Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen is the world’s most famous Danish writer; his works have been translated into more than 120 languages. Even during his life time he gained great recognition and frequented the Danish royal court. Hans Christian Andersen came from a poor family in the city of Odense. His father, a shoemaker, died when the son was ten, and his mother, a washerwoman, ended up at the poorhouse.

Hans Christian Andersen moved to Copenhagen at the age of 14 and tried without success to begin a career as a singer or dancer. The well-to-do civil servant’s family Collin took him under their wing and he received the equivalent of an A level or highschool certificate. The Collin family remained a continuous presence during his life, during which he also travelled extensively abroad and visited many Danish manor houses.

In his large body of work, which contains plays, novels, travel accounts, memoirs and poetry, his fairy tales stand out as his most original and beloved works.

Hans Christian Andersen died unmarried and childless. He lies buried at the Assistens Cemetary in Copenhagen.

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