"Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale."— Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
The original fairy tale writer
Hans Christian Andersen was born in Denmark to a very poor family. His father was a shoemaker; his mother washed other people's clothes for money. They lived in one tiny room. Hans was the only child.
As a kid, Hans was tall, gangly, and sensitive. Other kids made fun of his big feet and his big nose and how easily he cried. He loved stories and singing more than anything else. When his father died, Hans was 11. By 14, he packed a small bag and walked to Copenhagen alone to try to become an actor.
Quick Facts
- Born: April 2, 1805
- From: Odense, Denmark
- Job: Fairy tale writer & traveler
- Famous for: The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, The Princess and the Pea, Thumbelina
Andersen was friends with Charles Dickens. He once visited Dickens's home in England, and stayed for five weeks! Dickens's family was so annoyed they wrote a note on the guest room window, 'Hans Andersen slept in this room for five weeks, which seemed to the family AGES!'
His Famous Tales
Read Andersen's tales on Worldly
Andersen's tales are beautiful, sometimes tender, sometimes sad, always rich. On Worldly, every page is adapted to fit your reader's level.
His Life, Year by Year
From rags to fairy tales
Andersen rose from poverty to royal favor, a journey that shaped almost every fairy tale he wrote.
Born in Odense
Hans Christian Andersen is born in Odense, Denmark, the only child of a shoemaker. The family lives in a single tiny room.
His father dies
Hans's father dies when Hans is 11. Hans is now the family's hope. He sings for neighbors who pay him with food.
He leaves home at 14
Hans walks from Odense to Copenhagen alone, hoping to become an actor or singer. He fails at both. He's homeless and broke for years.
A patron pays for school
Jonas Collin, a government official, notices Hans's talent and pays for him to go back to school at age 17. Hans is much taller than the other students. He hates it. But he learns.
He travels Europe
Hans gets a royal grant to travel. He goes to Germany, Italy, France. He writes about everywhere he goes. Travel becomes a lifelong habit.
First fairy tales published
Hans publishes Fairy Tales, Told for Children. Includes The Tinder Box, The Princess and the Pea, and Little Claus and Big Claus. People love them.
The Little Mermaid
Hans publishes The Little Mermaid, a story about a young mermaid who gives up her voice for a chance at love. The original ending is tragic, not happy.
The Ugly Duckling
Hans publishes The Ugly Duckling, about a strange-looking duckling who turns out to be a swan. Everyone knows it's about Hans himself.
Honored at the end
Hans dies in Copenhagen at age 70. The King of Denmark visits him on his deathbed. He's by now the most famous Danish person alive.
What He Invented
Three things he gave fairy tales
Unlike the Grimms (who collected OLD stories), Andersen wrote BRAND NEW fairy tales, and changed the genre forever.
Andersen tale
The 'feel-something' fairy tale
Before Andersen, most fairy tales just told plot. Andersen wrote stories that made you feel things, sadness, longing, hope. Modern fairy tales are all his children.
Andersen tale
Sad endings
In Andersen's original Little Mermaid, the mermaid doesn't get the prince, she dies and becomes sea foam. In The Little Match Girl, a poor girl freezes to death on New Year's Eve. He wasn't afraid to break hearts.
Andersen tale
The outsider as hero
The Ugly Duckling. The Little Mermaid. The Tin Soldier. The Princess who feels a pea through 20 mattresses. Andersen's heroes were almost always odd ones who didn't fit in. He was writing about himself.
Wait… really?!
Six surprising things about Andersen
He was very tall and very awkward
Andersen was about 6'1" (185 cm), tall for his time. He had a big nose, big feet, and a slightly clumsy way of moving that made him an easy target for bullies.
He was friends with Charles Dickens
Andersen visited Dickens in London in 1857, and stayed for FIVE WEEKS, much longer than expected. Dickens was so frustrated he later put a note in the guest bedroom window noting how long the visit had been.
His tales are full of his own loneliness
Andersen never married. He was deeply lonely his whole life. The sad, longing tone of his fairy tales comes straight from his own feelings.
He wrote travel books too
Andersen LOVED to travel. He visited Greece, Turkey, Italy, England, and dozens of other countries, at a time when most people never left their hometown. He wrote popular travel books about all of it.
He was honored by kings
By the end of his life, Andersen was friends with Denmark's royal family. The king himself visited Hans on his deathbed and granted him a state funeral, quite a journey for a poor cobbler's son.
His tales were the FIRST original fairy tales
Before Andersen, fairy tales were folk tales, stories passed down for generations. Andersen invented brand-new ones. Almost every modern fairy-tale author since (J.R.R. Tolkien, even Disney) is following his path.
Good questions, answered
Hans Christian Andersen FAQ
Did Andersen write the Little Mermaid?+
Yes, and his original version is much sadder than Disney's! In Andersen's tale, the mermaid doesn't get the prince. She dies and becomes sea foam. Disney made a happier ending in 1989, but the original is one of Andersen's most beautiful stories.
Is The Ugly Duckling a true story?+
Sort of, Andersen always said it was about himself. As a kid he was tall, awkward, and bullied. He felt like a 'wrong' kind of bird. By the time he wrote The Ugly Duckling, he'd become famous, a swan.
What's the difference between Grimm and Andersen tales?+
The Grimms COLLECTED old folktales that had been told for hundreds of years. Andersen INVENTED his fairy tales, they're original stories. Both are now classics.
What age are Andersen's tales good for?+
Andersen tales work best as read-alouds from age 5, and as chapter books from about age 7. The Worldly version softens the saddest endings and updates the language.
Why did he write so much about loneliness?+
Andersen never married and was lonely his whole life. His fairy tales, especially the sad ones, channel his real feelings about feeling different and unloved. That's part of why they still touch people 200 years later.
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