RP250 Denmark's National Treasure

 RP250 Denmark's National Treasure

Hans Christian Andersen, celebrated Danish writer, was born in Odense, Denmark, in 1805 to a poor family. After attending various boarding schools, he briefly tried his hand as an actor before getting into writing. Writing would quickly become his life-long passion, so much so that he never had much time for relationships. By the time Andersen passed away in 1875, he had already been declared a "national treasure" by the Danish government.

Andersen is best known for capturing the imaginations of children around the world with his fairy tales. He wrote such classics as The Emperor's New Clothes, The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, and The Princess and the Pea. Even the hit Disney movie Frozen was based on a story by Andersen. Nowadays, it's hard to find someone who hasn't been exposed to at least one of his stories.

One remarkable aspect of Andersen is that he actually wrote all of these stories. Fairy tales tend to be passed down through generations, often adapted slightly to fit the times. Such was the case with the Brothers Grimm, another famous pair of Western fairy tale authors. They would collect and publish folk stories that had existed for centuries. Andersen, on the other hand, relied only on his imagination to weave his fantastic tales.

Hans Christian Andersen's impact on Western literature cannot be overstated. His stories contain all the elements of a good fairy tale: thrills, emotion, and a touch of darkness. The body of work he built up over a lifetime is very impressive. By the time of his death, he had written 168 fairy tales. Since then, his works have been translated into over 150 different languages. People all over the world now know the beauty and mystery of his writing.