Hans Christian Anderson

By Arielle Potter, 8/22/07

In 1805 in the city of Odense, Denmark the writer Hans Christian Anderson was born. His father was a cobbler and very poor so young Hans was sent to a school for poor children. He did not do well in school however, for he preferred making up stories and poems to studying, and he was so tall and ungainly that the other children made fun of him. Having no brothers or sisters, Hans generally played by himself, singing or playing with a little toy theatre his father had given him. The townsfolk thought he was crazy and his fancies wild and foolish, such as the time Hans believed the land of China was underneath the river and if he sang sweetly enough a Chinese emperor would emerge from the water and take him away to that magical country.
When he was fourteen Hans set out for Copenhagen, determined to become an actor, but no theatre would take him because he was not educated enough. He made friends with a man named John Collins who convinced the king of Denmark to grant Hans a royal scholarship. So, at the age of 17 Hans returned to school but still found it hard to learn. He completed school several years later however, and went abroad during which time he wrote the novel The Improvisatore. He wrote other plays and novels but they were generally ill received and he gained no recognition.
In the midst of all his trials he still had friends and it was his delight to tell fairy stories to their children. Some of his friends suggested that he have his fairy tales published. This he did, not expecting much to come of it, but readers were charmed by his simple style and lively fancy and soon many copies of his work were in print. Anderson became very famous and his tales, such as The Tinderbox, The Ugly Duckling, and The Emperor’s New Clothes, became some of the most widely read works of world literature. The story of the ugly duckling that became a swan is a sort of autobiography of Anderson’s own life, for although he was scorned and rudely treated at first, in the end even his home city of Odense did him honour. And so, in Anderson’s own words, “It matters not to have been born in a duck-yard if one has been hatched from a swan’s egg.”