Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875)
Author of The Complete Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales
About the Author
Please do not combine The Complete Fairy Tales with Andersen's Fairy Tales, they are not the same work. The Complete Fairy Tales has all (or almost all) 168 of his stories.
The various different works entitled "Andersen's Fairy Tales" each only have a selection of his stories. Also, multi-volume copies of the Complete Fairy Tales are not the same as single-volume copies and should not be combined with them (or with each other) unless their user has listed them as a single entry.
For example, Complete Fairy Tales (Vol. 2) contains only a fraction of the stories and is not the same as a single-volume copy of Complete Fairy Tales, nor is it the same as Vol. 1, which contains different stories. On the other hand, Complete Fairy Tales (2 Vols.), though not the same as Complete Fairy Tales (Vol. 2), can be combined with the other Complete Fairy Tales, since they both contain all 168 stories in a single entry. (SEE: Part/Whole Issues under What Not to Combine.)
Series
Works by Hans Christian Andersen
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Andersen, Hans Christian
- Legal name
- Andersen, Hans Christian
- Other names
- Andersen, H. C.
- Birthdate
- 1805-04-02
- Date of death
- 1875-08-04
- Gender
- male
- Education
- University of Copenhagen
- Occupations
- novelist
poet
short story writer
playwright
travel writer - Awards and honors
- Harenberg Buch der 1000 Bücher
- Short biography
- Hans Christian Andersen, often referred to in Scandinavia as H. C. Andersen (2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875), was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, Andersen is best remembered for his fairy tales.
- Cause of death
- liver cancer
- Nationality
- Denmark
- Birthplace
- Odense, Denmark
- Places of residence
- Odense, Denmark
Copenhagen, Denmark - Place of death
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Burial location
- Assistens Cemetery, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Map Location
- Denmark
- Disambiguation notice
- Please do not combine The Complete Fairy Tales with Andersen's Fairy Tales, they are not the same work. The Complete Fairy Tales has all (or almost all) 168 of his stories.
The various different works entitled "Andersen's Fairy Tales" each only have a selection of his stories. Also, multi-volume copies of the Complete Fairy Tales are not the same as single-volume copies and should not be combined with them (or with each other) unless their user has listed them as a single entry.
For example, Complete Fairy Tales (Vol. 2) contains only a fraction of the stories and is not the same as a single-volume copy of Complete Fairy Tales, nor is it the same as Vol. 1, which contains different stories. On the other hand, Complete Fairy Tales (2 Vols.), though not the same as Complete Fairy Tales (Vol. 2), can be combined with the other Complete Fairy Tales, since they both contain all 168 stories in a single entry. (SEE: Part/Whole Issues under What Not to Combine.)
Members
Discussions
Reviews
Den Lille Pige med Svovlstikkerne, literally "The Little Girl with Sulfur Sticks," is one of Andersen's original tales, and follows the heartbreaking story of a poor young match-seller who freezes to death on New Year's Eve. Unable to return home until she has sold her wares, the girl huddles in the shadows of a building, trying to keep warm. Gradually, one by one, she lights her matches, seeing visions of all the delights denied show more her...
Like The Fir Tree, The Little Match Girl is one of Andersen's melancholy holiday stories, more focused on the tragedy of existence - be it arboreal or human - than on seasonal celebration. I have always found it one of Andersen's most affecting tales, and cannot read the the scene in which the poor young girl sees a shooting star, and thinks "someone is dying," without feeling a shiver of grief.
This edition of the tale, one of three that I have particularly enjoyed, is illustrated by Rachel Isadora, whose illustrations - even in scenes in which golden light is spilling out of windows - all have a blue undertone. Her art captures the chilly gloom of a wintry night, and the wonder of the little match girl's visions. The scene in which she sits under the imaginary Christmas tree, and in which she is held in her grandmother's arms, are particularly well done. show less
Vladyslav Yerko, the fabulously talented Ukrainian artist and illustrator, whose edition of The Snow Queen ranks as one of my absolute favorite fairy-tale retellings, returns to the work of Hans Christian Andersen in this marvelous picture-book. Here we have the classic story of a poor soldier, returning home from the wars, who encounters an old witch on his journey and finds his fortunes changed. Agreeing to fetch the eponymous tinderbox for the show more witch, in return for all the money he can carry away from its underground hiding place, he ends up murdering the witch when she won't tell him how the tinderbox will be used, and keeping both it and the money. Becoming a gentleman of leisure with his newfound wealth, the soldier's fortune holds, until the money runs out. It is then that he discover that the tinderbox controls and summons the three magical guard dogs who watched over the witch's underground treasure - the chest with bronze coins, the one with silver, and the one with gold. Fortune restored, the soldier next uses his magical dogs to kidnap the kingdom's beautiful princess from her bed, so he might look on her in her sleep. When this results in his imprisonment and imminent execution, he uses his dogs to destroy the king and queen and their advisors, marrying the princess and becoming king himself...
