Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen - Hardcover

Andersen, Hans Christian

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0670859303 ISBN 13: 9780670859306

Publisher: Viking Juvenile, 1995

Synopsis

A new collection of beloved tales that have been popular for more than a century features twelve favorite stories, including "Thumbelina," "The Princess and the Pea," and "The Ugly Duckling."

About this title

About the Author:

Hans Christian Andersen (1805-75) was born in Odense, Denmark, the son of a poor shoemaker and a washerwoman. As a young teenager, he became quite well known in Odense as a reciter of drama, and as a singer. When he was fourteen, he set off for the capital, Copenhagen, determined to become a national success on the stage. He failed miserably, but made some influential friends in the capital, who got him into school to remedy his lack of proper education. He hated school: aged seventeen, he was in a class of twelve-year-olds and was constantly mocked by them and by the teachers. In 1829 his first book - an account of a walking trip - was published. After that, books came out at regular intervals. At first, he considered his adult books more important than his fantasies. In later life, however, he began to see that these apparently trivial stories could vividly portray constant features of human life and character, in a charming manner. There were two consequences of this. First, he stopped regarding his stories as trifles written solely for children; second, he began to write more original stories, rather than retelling traditional tales. He once said that ideas for stories 'lie in my mind like seeds and only need the kiss of a sunbeam or a drop of malice to flower'. He would often thinly disguise people he liked or disliked as characters in his stories: a woman who failed to return his love becomes the foolish prince in 'The Little Mermaid'; his own ugliness and humiliation, or his father's daydream of being descended from a rich and powerful family, are reflected in 'The Ugly Duckling'. Hans Andersen's stories began to be translated into English as early as 1846. Since then, numerous editions, and more recently Hollywood songs and a Disney cartoon, have helped to ensure the continuing popularity of the stories in the English-speaking world.

Language Notes:

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Danish

About this edition

• Publisher: Viking Juvenile
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0670859303
• ISBN 13: 9780670859306
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 144