About this item
A gawky, dreamy boy, Hans Christian Andersen grew up to become a profoundly imaginative writer and storyteller who revolutionized literature for children. Andersen gave us the now standard versions of some traditional folk tales as well as original stories that have enchanted generations of readers. To commemorate the bicentennial of his birth, Viking will publish a new translation of thirty of his extraordinary tales, illustrated with Andersen's own paper cuts. From the exuberant early stories such as "The Tinderbox" and "The Emperor's New Clothes" through poignant masterpieces such as "The Little Mermaid" and "The Ugly Duckling," to darker, more subversive later tales written for adults, the stories here are endlessly experimental, humorous and irreverent, sorrowful and strange.
About the Author
Hans Christian Andersen (/?h??nz ?kr?st??n ?ænd?rs?n/; Danish: [han?s k??æsd?jan ??n?sn?] ( listen) ; 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. Andersen's popularity is not limited to children; his stories, called eventyr in Danish or "fairy-tales" in English, express themes that transcend age and nationality.Andersen's fairy tales, which have been translated into more than 125 languages, have become culturally embedded in the West's collective consciousness, readily accessible to children, but presenting lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity for mature readers as well. Some of his most famous fairy tales include "The Emperor's New Clothes", "The Little Mermaid", "The Nightingale", "The Snow Queen", "The Ugly Duckling", and many more.His stories have inspired ballets, both animated and live-action films, and plays. Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Thora Hallager (1821-1884) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
