The Fairy Tales That Will Affect the Lives of Chinese Children Forever -- Andersen's Fairy Tales (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Zhong Hui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: The tales of Hans Christian Andersen are not only written for children and young adults but also suitable for adults to read, making later children's literature exceptionally diverse in themes, creative methods, and expressive techniques. The translator of this book is a renowned writer and translator, one of the earliest individuals to systematically introduce Hans Christian Andersen's tales directly from Danish into China. Among the many translators of Hans Christian Andersen's tales worldwide, he is the only one to have received the Danish Flag Medal, the same honor as Andersen himself. Andersen's achievement lies in elevating fairy tales to a new height, establishing them as a significant literary genre., fairy tales have existed since ancient times, from the time children begin to understand stories—when grandmothers, mothers, or aunts tell tales by the cradle, which we generally call "folk tales." But as serious literary creations, they truly began with Andersen. Before publishing fairy tales, Andersen was already a writer. He wrote novels, poems, plays, travelogues, and more. He gained social recognition in these fields first, but at the age of 35, when he published his first fairy tale collection, he resolved to dedicate his life to writing for children. This decision may have been influenced by his own difficult childhood. Born into a poor urban family, he often struggled with hunger and had no traditional childhood. He wanted to write "tales for children to listen to"—this was also the title of his first few fairy tale collections. This title reflects his attitude toward children; he loved them—seeing himself as their friend. However, he also believed that when his stories were being "told to children," adults would be listening nearby, so he aimed to "offer something for them to think about." Therefore, his fairy tales were not only meant to enrich children's spiritual lives but also to inspire adults. This means his fairy tales carried a sense of "purpose." In his hands, the literary genre of fairy tales was raised to the same level as adult literature, even surpassing it.