Biographies of World Famous People Series -- Andersen

Author: Wang Kaiyang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Hans Christian Andersen's life can be called a beautiful and moving fairy tale, with twists and turns that are captivating. His life was without a fixed home, his soul wandered aimlessly, and every city he visited was a station in his life's journey. It recorded a series of rich and varied, ever-changing stories. He experienced what poverty and loneliness were, and also went through luxury and splendor; he knew what loss and inferiority were, and tasted the hardships of creation and the vicissitudes of struggle. He once cried alone in the cold night, enduring the loss of love and friendship; and he also tasted the harvest and joy of success in the tide of praise. His life was so rich and brilliant, and the wealth he left behind for the world was so precious. The name Hans Christian Andersen is engraved in the hall of human literary history, shining with bright and eternal light. Dreams were the Aladdin's lamp that guided his long journey in life, illuminating his path, his passionate pursuit, and his lonely yet determined steps.
Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was a Danish writer. He was born on April 2, 1805, in the poor district of Odense on the island of Funen, Denmark. His father was a poor shoemaker, and Andersen lost his father in childhood, after which his mother remarried. Andersen was tormented by poverty from a young age and worked as an apprentice in several shops, receiving no formal education. During his youth, he developed an interest in the stage. In 1819, he became a minor role at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen. However, he was dismissed due to a loss of voice. From then on, he began to study writing, but the plays he wrote were completely unsuitable for performance and were not adopted by the theater. In 1822, he received financial support from the theater director Jonas Collet and attended a grammar school in Slagelse. That year, he published a book titled The Young Man's Attempt under the pseudonym William Christian Walter. This pseudonym included the names of Shakespeare, Andersen himself, and Sir Walter Scott. In 1827, he published his first poem, The Dying Child. In 1829, he entered the University of Copenhagen to study. His significant work, A Walk from the Holmen Canal to the Eastern Tip of Amager Island in 1828 and 1829, was published in 1829. This humorous travelogue had a style reminiscent of the German writer E.T.A. Hoffmann. The publication of this travelogue brought Andersen initial recognition from society. He continued to engage in dramatic writing thereafter. In 1831, he traveled to Germany and wrote travel notes during his return journey. In 1833, he traveled to Italy, where he created a poetic drama titled Egmont and the Little Mermaid and a novel set in Italy titled The Improvisatore (published in 1835). The novel was soon translated into German and English, marking the beginning of the author's international reputation. His Collection of Stories for Children, which included The Tinderbox, Little Claus and Big Claus, The Princess on the Pea, and Little Ida's Flowers, was published in the spring of 1835. In 1837, two additional stories were added to this collection, forming the first volume of his fairy tale series. The second volume was completed in 1842, and in 1847, he wrote The Picture-Book without Pictures. From 1840 to 1857, Andersen visited Norway, Sweden, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Asia Minor, and Africa, writing many travelogues during his journeys, such as A Poet's Market (1842), Scandinavian Scenery (1851), A Journey Through Spain (1863), and Visiting Portugal (1866). He met many renowned writers and artists in Germany, France, and other countries. In 1847, he met Charles Dickens in England. On August 4, 1875, Hans Christian Andersen died in his home in Melcher's Street, Copenhagen. This fairy tale master wrote a total of 168 fairy tales and stories in his lifetime. His works have been translated into over 80 languages. Andersen wrote three autobiographies: A Short Biography (published in 1926), The True Story (published in Germany in 1847), and The Biography (published in 1855). Many of his novels and fairy tales also bear a strong autobiographical nature, such as The Improvisatore, O.T. (1836), Just a Fiddler (1837), Two Baronesses (1848), To Live or Not to Live (1857), and Belle (1870). In works like Dreams Under the Willow Tree (1853), Ib and Little Chris (1855), and She Is a Waste (1853), he wrote about the lives of shoemakers, laundresses, and other laborers, reflecting his own unfortunate life and experiences, as well as the social contradictions of Denmark, giving his works profound realism and a strong sense of the people.