Hans Christian Andersen: a brief biography, interesting facts about the storyteller's life, works and famous fairy tales

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Life is boring, empty and unpretentious without fairy tales. Hans Christian Andersen understood this perfectly. Even if his character was not easy, but opening the door to another magical story, people did not pay attention to it, but happily plunged into a new, previously unheard story.

Family

Hans Christian Andersen is a world famous Danish poet and prose writer. He has more than 400 fairy tales on his account, which even today do not lose their popularity. The famous storyteller was born in Odnes (Danish-Norwegian Union, Funen Island) on April 2, 1805. He comes from a poor family. His father was a simple shoemaker, and his mother was a laundress. Throughout her childhood, she lived in poverty and begged on the street, and when she died, she was buried in a cemetery for the poor.

Hans grandfather was a wood carver, but in the city where he lived, he was considered slightly out of his mind. Being a creative person by nature, he carved figures of half-humans, half-animals with wings from wood, and such art was completely incomprehensible to many. Christian Andersenhe studied poorly at school and wrote with errors until the end of his life, but from childhood he was attracted to writing.

Fantasy world

In Denmark, there is a legend that Andersen came from a royal family. These rumors are related to the fact that the storyteller himself wrote in an early autobiography that he played as a child with Prince Frits, who years later became King Frederick VII. And among the yard boys he had no friends. But since Christian Andersen loved to compose, it is likely that this friendship was a figment of his imagination. Based on the storyteller's fantasies, his friendship with the prince continued even when they became adults. Apart from relatives, Hans was the only person from the outside who was allowed to visit the coffin of the late monarch.

The source of these fantasies were Father Andersen's stories that he was a distant relative of the royal family. From early childhood, the future writer was a great dreamer, and his imagination was truly violent. More than once or twice, he staged impromptu performances at home, played various skits and made adults laugh. His peers openly disliked him and often mocked him.

Difficulties

When Christian Andersen was 11, his father died (1816). The boy had to earn his own living. He began to work as an apprentice at a weaver, and later worked as a tailor's assistant. Then his labor activity continued at the factory for the production of cigarettes.

The boy had amazing big blue eyes and a closedcharacter. He liked to sit alone somewhere in the corner and play puppet theater - his favorite game. He did not lose this love for puppet shows even in adulthood, carrying it in his soul until the end of his days.

Christian Andersen was different from his peers. Sometimes it seemed as if a hot-tempered “uncle” lives in the body of a little boy, to whom you don’t put a finger in his mouth - he will bite off his elbow. He was too emotional and took everything too personally, because of which he was often subjected to physical punishment in schools. For these reasons, the mother had to send her son to a Jewish school, where various executions were not practiced on students. Thanks to this act, the writer was well aware of the traditions of the Jewish people and forever kept in touch with him. He even wrote several stories on Jewish themes, but unfortunately they were never translated into Russian.

Years of youth

When Christian Andersen turned 14, he headed to Copenhagen. The mother assumed that the son would soon return. In fact, he was still a child, and in such a big city he had little chance of "hooking". But, leaving his father's house, the future writer confidently declared that he would become famous. Above all, he wanted to find a job that would please him. For example, in the theater, which he loved so much. He received money for the trip from a man in whose house he often staged impromptu performances.

The first year of life in the capital did not bring the storyteller closer to the fulfillment of his dream. Once he came to the house of a famoussinger and began to beg her to help him with work in the theater. To get rid of a strange teenager, the lady made a promise that she would help him, but she did not keep her word. Only many years later, she confesses to him that, when she first saw him, she thought that he was devoid of reason.

At that time, the writer was a lanky, thin and stooping teenager, with an anxious and nasty character. He was afraid of everything: a possible robbery, dogs, fire, losing his passport. All his life he suffered from toothache and for some reason believed that the number of teeth affects his writing. He was also scared to death of being poisoned. When Scandinavian children sent sweets to their favorite storyteller, he sent a gift to his nieces in horror.

It can be said that in adolescence, Hans Christian Andersen himself was an analogue of the Ugly Duckling. But he had a surprisingly pleasant voice, and whether thanks to him, or out of pity, he still got a place at the Royal Theater. True, he never achieved success. He constantly got supporting roles, and when the age-related breakdown of his voice began, he was completely kicked out of the troupe.

First works

But in short, Hans Christian Andersen wasn't too upset about being fired. At that time, he was already writing a play for five acts and sent a letter to the king asking for financial assistance in the publication of his work. In addition to the play, Hans Christian Andersen's book includes poetry. The writer did everything to sell his work. But neither the announcements nor the promotions in the newspapers led toexpected level of sales. The storyteller did not give up. He took the book to the theater in the hope that a performance would be staged based on his play. But here, too, disappointment awaited him.

Study

The theater said that the writer had no professional experience, and offered him to study. People who sympathized with the unfortunate teenager sent a request to the King of Denmark himself, so that he would allow him to fill in the gaps in knowledge. His Majesty listened to the requests and provided the storyteller with the opportunity to get an education at the expense of the state treasury. As the biography of Hans Christian Andersen says, a sharp turn took place in his life: he got a place as a student at a school in the city of Slagels, later in Elsinore. Now the talented teenager did not have to think about how to earn a living. True, school science was given to him hard. He was constantly criticized by the rector of the educational institution, in addition, Hans felt uncomfortable due to the fact that he was older than his classmates. The study ended in 1827, but the writer was never able to master the grammar, so he wrote with errors until the end of his life.

