G x Andersen his fairy tales. Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen(1805-1875) - world famous Danish writing, author popular fairy tales for children and adults.

G.H. Andersen is the author of numerous fairy tales, novels, essays, plays, and poems, but he gained popularity thanks to fairy tales and stories for children and adults. Without exaggeration, he is called the founder of fairy tales, as literary genre. The unusually talented author knew how to light a fire in little eyes with some special magic. The author does everything wonderfully - from a random bottle shard to an ugly duckling that turns into beautiful swan. Therefore, reading Andersen’s fairy tales means becoming an accomplice in a unique, diverse action.

Read Andersen's fairy tales online

Christian Andersen's fairy tales are a window to the whole world human feelings. In them, mercy and kindness are inseparable from each other just as much as pity cannot be imagined without compassion. The different moods in them never get boring, because they are painted in real life tones - sadness and joy, laughter and sadness, meetings and disappointments. This is such a different, but such a pure taste of real life.

Read Andersen's fairy tales to gain faith in justice, harmony and the eternal victory of good.

The biography of Hans Christian Andersen is the topic of this article. The years of life of this great writer are 1805-1875. Hans was born in Odense, a Danish city located on the island of Funen. Photo of Andersen Hans Christian is presented below.

His father was a shoemaker and a dreamer; most of all he loved to make various toys. He was in poor health and died when Hans was 9 years old. Maria, the boy's mother, worked as a laundress. The need that arose after the death of her husband forced this woman to send her son to a cloth factory as a worker, and then to a tobacco factory, but here he mainly entertained the workers by singing, and also acted out scenes from Golberg and Shakespeare.

First appearance on stage

Hans Christian in adolescence I read a lot, put up posters and was interested in the theater. In the summer of 1918, actors from the city of Copenhagen toured in Odense. For crowd scenes Everyone was invited. This is how Andersen got on stage. His diligence was noted, which gave the boy incredible dreams and great hopes.

In the photo below is the house in Odense where he lived during his childhood future writer.

Andersen sets off to conquer Copenhagen, patronage of Sibony

The biography of Hans Christian Andersen continued in Copenhagen. A 14-year-old theatergoer decided to go here and appear before the ballerina Schall, the prima of the local theater. He sang and danced in front of her. Prima thought he was a crazy tramp. A visit to the director also yielded nothing. He found Andersen too thin and lacking in appearance, necessary for an actor(already here the fairy tale “The Ugly Duckling” he wrote in the future was already outlined). Then Hans went to the singer Sibony, whom he managed to conquer with his singing. A subscription was organized in favor of Andersen. Sibony began giving him singing and music lessons. However, Andersen lost his voice six months later, and the singer invited him to return home.

New patrons and first debut

Hans had incredible tenacity. He was able to find new patrons - the poet Guldberg, whose brother he knew from Odense, and the dancer Dalen. The latter taught the boy dancing, and the poet taught German and Danish. Hans Christian soon made his debut on the stage of the local royal theater, in the ballet "Armide", performing a minor role of the 7th troll, of which there were only 8. He also sometimes sang in the choir of warriors and shepherds.

Hans, having become friends with the librarian, began to conduct most of his time among books, and also began to compose poetry himself (decorating them without much embarrassment with stanzas from famous poets), after which - tragedies ("Alfsol", "Robbers in Wissenberg"). Its first editor and reader was the poet Guldberg.

Studying at the Latin school and at the university, first works

The theater directorate eventually managed to secure a royal scholarship for the aspiring playwright. He also received the right to study for free at a Latin school, where he spent 5 years. In 1828, Andersel passed the entrance exams to the University of Copenhagen. By this time he was the author of two poems that were published - “The Dying Child” and “Evening”.

A year later, from his pen, the work “Journey on Foot...” appears, full of humor and imagination. At the same time, Andersen's vaudeville "Love on the St. Nicholas Tower" was staged on the stage of the Copenhagen Theatre. The audience greeted this production favorably. Andersen publishes in 1830 poetry collection, in which the fairy tale "Dead Man" was included as an appendix.

First love

At the same time, the writer Hans Christian Andersen falls in love. The sister of one of his university friends becomes the cause of Andersen's insomnia at night. This girl came from a burgher family with moderate ideals, in which prosperity was valued above all else. The parents did not like the poor writer at all. In addition, his mother was in an almshouse. The fact is that Maria, after the death of her second husband, lost a lot. She started drinking, and the neighbors decided to place the woman in a nursing home.

