Pagine1805–1875 · Odense, Denmark · also known as H. C. Andersen, Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen, the son of a poor shoemaker, left Odense for Copenhagen at 14 hoping to become an actor. He found fame instead with his fairy tales — more than 150 of them, from “The Little Mermaid” and “The Emperor’s New Clothes” (1837) to “The Ugly Duckling” (1843), “The Snow Queen” (1844) and “The Little Match Girl” (1845). Unlike the Grimms, who collected folk tales, Andersen mostly invented his own, mixing humour, sadness and sharp social observation. They have been translated into well over 100 languages. International Children’s Book Day is held on his birthday, 2 April.
Begin with Andersen’s Fairy Tales.
Part of our Scandinavian Classics reading list — print it, email it to yourself or share it.
Søren Kierkegaard · Henrik Ibsen · August Strindberg · Selma Lagerlöf · Knut Hamsun · Sigrid Undset · Astrid Lindgren
Hans Christian Andersen, the son of a poor shoemaker, left Odense for Copenhagen at 14 hoping to become an actor. He found fame instead with his fairy tales — more than 150 of them, from “The Little Mermaid” and “The Emperor’s New Clothes” (1837) to “The Ugly Duckling” (1843), “The Snow Queen” (1844) and “The Little Match Girl” (1845).
The Little Mermaid is usually considered Hans Christian Andersen’s best-known work, followed by The Snow Queen, The Ugly Duckling, The Emperor’s New Clothes.
Most readers start with Andersen’s Fairy Tales.
Both refer to the same writer. Other spellings and names include H. C. Andersen, Andersen.
Yes — 13 of Hans Christian Andersen’s books are free to read online in Pagine, the free e-reader and reading tracker.