, his wealthy patron, sent him on a trip to Germany. Andersen brought from there the book "Shadow Pictures" (year of creation - 1831), which he wrote under the influence of Heine's creation "Travel Pictures". In this work of Hans, fairy-tale motifs are still timidly, but already sounded.
Let's continue to describe the life and work of Hans Christian Andersen. Lack of money and a creative crisis forced him to set about compiling a libretto based on the works of W. Scott, which critics did not like very much. They began to remind him more and more often that he was the son of a shoemaker, and should not be carried away. Andersen eventually managed to hand over to the King of Denmark his second book of poems, Fantasies and Sketches. He accompanied his gift with a request for an allowance for a trip abroad. The request was granted, and the writer went to Italy and France in 1833. During this journey, his mother died in the almshouse. Her eyes were covered by someone else's hands.
Meeting with Heine
Andersen met Heine, his idol, in Paris. Acquaintance, however, was limited to a few walks along the boulevards of Paris. Andersen admired this man as a poet, but was wary of him as an atheist and freethinker. In Paris, Hans began to write a drama in verse "Agneta and the Waterman", completed in Italy.
Roman "The Improviser"
Italy was the setting for the 1935 novel The Improviser. It was translated in 1844 in Russia, received a review of V. Belinsky himself. True, only Italian landscapes, brilliantly written by Andersen, received praise. The Russian critic, one might say, got to the core of the protagonist, without suspecting how biographical he is. After all, not an "enthusiastic Italian", but Hans Christian himself was tormented by dependence on patrons, and it was he who parted "by misunderstanding" with his first lover.
Second love
With the second girl who touched Andersen's heart, the daughter of Collin, his patron, nothing but brotherly love also came out. Collin himself patronized him willingly, but did not at all want to get the poet as a son-in-law. After all, Hans Christian Andersen, whose work and position were of interest only to connoisseurs of art, was a man with a very unstable future. Therefore, a caring father chose a lawyer for his daughter.
Last attempt at marriage
Another woman, whom the Italian poet from the work "The Improviser" decided to marry, also appeared in the fate of its author. This is Jenny Lind, the singer who was called the "Swedish Nightingale". They met in 1843, in which the fairy tale "The Nightingale" was born.
This acquaintance took place during the singer's tour in Denmark. The word "love" flashed again in Andersen's diary, but it did not come to verbal explanations. Yenny at the farewell banquet made a toast in honor of the writer, inviting him to become her "brother". This was the end of his attempts to marry Hans Christian Andersen, whose work and biography are of interest to us. Apparently, he was afraid that Madonna would punish him for the "secular path of life." The personal life of Hans Christian Andersen, unfortunately, did not work out.
First tales
Another novel came out after The Improviser - Only the Violinist (in 1837). Between the two novels, 2 issues of Tales Told to Children appeared. No one paid attention at that time to these works, which were created by Hans Christian Andersen. A biography for children and adults of the writer of interest to us, however, should not miss this important point. Soon the third issue was born. The collections include fairy tales that have become classics: "The Little Mermaid", "The Princess and the Pea", "Flint", "The King's New Dress" and others.
creative flourishing
At the end of the 30s, as well as the 40s, Andersen's creative heyday came. His masterpieces appeared, such as "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" (written in 1838), "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Nightingale" (in 1843), "The Snow Queen" (in 1844), in the next - "Girl with Matches", then - "Shadow" (1847) and others.
Andersen at that time again visited Paris (in 1843), where he met again with Heine. He greeted him already as an equal, was delighted with Andersen's fairy tales. Hans became a European celebrity. Since then, he began to call collections of his works "New Fairy Tales", thereby emphasizing that they are addressed to both children and adults.
In 1846, Hans Christian Andersen wrote an autobiography called The Tale of My Life. A biography for children and adults is written frankly and frankly. Andersen spoke very touchingly about himself in the third person, as if creating another fairy tale. Indeed, fame came to this writer in a fabulous unforeseen way.
Two curious episodes from the life of Andersen
The biography of Hans Christian Andersen is marked by one funny incident. It happened in 1847, during Hans' trip to England. The writer, having examined the ancient castle, decided to leave his autograph in the visitor's book. Suddenly, the porter turned to his companion, an important elderly banker, believing that it was Andersen. Upon learning that he was mistaken, the gatekeeper exclaimed: "So young? And I thought that writers become famous only in old age."
England gave another pleasant meeting to the Danish storyteller. Here he met Dickens, the author of "The Cricket on the Stove" and "Oliver Twist", whom he loved very much. It turned out that Dickens loves fairy tales and stories by Hans Christian Andersen. Since the writers did not know each other's languages, they spoke with gestures. Touched, Dickens waved his handkerchief to Andersen from the pier for a long time.
Completion of life
Last of all, as is often the case, recognition came to this writer at home. The sculptor showed him the project: Andersen, covered with children from all sides. However, Hans stated that his fairy tales are addressed to adults, and not only to children. The project has been redone.
A photo of Andersen Hans Christian, dated July 1860, is presented below.
In 1875, on August 4, a few months after the anniversary celebrations, the great storyteller passed away in a dream. This event ended the biography of Hans Christian Andersen. However, his stories and his memory continue to live to this day.
