A Great Dane: Hans Christian Andersen
"Life itself," wrote Hans Christian Andersen, the first great modern fantasist for children, "is the most wonderful fairy tale." Like his own Ugly Duckling, the hopelessly gawky Danish storyteller underwent an extraordinary transformation: from poor provincial lad to globetrotting celebrity.
Inspired in part by the traditional "wonder tales" collected by the Brothers Grimm, Andersen boldly fashioned new stories that reclaimed a place for the magical in a world that increasingly prized science and reason as the measure of all things.
Where, according to Andersen, might magic lie? In the ocean's depths, where humans dared not venture ("The Little Mermaid"); at home, late at night, when toys were free to act out their destinies ("The Steadfast Tin Soldier"); and in overlooked nooks and crannies ("Thumbelina").
A Romantic to the core, Andersen believed that children, with their wide-eyed receptivity to life, were the likeliest to recognize the wonder that was, in fact, everywhere around us.
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The Nightingale and Other Stories
Written by Hans Christian Andersen
Illustrated by Edmund Dulac
1910-14
The Provensen Book of Fairy Tales
(The Prince and the Goose Girl)
Written by Elinor Mordaunt
Illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen
1971
The Steadfast Tin Soldier
Written by Hans Christian Andersen
Adapted by Tor Seidler
Illustrated by Fred Marcellino
1992
The Little Mermaid
Written by Hans Christian Andersen
Translated by Anthea Bell
Illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger
2004