The Romantic Life of Hans Christian Andersen

Millions of people recognize Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) as the author of over a hundred famous children's tales, but only a few people know the man behind the stories. The true Andersen was certainly not a writer of the happily-ever-after variety. Throughout his life, he was often very lonely--traveling around the earth and meeting hundreds of fascinating people, but never truly finding a person to share his life with.
Andersen considered himself to be an ugly duckling. He was abnormally tall and quite awkward, with sunken eyes, hollow cheeks, and a long, protruding nose. Like the duc...

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Hans Christian Andersen Travels through Denmark

Hans Christian Andersen is probably the most famous Dane in literary history, but his rise from poor, ambitious shoemaker’s son to lauded, internationally renowned author was a troubled one. Even today people are still trying to unearth the real Andersen.
To truly understand this man, one must travel back to Odense, Denmark in the year 1805. On April 2 of this year, Hans Christian Andersen was born to parents who had been married for two months and who did not live together until nine months after his birth.