Andersen, Hans Christian (1805-1875)

Statue of the Little Mermaid by Edvard Eriksen in the harbour at Copenhagen, Denmark. The bronze statue was paid for by the head of the Carlsberg brewery. Since its unveiling in 1913 it has been damaged by vandals and repaired many times.

Bronze statue of Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen in Copenhagen. Andersen was born in Odense in 1805, the son of a shoemaker, but at the age of 14 ran away from home to live in Copenhagen.

Danish writer of fairy tales. Examples include ‘The Ugly Duckling’, ‘The Snow Queen’, ‘The Little Mermaid’, and ‘The Emperor's New Clothes’. Their inventiveness, sensitivity, and strong sense of wonder have given these stories perennial and universal appeal; they have been translated into many languages. He also wrote adult novels and travel books.

Andersen was born in Odense on the island of Fyn. His first children's stories were published in 1835. Some are based on folklore; others are original. His other works include the novel The Improvisatore (1845), romances, and an autobiography Mit livs eventyr/The Tale of My Life (1855). He travelled extensively in Europe, and in England met and became friendly with the novelist Charles Dickens.