The Fairy Tale of My Life: An Autobiography = Mit Livs Eventyr

Danish poet and novelist Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) is best known for the dozens of fairy tales he wrote, including "The Little Mermaid," "The Ugly Duckling," and "The Snow Queen." Andersen's sense of fantasy, power of description, and acute sensitivity are strikingly evident in his autobiography. Andersen masterfully depicts the extreme poverty of his provincial childhood and the international celebrity of his later years, and also provides insights into the sources of many of his most famous tales.

Danish poet and novelist Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) is best known for the tragic and gruesome fairy tales he wrote, including "The Emperor's New Clothes," "The Little Match-Seller," "The Little Mermaid," "The Princess and the Pea," "The Shepherdess and the Chimney-Sweep," "The Snow Queen," "The Staunch Tin Soldier," "The Ugly Duckling," "The Wild Swans," and "Thumbelina." In this genre, his sense of fantasy, descriptive power, and acute sensitivity found the medium of expression that was to immortalize his genius.

Autobiography was an obsession for Andersen. At age 25, he embarked on a trip, and left instructions for the publication of his first autobiographical sketch should he fail to return alive. In 1855, at age 50, he wrote his first official autobiography; in 1863, he continued his life story.

By turns vain and humble, bitter and celebratory, this self-portrait gives ample evidence of his extraordinary gifts as a storyteller, as he depicts the poverty of his provincial childhood; his wide travels, from Portugal to Turkey; his friendships and lively encounters with Kierkegaard, Dickens, Hugo, the Brothers Grimm, Balzac, and Liszt; and the international celebrity of his later years. His autobiography also provides insights into the sources of many of his most famous tales. This highly readable and revealing account of the inner and public life of a literary genius will appeal to anyone who ever delighted in Andersen's fairy tales.