Creativity

Considering a brief biography of Christian Andersen, it is worth paying attention to his work. The first ray of fame brought the writer a fantastic story "Hiking from the Holmen canal to the eastern tip of Amager". This work was published in 1833, and for it the writer received an award from the king himself. The cash reward enabled Andersen to make the trip abroad he had always dreamed of.

This was the start, the runway, the beginning of a new life stage. Hans Christian realized that he could prove himself in another field, and not just in the theater. He began to write, and wrote a lot. Various literary works, including the famous "Tales" by Hans Christian Andersen, flew out from under his pen like hot cakes. In 1840, he once again tried to conquer the stage, but the second attempt, like the first, did not bring the desired result. But in the craft of writing, he was successful.

Success and hate

The collection “A Book with Pictures without Pictures” is published in the world, 1838 was marked by the release of the second issue of “Fairy Tales”, and in 1845 the world saw the bestseller “Fairy Tales-3”. Step by step, Andersen became a famous writer, he was talked about not only in Denmark, but also in Europe. In the summer of 1847, he visits England, where he is greeted with honors and triumph.

The writer continues to write novels and plays. He wants to become famous as a novelist and playwright, only fairy tales, which he quietly begins to hate, brought him true fame. Andersen no longer wants to write in this genre, but fairy tales appear from under his pen again and again. In 1872, on Christmas Eve, Andersen wrote his last story. In the same year, he inadvertently fell out of bed and was seriously injured. He never recovered from his injuries, although he lived for another three years after the fall. The writer died on August 4, 1875 in Copenhagen.

The very first fairy tale

Not so long ago, researchers in Denmark discovered a hitherto unknownfairy tale "The Tallow Candle" by Hans Christian Andersen. The summary of this find is simple: the tallow candle cannot find its place in this world and will become discouraged. But one day she meets a tinderbox that kindles a fire in her, to the delight of others.

In terms of its literary merits, this work is significantly inferior to fairy tales of the late period of creativity. It was written when Andersen was still at school. He dedicated the work to the priest's widow, Mrs. Bunkeflod. Thus, the young man tried to appease her and thank her for the fact that she paid for his unlucky science. Researchers agree that this work is filled with too much moralizing, there is no that gentle humor, but only morality and "spiritual experiences of the candle."

Private life

Hans Christian Andersen never married and had no children. In general, he was not successful with women, and did not strive for this. However, he still had love. In 1840, in Copenhagen, he met a girl named Jenny Lind. Three years later, he will write in his diary the cherished words: “I love!” For her, he wrote fairy tales and dedicated poems to her. But Jenny, addressing him, said "brother" or "child." Although he was almost 40 years old, and she was only 26. In 1852, Lind married a young and promising pianist.

In his later years, Andersen became even more extravagant: he often visited brothels and sat there for a long time, but never touched the girls who worked there, but only talked to them.

Whathidden from the Soviet reader?

As you know, in Soviet times, foreign writers were often released in an abridged or revised version. This did not bypass the works of the Danish storyteller: instead of thick collections, thin collections were published in the USSR. Soviet writers had to remove any mention of God or religion (if not, soften it). Andersen has no non-religious works, it's just that in some works it is immediately noticeable, while in others the theological overtones are hidden between the lines. For example, in one of his works there is a phrase:

Everything was in this house: both prosperity and swaggering gentlemen, but there was no owner in the house.

But the original says that there is not a master in the house, but the Lord.

Or take Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen" for comparison: the Soviet reader does not even suspect that when Gerda is scared, she starts to pray. It’s a little annoying that the words of the great writer were twisted, or even thrown out altogether. After all, the real value and depth of a work can be understood by studying it from the first word to the last point set by the author. And in the retelling, something fake, soulless and unreal is already felt.

A few facts

Finally, I would like to mention a few little-known facts from the life of the author. The storyteller had Pushkin's autograph. "Elegy", signed by a Russian poet, is now in the Danish Royal Library. Andersen did not part with this work until the end of his days.

Annually April 2ndWorld Children's Book Day is celebrated all over the world. In 1956, the International Council for Children's Books awarded the storyteller the Gold Medal, the highest international award that can be received in modern literature.

Even during his lifetime, a monument was erected to Andersen, the project of which he personally approved. At first, the project depicted the writer sitting surrounded by children, but the storyteller was outraged: "I would not have been able to say a word in such an environment." Therefore, the children had to be removed. Now on the square in Copenhagen sits a storyteller with a book in his hand, all alone. Which, however, is not so far from the truth.

Andersen cannot be called the soul of the company, he could be alone for a long time, reluctantly converged with people and seemed to live in a world that existed only in his head. No matter how cynical it may sound, but his soul was like a coffin - designed for only one person, for him. Studying the biography of the storyteller, one can draw only one conclusion: writing is a lonely profession. If you open this world to someone else, then the fairy tale will turn into an ordinary, dry and emotional story.

"The Ugly Duckling", "The Little Mermaid", "The Snow Queen", "Thumbelina", "The King's New Dress", "The Princess and the Pea" and more than a dozen fairy tales gave the world the author's pen. But in each of them there is a lone hero (main or secondary - it does not matter), in which Andersen can be recognized. And this is right, because only a storyteller can open the door to that reality where the impossible becomes possible. If he had deletedherself from a fairy tale, it would become a mere story with no right to exist.