Traveling through Germany and creative crisis

Andersen's beloved refused him, preferring the pharmacist's son. In order to cure Hans of love, Collin, his wealthy patron, sent him on a trip to Germany. Andersen brought from there the book “Shadow Pictures” (year of creation - 1831), which he wrote under the influence of Heine’s work “Travel Pictures”. In this work Hans is still timid, but fairy-tale motifs have already begun to sound.

Let us continue to describe the life and work of Hans Christian Andersen. Lack of money and creative crisis forced him to begin compiling a libretto based on the works of W. Scott, which critics did not like very much. They began to remind him more and more often that he was the son of a shoemaker and should not be arrogant. Andersen eventually managed to present the King of Denmark with his second book of poems, Fantasies and Sketches. He accompanied his gift with a request for assistance for a trip abroad. The request was granted, and the writer went to Italy and France in 1833. During this journey, his mother died in an almshouse. Strange hands covered her eyes.

Meeting with Heine

Andersen met with Heine, his idol, in Paris. The acquaintance, however, was limited to a few walks along the boulevards of Paris. Andersen admired this man as a poet, but was wary of him as an atheist and freethinker. In Paris, Hans began to write a drama in verse, Agnetha and the Vodyanoy, completed in Italy.

Novel "The Improviser"

Italy served as the setting for the 1935 novel The Improviser. It was translated in 1844 in Russia and received a review by V. Belinsky himself. True, only the Italian landscapes, brilliantly painted by Andersen, received praise. The Russian critic, one might say, saw through the main character, without suspecting how biographical he was. After all, it was not the “enthusiastic Italian,” but Hans Christian himself who was tormented by dependence on patrons of the arts, and it was he who broke up “due to a misunderstanding” with his first lover.

Second love

With the second girl who touched Andersen’s heart, the daughter of Collin, his patron, nothing but brotherly love also happened. Collin himself patronized him willingly, but did not at all want to get the poet as his son-in-law. After all, Hans Christian Andersen, whose work and position were of interest only to art connoisseurs, was a man with a very unstable future. Therefore, a caring father chose a lawyer for his daughter.

Last attempt to get married

Another woman who Italian poet from the work "The Improviser" decided to get married, also appeared in the fate of its author. This is Jenny Lind, the singer who was called the "Swedish nightingale." They met in 1843, in which the fairy tale “The Nightingale” was born.

This acquaintance took place during the singer’s tour in Denmark. The word “love” flashed again in Andersen’s diary, but the matter did not come to verbal explanations. At the farewell banquet, Ienny made a toast in honor of the writer, inviting him to become her “brother.” This is where Hans Christian Andersen, whose work and biography interests us, ended his attempts to get married. Apparently, he was afraid that Madonna would punish him for his “secular path of life.” The personal life of Hans Christian Andersen, unfortunately, did not work out.

First fairy tales

Another novel was published after The Improviser - Only the Violinist (in 1837). Between the two novels, 2 issues of “Fairy Tales Told to Children” appeared. No one paid attention at that time to these works that Hans Christian Andersen created. A biography for children and adults of the writer we are interested in, however, should not miss this important point. Soon the third issue was published. The collections include classic fairy tales: “The Little Mermaid”, “The Princess and the Pea”, “Flint”, “The King’s New Clothes” and others.

Creative flourishing

At the end of the 30s and also the 40s there were creative flourishing Andersen. Such masterpieces of his appeared as “The Steadfast tin soldier"(written in 1838), "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Nightingale" (in 1843), " The Snow Queen"(in 1844), the next - "The Little Match Girl", then - "Shadow" (1847) and others.

Andersen at this time again visited Paris (in 1843), where he again met with Heine. He greeted him as an equal and was delighted with Andersen’s fairy tales. Hans became a European celebrity. Since then, he began to call the collections of his works “New Fairy Tales,” thereby emphasizing the fact that they are addressed to both children and adults.

In 1846, Hans Christian Andersen wrote an autobiography called The Tale of My Life. The biography for children and adults is written sincerely and frankly. Andersen spoke about himself very touchingly in the third person, as if creating another fairy tale. And indeed, fame came to this writer in a fabulous, unforeseen way.

Two interesting episodes from Andersen's life

The biography of Hans Christian Andersen is marked with one funny incident. It happened in 1847, during Hans's trip to England. The writer, having examined old castle, decided to leave his autograph in the visitors' book. Suddenly, the gatekeeper turned to his companion, an important elderly banker, believing that it was Andersen. Upon learning that he was mistaken, the gatekeeper exclaimed: “So young? And I thought that writers only become famous in old age.”

