Hans Christian Andersen
(1805–1875)
Hans Christian Andersen was born in Odense, a small fishing village in Denmark. His parents were very poor—his father was a shoemaker—but they managed to take him to the theater when he was seven years old. After this experience, Andersen yearned to be an actor and a dramatist. When he was eleven years old, his father died, and Andersen left school. In 1819, he ran away to Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital, where he drifted in and out of theatrical and musical circles.
Andersen published his first book, The Ghost at Palnatoke’s Grave, in 1822. His work came to the attention of the Danish king, and he received a royal scholarship, which allowed him to continue his education for the next six years.
Andersen released his Fairy Tales in installments beginning in 1835 and stretching over the next thirty-seven years. Although he considered himself a novelist, poet, and playwright, Andersen has always been known primarily for his fairy tales. Along with much of his other work, they found a warmer reception abroad than in Denmark. Some of Andersen’s best-known tales are "The Ugly Duckling," "The Red Shoes," "The Nightingale," and "The Princess and the Pea."
