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June 30, 2023 | History

Hans Christian Andersen

2 April 1805 - 4 August 1875

Hans Christian Andersen was born in Odense, Denmark, to a father who claimed to be related to nobility. After school, he worked as a weaver's apprentice and as a tailor's assistant. At 14, he moved to Copenhagen to be an actor, and was accepted into the Royal Danish Theatre. His career ended when his voice changed, and he decided to become a writer. He published his first story, The Ghost at Palnatoke's Grave, in 1822. An acquaintance paid all expenses to send him to grammar school in Slagelse. He also attended school at Elsinore until 1827. He later admitted that his school years were the darkest and bitterest of his life.

After school, Andersen resumed writing. In 1829, he started to see his first successes, publishing a short story, "A Journey on Foot from Holmen's Canal to the East Point of Amager", and a collection of poems. In 1833 he received a traveling grant from the King and set out to travel through Europe. He published his first novel, The Improvisatore, in 1835. He also published the first set of Fairy Tales, following up with more stories in 1836 and 1837. Although they were not initially successful, they have become his best-known works. He wrote a well-received poem, Jeg er en Skandinav, which celebrated Scandinavism, in 1839.

In 1857, following a visit to Charles Dickens in England, Andersen met Danish actor Lauritz Eckardt and Danish ballet dancer Harald Scharff in Paris. In 1860, he met them again in Bavaria, and the three of them spent a week in Munich together. Anderson fell in love with Scharff, and started corresponding with him when Scharff and Eckardt left Munich. They were united when Andersen returned to Copenhagen in 1862. Their affair lasted for over a year before it was ended by Scharff, and Andersen did not have another serious relationship.

In 1872, Andersen was injured in a fall, and he died of his injuries in 1875.

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  • Cover of: Patito Feo, El

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  • Cover of: The Marsh King's daughter
    First published in 2005 2 editions in 1 language — 1 previewable

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  • Cover of: Uma visita em Portugal em 1866

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  • Cover of: Andersen & Gud: teologiske læsninger i H.C. Andersens forfatterskab

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  • Cover of: Dikie lebedi
    First published in 2000 2 editions

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  • Cover of: Ein Bilderbuch ohne Bilder

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  • Cover of: The Emperor's New Clothes (Classic Fairy Tales): Classic Fairy Tales

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  • Cover of: Fairy tales of Hans Andersen
    First published in 1900 2 editions — 1 previewable

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  • Cover of: Fiabe
    First published in 1967 2 editions in 1 language

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  • Cover of: Hans Christian Andersen as an artist

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  • Cover of: Il brutto anatroccolo.

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  • Cover of: Le Loup et les sept chevreaux
    First published in 1998 2 editions — 1 previewable

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  • Cover of: A picture-book without pictures: and other stories

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  • Cover of: Tales of Hans Christian Andersen ; read by Michael Redgrave.

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  • Cover of: Atten breve fra H.C. Andersen til Henriette Wulff 1829-1857

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  • Cover of: The Classic Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales (Children's Classics)

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  • Cover of: Des Kaisers neue Kleider

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  • Cover of: Gesammelte Märchen, 2 Bde., Bd.2

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  • Cover of: The real princess.

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  • Cover of: Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
    First published in 2004 2 editions in 1 language — 2 previewable Cover of edition talesofhanschris0000ande

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June 30, 2023 Edited by Сергей Малышев Edited without comment.
April 14, 2023 Edited by Tom Morris Remove bad AKAs
September 27, 2022 Edited by Tom Morris merge authors
February 23, 2022 Edited by JeneeWhitney merge authors
April 1, 2008 Created by an anonymous user initial import