Hans Christian Andersen had every right to think of his life as a fairy tale. He came from the lowest strata of society in the then little provincial town of Odense, went to Copenhagen at the age of 14, made his own way there and rose to the highest levels of European society as the friend of kings and princes.
In his autobiography, the story of his "fairy-tale life", he gives a vivid account of the Danish provincial life he knew as a child, of life in Danish aristocratic circles and in European high society. He met all the leading authors and composers of his time and was one of the most widely travelled writers of his day. His travels took him as far east as Constantinople, and as far north as Loch Lomond, and his account of all this includes sketches of many of the leading figures of 19th-century Europe.
Today he must surely be the most famous Dane of all time.

Author: Hans Christian Andersen
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Dedalus
Published: 01/01/2014
Series: Dark Masters
Pages: 514
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 7.80h x 5.00w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9781907650574


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 02/15/2014 pg. 48

About the Author
Andersen, Hans Christian: - Hans Christian Andersen (April 2, 1805 -- August 4, 1875) was a Danish author, fairy-tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories such as The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, The Snow Queen and The Little Match Girl. During his lifetime he was acclaimed for having delighted children worldwide, and was feted by royalty. His poetry and stories have been translated into more than 150 languages. They have inspired plays, ballets and films.Jones, Glyn: - W. Glyn Jones read Modern Languages at Pembroke College Cambridge, with Danish as his principal language, before doing his doctoral thesis at Cambridge. He taught at various universities in England and Scandinavia before becoming Professor of Scandinavian Studies at Newcastle and then at the University of East Anglia. W Glyn Jones' translations from Danish for Dedalus include five novels by William Heinesen, Ida Brandt by Herman Bang, Barbara by Jorgen-Frantz Jacobsen and My Fairy-Tale Life by Hans Christian Andersen.