England gave another pleasant meeting to the Danish storyteller. Here he met Dickens, the author of The Cricket on the Stove and Oliver Twist, whom he loved very much. It turned out that Dickens loved fairy tales and stories by Hans Christian Andersen. Since the writers did not know each other's languages, they communicated using gestures. Touched, Dickens waved his handkerchief to Andersen from the pier for a long time.

Completion of life's journey

Last of all, as often happens, recognition for this writer came in his homeland. The sculptor showed him the project: Andersen, surrounded by children on all sides. However, Hans stated that his fairy tales are addressed to adults, and not just children. The project has been redone.

Hans Christian's photo of Andersen, dated July 1860, is shown below.

In 1875, on August 4, several months after the anniversary celebrations, he passed away in his sleep. great storyteller. This event ended the biography of Hans Christian Andersen. However, his tales and his memory continue to live to this day.

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

Family

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

Hans's grandfather was a woodcarver, but in the town where he lived he was considered a little crazy. Being a creative person by nature, he carved wooden figures of half-humans, half-animals with wings, and to many such art was completely incomprehensible. Christian Andersen did poorly at school and wrote with errors until the end of his life, but from childhood he was attracted to writing.

Fantasy world

There is a legend in Denmark that Andersen came from royal family. These rumors are due 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 he had no friends among the yard boys. 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 was the stories of Andersen's father 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 wild. More than once or twice he staged impromptu performances at home, acted out various skits and made adults laugh. His peers openly disliked him and often mocked him.

Difficulties

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

The boy had amazing big blue eyes and a reserved character. He liked to sit alone somewhere in a corner and play puppet show- your favorite game. This love for puppet shows he did not lose it even as an adult, carrying it in his soul until the end of his days.

Christian Andersen was different from his peers. Sometimes it seemed as if in the body little boy There lives a hot-tempered “guy” who if you don’t put your finger in his mouth, he’ll bite you off up to the elbow. He was too emotional and took everything too personally, which is why 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 against students were not practiced. Thanks to this act, the writer was well aware of the traditions of the Jewish people and forever maintained a connection with them. He even wrote several stories on Jewish theme Unfortunately, they were never translated into Russian.

Years of youth

When Christian Andersen turned 14 years old, he headed to Copenhagen. The mother assumed that her son would return soon. In fact, he was still a child, and in such big city he had little chance of getting caught. But, leaving his father’s house, the future writer confidently declared that he would become famous. First of all, he wanted to find a job that he liked. 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 one step closer to fulfilling his dream. One day he came to the house of a famous singer and began to beg her to help him work in the theater. To get rid of the strange teenager, the lady made a promise that she would help him, but she never kept her word. Only many years later does she admit to him that, when she first saw him, she thought he was devoid of reason.

At that time, the writer was a lanky, thin and stooped teenager, with an anxious and bad character. He was afraid of everything: possible robbery, dogs, fire, loss of his passport. All his life he suffered from toothache and for some reason believed that the number of teeth affected his writing. He was also deathly afraid of getting poisoned. When Scandinavian children sent their favorite storyteller sweets, he was horrified to send the gift to his nieces.

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

First works

But to put it briefly, Hans Christian Andersen was not very upset by the dismissal. At that time, he was already writing a five-act play and sent a letter to the king asking for financial assistance in publishing his work. In addition to the play, Hans Christian Andersen's book includes poems. The writer did everything to ensure that his work was sold. But neither announcements nor advertising campaigns in newspapers led to the expected level of sales. The storyteller did not give up. He took the book to the theater in the hope that a play would be staged based on his play. But here, too, disappointment awaited him.

Studies

The theater said that the writer lacked professional experience and offered him to study. People who sympathized with the unfortunate teenager sent a request to the King of Denmark himself to allow him to fill in the gaps in knowledge. His Majesty listened to the requests and provided the storyteller with the opportunity to receive an education at the expense of the state treasury. As the biography of Hans Christian Andersen says, in his life there was sharp turn: he received a place as a student at a school in the city of Slagels, later in Elsinore. Now the talented teenager did not need to think about how to earn a living. True, school science was difficult for him. He was constantly criticized by the rector of the educational institution, and Hans also felt uncomfortable due to the fact that he was older than his classmates. His studies ended in 1827, but the writer was never able to master grammar, so he wrote with errors for the rest of his life.