I was struck during the course of reading The Tinderbox, as I always am with this story, by how amoral of a tale it is. It doesn't have, like Andersen's The Red Shoes, with its narrative of a girl who is punished for her ingratitude and impiety with a terrible bodily disfigurement and violation, a moral outlike with which I would disagree. Rather, it seems entirely lacking in a moral outlook altogether, and the narrative never seems to question the ethics of the soldier's actions, in violating his agreement with the witch, going back on his word to turn over the tinderbox to her, and eventually murdering her. Nor are his actions, in kidnapping the princess, just so he can look at her sleeping form, ever depicted as problematic. Instead, the reader is apparently meant to sympathize with his change of fortune and to applaud his use of the dogs, whilst ignoring the fact tht he is a word-breaker, a murderer, and a pervet of sorts. I've always found this rather odd, and have never been convinced, despite his one good quality, of giving generously to the poor, that the soldier is a hero worth cheering for.
All that said, this presentation of The Tinderbox is, despite my usual distaste at the tale, so phenomenally gorgeous, that I am rating the book at five stars. Vladyslav Yerko's painting are so beautiful, so marvelously detailed and engrossing, that it was a sheer pleasure to peruse them! From decorative endpaper to decorative endpaper, front to back, this is a visually stunning book. No superlative could do it justice! The detailed indoor scenes, as when the soldier fetches the treasure from its underground lair, or when he first encounters one of the dogs in his room at the inn, have a rich, golden glow, and are crammed with so many little objects of interest, that one could pore over the page endlessly:
The outdoor scenes are lighter in tone, but no less rich in detail. The scene showing the city center is particularly lovely:
I have no idea, of course, how Vladyslav Yerko views this story - presumably he enjoys it, or he would not bother illustrating it! - but the scene in which the dog servant flies through the air with the princess on his back, resonates with my feeling that the soldier is a bit of a villain. Here's the princess, still enough of a little girl to be hugging her stuffed rabbit in her sleep, being ogled by a stranger, and a grown man at that!:
However that may be, there is no question that this is one of the most beautiful fairy-tale picture-books I have encountered. A lovely, lovely volume, one I would recommend wholeheartedly to anyone who loves fairy-tales, or who appreciates gorgeously-illustrated books. show less
The stories themselves are fascinating (although none of them rank amongst my favorites), often featuring the experiences and thoughts of inanimate objects - a common enough theme in Andersen. Here the reader will encounter The Darning Needle, whose sense of self-importance is impervious to change in situation; The Collar, a starchy piece of clothing that likes to boast of his romantic conquests, however imaginary; and The Money Pig, an earthenware money box that comes to grief, while watching a play one night. Here too are tales of toys, from The Steadfast Tin Soldier, in which a one-legged tin soldier is faithful to his paper-ballerina love, to the Lovers, in which the non-romance of a top and ball takes on a different meaning, later in life. The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep, which features two porcelain figurines in love, might also be classed in this category.
Other tales include: The Flying Trunk, in which a lazy young man almost wins the hand of the Turkish king's daughter, with the help of a magical trunk; Jumpers, the tale of a flea, grasshopper and jumping jack who all compete for the hand of a princess; and Grief, an odd little meditation on the relativity (and individuality) of misfortune. Rounding out the selections are The Browney at the Grocer's, in which a tiny house brownie learns the value of poetry; The Snowman, in which a snowman falls in love with a stove; and that melancholy holiday tale of regret, The Fir Tree.
Accompanying each tale are numerous delightful illustrations - both full color plates and black and white drawings - by Chris Riddell, whose artwork I greatly admire, since first encountering it in Paul Stewart's The Edge Chronicles. By turns sinister and humorous, melancholy and beautiful, these images capture the feeling of each tale perfectly. All in all, a wonderful collection, well worth the time of Andersen's readers, particularly those wanting to find some of the more obscure tales. show less
Another of Hans Christian Andersen's original fairy-tales, The Old House was originally published in 1847, and has that reflective, somewhat melancholy tone I have come to associate show more with his work. This picture-book edition sets the tale in a modern city, making the contrast between the old house - with its turrets, carved balcony, and overhanging upper story - and the surrounding buildings (skyscrapers), all the more dramatic. Jean Claverie's interior scenes, in particular, have a warmth that is very appealing.
I'm not sure that there is another single-story, picture-book retelling of The Old House, making it especially fortunate that this one is so engaging. Well worth the time of any Andersen devotee! show less
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