Written by Violet
Literary critic

One of the most famous storytellers Hans Christian Andersen was born in Odense in 1805. When Hans was 11 years old, his father died and the boy was forced to go to work. Andersen entered an apprenticeship to a weaver, then to a tailor, also the boy worked in a cigarette factory.

Since childhood Andersen had only one hobby – puppet theater, which he played with himself. At the age of 14, with a letter of recommendation Andersen went to conquer Copenhagen. A year later, out of pity, he was accepted at the Royal Theater for minor roles. When he was fired, he wrote a letter to the king and attached to the letter a play he had written himself. As a result, he received money to publish his book, but it was not a success. Anderson wrote the first tales that made him famous for centuries in 1835. The surprising thing is that he himself was not particularly interested in fairy tales; he saw himself as a great playwright.

At the age of 70, Andersen died alone. It is known that he considered himself an ugly duckling who had the misfortune to never turn into a beautiful swan. Strange as it may seem, the great storyteller had no special sympathy for children and never tried to please them. In fact, he wrote his tales for an older audience.

Today, in memory of Hans Christian Andersen, sculptural images of his heroes are installed all over the world. And the Andersen Prize is considered one of the most prestigious literary awards.

Contents

PART I

Dedication
Preface
Ole Luckoie—The Story-teller
The Buckwheat
The Wild Swans
The Angel
The Fellow-traveller
The Elfin Mound
The Flying Trunk
The Bundle of Matches

PART II

The Old House
The Drop of Water
The Happy Family
The Story of a Mother
The False Collar
The Shadow
The Old Street Lamp
The Dream of Little Tuk
The Haughty Boy
The Two Neighboring Families
The Darning Needle
The Little Matoh-girl
The Red Shoes

The Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen is a rare 1868 edition with illustrations.