Creation

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

This was the start runway, the beginning of a new one 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 “Fairy Tales” of Hans Christian Andersen, flew out from under his pen like hot cakes. In 1840 he tried again to conquer theatrical stage, but the second attempt, like the first, did not bring the desired result. But he was successful in the craft of writing.

Success and hate

The collection “Picture Book Without Pictures” was released into 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 famous writer, they talked about him not only in Denmark, but also in Europe. In the summer of 1847, he visited England, where he was greeted with honors and triumph.

The writer continues to write novels and plays. He wants to become famous as a novelist and playwright, but his true fame came from fairy tales, which he quietly begins to hate. Andersen no longer wants to write in this genre, but fairy tales appear from his pen again and again. In 1872, on Christmas Eve, Andersen wrote his last fairy tale. That same year, he carelessly fell out of bed and was seriously injured. He never managed to recover 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 long ago in Denmark, researchers discovered a hitherto unknown fairy tale “The Tallow Candle” by Hans Christian Andersen. Summary This discovery is simple: the tallow candle cannot find its place in this world and becomes despondent. But one day she meets a flint that ignites a fire in her, to the delight of those around her.

In terms of its literary merits, this work is significantly inferior to fairy tales. late period creativity. It was written when Andersen was still in school. He dedicated the work to the priest's widow, Mrs. Bunkeflod. Thus, the young man tried to appease her and thank her for paying for his worthless science. Researchers agree that this work is filled with too much moralizing; there is not that gentle humor here, but only morality and “ soul feelings candles".

Personal 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 the cherished words in his diary: “I love!” He wrote fairy tales for her and dedicated poems to her. But Jenny, turning to 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 declining years, Andersen became even more extravagant: he often visited brothels and stayed there for a long time, but never touched the girls who worked there, but only spoke to them.

As is known, in Soviet time foreign writers often released in shortened or revised versions. This did not bypass the works of the Danish storyteller: instead of thick collections, thin collections were published in the USSR. Soviet writers any mention of God or religion should have been removed (if that doesn’t work, softened). Andersen does not have non-religious works, it’s just that in some works this is immediately noticeable, while in others the theological subtext is hidden between the lines. For example, in one of his works there is a phrase:

Everything was in this house: wealth and arrogant gentlemen, but the owner was not in the house.

But the original says that in the house there is no owner, but the Lord.

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

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 the Russian poet, is now in the Danish Royal Library. Andersen did not part with this work until the end of his days.

Every year on April 2, Children's Book Day is celebrated all over the world. In 1956, the International Children's Book Council awarded the storyteller a Gold Medal, the highest international award, which can be obtained in modern literature.

During his lifetime, Andersen was erected a monument, the design of which he personally approved. At first, the project depicted the writer sitting surrounded by children, but the storyteller was outraged by this: “I wouldn’t be able to say a word in such an environment.” Therefore, the children had to be removed. Now, in a square in Copenhagen, a storyteller sits with a book in his hand, all alone. Which, however, is not so far from the truth.

Andersen cannot be called the life of the party, he could for a long time to be alone with himself, was reluctant to get along with people and seemed to live in a world that existed only in his head. No matter how cynical it may sound, his soul was like a coffin - designed for only one person, 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 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 were given to the world by the author’s pen. But in each of them there is a lonely hero (main or secondary - it doesn’t matter) in whom you can recognize Andersen. And this is correct, because only a storyteller can open the door to that reality where the impossible becomes possible. If he had erased himself from the fairy tale, it would have become a simple story without the right to exist.

Hans Christian Andersen was born on April 2, 1805 in Odense on the island of Funen. Andersen's father, Hans Andersen (1782-1816), was a poor shoemaker, his mother Anna Marie Andersdatter (1775-1833), was a laundress from a poor family, she had to beg as a child, she was buried in a cemetery for the poor. In Denmark there is a legend about Andersen's royal origin, since in early biography Andersen wrote that as a child he played with Prince Frits, later King Frederick VII, and he had no friends among the street boys - only the prince. Andersen's friendship with Prince Frits, according to Andersen's fantasy, continued into adulthood, until the latter's death. After the death of Frits, with the exception of relatives, only Andersen was allowed to visit the coffin of the deceased. The reason for this fantasy was the boy’s father telling him that he was a relative of the king. Since childhood, the future writer showed a penchant for daydreaming and writing, and often staged impromptu home performances that caused laughter and ridicule from children. In 1816, Andersen's father died, and the boy had to work for food. He was apprenticed first to a weaver, then to a tailor. Then Andersen worked at a cigarette factory. IN early childhood Hans Christian was an introverted child with big blue eyes, who sat in the corner and played his favorite game - puppet theater. Andersen became interested in puppet theater later.