Hans Christian Andersen was born on April 2, 1805 in the city of Odense on the island of Funen (Denmark).
Andersen's father was a shoemaker and, according to Andersen himself, "a richly gifted poetic nature." He instilled in the future writer a love of books: in the evenings he read aloud the Bible, historical novels, short stories and short stories. For Hans Christian, his father built a home puppet theater, and his son composed plays himself. Unfortunately, the shoemaker Andersen did not live long and died, leaving his wife, little son and daughter.
Andersen's mother came from a poor family. In his autobiography, the storyteller recalled his mother's stories about how, as a child, she was kicked out of the house to beg... After the death of her husband, Andersen's mother began to work as a laundress.
Andersen received his primary education at a school for the poor. Only the Law of God, writing and arithmetic were taught there. Andersen studied poorly, almost did not prepare lessons. With much greater pleasure, he told his friends fictional stories, the hero of which was himself. Of course, no one believed these stories.
The first work of Hans Christian was the play "Karas and Elvira", written under the influence of Shakespeare and other playwrights. The storyteller got access to these books in the family of neighbors.
1815 - Andersen's first literary work. The result most often was the ridicule of peers, from which the impressionable author only suffered. The mother almost gave her son as an apprentice to a tailor in order to stop bullying and take him to the real thing. Fortunately, Hans Christian begged to send him to study in Copenhagen.
1819 - Andersen leaves for Copenhagen, intending to become an actor. In the capital, he gets a job at the royal ballet as a student dancer. Andersen did not become an actor, but the theater became interested in his dramatic and poetic experiments. Hans Christian was allowed to stay, study at a Latin school and receive a scholarship.
1826 - several poems by Andersen ("The Dying Child", etc.)
1828 - Andersen enters the university. In the same year, his first book "Traveling on foot from the Galmen Canal to Amagera Island" was published.
The attitude towards the newly-minted writer of society and criticism is ambiguous. Andersen becomes famous, but is laughed at for spelling mistakes. It is already being read abroad, but it is difficult to digest the special style of the writer, considering him vain.
1829 - Andersen lives in poverty, he is fed exclusively by fees.
1830 - the play "Love on the Nikolaev Tower" was written. The production took place on the stage of the Royal Theater in Copenhagen.
1831 - Andersen's novel "Travel Shadows" is published.
1833 - Hans Christian receives a Royal Scholarship. He sets off on a journey through Europe, actively engaging in literary work along the way. On the road, the following were written: the poem "Agneta and the Sailor", the fairy tale-story "Ice"; In Italy, the novel "The Improviser" was begun. Having written and published The Improviser, Andersen becomes one of the most popular writers in Europe.
1834 Andersen returns to Denmark.
1835 - 1837 - "Tales told for children" were published. It was a three-volume collection, which included "The Flint", "The Little Mermaid", "The Princess and the Pea", etc. Again the attacks of criticism: Andersen's fairy tales were declared insufficiently instructive for educating children and too frivolous for adults. Nevertheless, until 1872 Andersen published 24 collections of fairy tales. Regarding criticism, Andersen wrote to his friend Charles Dickens: "Denmark is as rotten as the rotten islands on which it grew up!".
1837 - G. H. Andersen's novel "Only a Violinist" is published. A year later, in 1838, The Steadfast Tin Soldier was written.
1840s - a number of fairy tales and short stories were written, which Andersen published in the collections "Fairy Tales" with the message that the works are addressed to both children and adults: "A Book of Pictures without Pictures", "Swineherd", "Nightingale", "Ugly Duckling" , "The Snow Queen", "Thumbelina", "The Match Girl", "Shadow", "Mother", etc. The peculiarity of Hans Christian's fairy tales is that he was the first to turn to stories from the life of ordinary heroes, and not elves, princes, trolls, queens ... As for the traditional and obligatory happy ending for the fairy tale genre, Andersen parted ways with him back in The Little Mermaid. In his tales, according to the author's own statement, he "did not address children." The same period - Andersen still becomes known as a playwright. Theaters put on his plays "Mulatto", "Firstborn", "Dreams of the King", "More expensive than pearls and gold." The author watched his own works from the auditorium, from the seats for the common public. 1842 - Andersen travels to Italy. He writes and publishes a collection of travel essays "The Poet's Bazaar", which became a harbinger of his autobiography. 1846 - 1875 - for almost thirty years Andersen wrote the autobiographical story "The Tale of My Life". This work became the only source of information about the childhood of the famous storyteller. 1848 - the poem "Agasfer" was written and published. 1849 - publication of the novel by G. H. Andersen "Two Baronesses". 1853 Andersen writes To Be or Not to Be. 1855 - the writer's journey to Sweden, after which the novel "In Sweden" was written. Interestingly, in the novel, Andersen highlights the development of new technologies for that time, demonstrating good knowledge of them. Little is known about Andersen's personal life. Throughout his life, the writer never got a family. But often he was in love with "inaccessible beauties", and these novels were in the public domain. One of these beauties was the singer and actress Ieni Lind. Their romance was beautiful, but ended in a break - one of the lovers considered their business more important than family. 1872 - Andersen first experiences an attack of an illness from which he was no longer destined to recover. August 1, 1875 - Andersen dies in Copenhagen, in his villa "Rolighead"