He grew up as a very subtly nervous child, emotional and receptive. At that time, physical punishment of children in schools was common, so the boy was afraid to go to school, and his mother sent him to a Jewish school, where physical punishment of children was prohibited. Hence Andersen’s forever preserved connection with the Jewish people and knowledge of their traditions and culture; he wrote several fairy tales and stories on Jewish themes (the novel “Only a fiddler (Just a violinist)” was translated into Russian).

At the age of 14, Hans went to Copenhagen; his mother let him go because she hoped that he would stay there for a while and return. When she asked the reason why he was traveling, leaving her and home, young Hans Christian immediately replied: “To become famous!” He went with the goal of getting a job in the theater, citing his love for everything connected with it. He received the money from a letter of recommendation from the colonel, in whose family he staged his performances as a child. During his year in Copenhagen he tried to get into the theater. First he came home to famous singer and, bursting into tears with excitement, asked her to get him into the theater. Just to get rid of the annoying teenager, she promised to arrange everything, but did not fulfill her promise. She later told Andersen that she simply mistook him for a madman.

Hans Christian was a lanky teenager with elongated and thin limbs, a neck and the same long nose. But thanks to his pleasant voice and his requests, as well as out of pity, Hans Christian, despite his unspectacular appearance, was accepted into Royal Theater where he played minor roles. He was used less and less, and then age-related loss of voice began, and he was fired. Hans Christian, meanwhile, composed a play in five acts and wrote a letter to the king, convincing him to give money for its publication. This book also included poems. Hans Christian took care of the advertising and gave an announcement in the newspaper. The book was printed, but no one bought it, it was used for wrapping. He did not lose hope and took his book to the theater so that a performance based on the play could be staged. He was refused with the wording “due to the author’s complete lack of experience.” But he was offered to study because of their kind attitude towards him, seeing his desire. People who sympathized with the poor and sensitive boy petitioned the King of Denmark, Frederick VI, who allowed him to study at a school in the town of Slagels, and then at another school in Elsinore at the expense of the treasury. This meant that I would no longer have to think about a piece of bread or how to live on. The students at school were 6 years younger than Andersen. He subsequently recalled his years at school as the darkest time of his life, due to the fact that he was subjected to severe criticism from the rector of the educational institution and was painfully worried about this until the end of his days - he saw the rector in nightmares. In 1827, Andersen completed his studies. Until the end of his life he wrote many grammatical errors- Andersen never mastered his diploma.

Andersen never married and had no children.

In 1829, the fantastic story “A Journey on Foot from the Holmen Canal to the Eastern End of Amager” published by Andersen brought the writer fame. Little was written before 1833, when Andersen received a financial allowance from the king, which allowed him to make his first trip abroad. From this time on, Andersen writes a large number of literary works, including in 1835 - the “Tales” that made him famous. In the 1840s, Andersen tried to return to the stage, but without much success. At the same time, he confirmed his talent by publishing the collection “Picture Book Without Pictures.”

The fame of his “Fairy Tales” grew; The 2nd edition of “Fairy Tales” was started in 1838, and the 3rd in 1845. By this time he was already a famous writer, widely known in Europe. In June 1847 he came to England for the first time and was given a triumphant welcome.

In the second half of the 1840s and in next years Andersen continued to publish novels and plays in a vain attempt to become famous as a playwright and novelist. At the same time, he despised his fairy tales, which brought him well-deserved fame. Nevertheless, he continued to write more and more fairy tales. The Last Tale written by Andersen on Christmas Day 1872.

In 1872, Andersen fell out of bed, was badly hurt and never recovered from his injuries, although he lived for another three years. He died on August 4, 1875 and is buried in Assistance Cemetery in Copenhagen.

The memory of Andersen is immortalized by a number of sculptures and other attractions: in Copenhagen, a statue of the Little Mermaid was erected in Andersen's honor. There are statues of the storyteller in New York, Bratislava, Moscow and Odense.
The Hans Christian Andersen Prize was established, the winners of which are awarded gold medals.
There is a puppet theater named after Andersen in Lublin.
In the city Pinery Leningrad region there is a children's game complex Andersengrad, named after the storyteller. There is an amusement park based on Andersen's fairy tales in Shanghai.
In 1935, to mark the centenary of the publication of Andersen's fairy tales, a series of Danish postage stamps was issued.
In 2005, for the bicentenary of Andersen's birth, postage stamps of Belarus and Kazakhstan were issued.

G.K. Andersen is a famous Danish storyteller, whose works are familiar to adults and children all over the world. He was born on April 2, 1805 in the family of a poor shoemaker and washerwoman. The father doted on his son. He read fairy tales to the boy, walked and played with him, made toys for him himself, and once even made a home puppet theater.

When Hans was only 11 years old, his father died. The guy attended school occasionally because he had to work part-time. He was first a weaver's apprentice, then a tailor. Then he worked for some time in a factory that produced cigarettes.

Andersen loved the theater very much, so in 1819, dreaming of learning the craft of acting and becoming famous, he moved to Copenhagen. Thanks to his good soprano, he was accepted into the Royal Theater, but was trusted only with minor roles. Soon the young man was fired because his voice began to break. Attempts to become a ballet dancer were unsuccessful. The first steps in the literary field also ended in failure.

Fate smiled on Andersen after he met Jonas Collin, who saw in young man He had great creative inclinations and petitioned the king for a scholarship to get an education at a gymnasium. In 1827 Hans switched to home schooling. A year later he entered the University of Copenhagen.

He managed to combine his studies at the university with his activities as a screenwriter and author of prose. The fees received gave Andersen the opportunity to travel to Germany. Then the writer visited abroad 29 times. During his travels he met many outstanding people, and became friends with some of them.

In 1835, his novel “The Improviser” and a collection of 4 fairy tales were published. G.K. Andersen becomes popular. Later he published several more novels, plays and many works by others. literary genres. But the main thing in creative heritage of an extraordinary writer are fairy tales. He created 212 of them during his life.

In 1867, Andersen received the rank of state councilor and the title honorary citizen hometown Odense.

In 1872, he fell out of bed and was seriously injured. The writer died on August 4, 1875 (cause of death: liver cancer). On the day of his funeral, all of Denmark was in mourning.

Biography 2

The life of the great Danish writer was surprisingly interesting. Before becoming a famous and wealthy man, he had to experience a lot of grief.

Andersen was born in 1805 in the city of Odense into the family of a shoemaker. He spent his childhood years in a small, modest closet. The boy grew up as an only and spoiled child. His father is all his free time dedicated to Hans and his wife, reading to them La Fontaine's fables and Gulberg's comedies in the evenings. The boy had many toys, which were made by the head of the family. Christian learned to read in a school run by herself elderly woman. Then his mother sent him to a boys' school, where he continued his education. When Andersen was 12 years old, he had to work in a cloth factory. There he could study only in the evenings educational institution for the poor. However, this did not stop the boy from trying. He especially loved reading and listening to fairy tales.

On September 6, 1819, Andersen arrives in Copenhagen, where he meets the director of the royal conservatory, Sibboni. He starts singing for him, and Sibboney says that he can have a wonderful career. However, Andersen loses his voice, and he has to live in poverty again, working part-time in a carpentry shop. Soon he gets a job in the theater, where choirmaster Crossing notices him. Hans began to devote himself wholeheartedly theatrical creativity and even missed free evening lessons.

In 1822 he was fired from the choir and ballet school, and again no one needed him. Then Andersen decided to write a play that would be staged in the theater. And he creates the tragedy "Alfsol". And then one of the representatives creative circle Gutfeld recommended his work to the theater management. And although his work was not staged, the directorate, headed by Jonas Collin, began to petition for his enrollment in some school. Collin helped him study for free at the gymnasium. He then continues his studies at the University of Copenhagen. Andersen travels a lot around Europe, where he meets Hugo, Dumas and other famous writers of that era.

From 1835 to 1841, the writer’s collections appeared under the title “Fairy Tales Told for Children.” In his fairy tales, he wrote only the truth, which was told by the boy from the work about the naked king. Andersen became the first good adviser for all children. And, of course, adults did not stand aside, since they once also had the same childhood. The writer's tales contain a lot of wisdom and valuable advice which are so needed in life. And although he became such a famous writer, in his personal life he remained a lonely man. Andersen died in 1875, completely alone.