Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, primarily of fairy tales and short stories geared towards children. The only son of working-class parents, Andersen became all too aware of the inequities of the class system from a young age, supporting himself and his education through a series of apprenticeships. Though initially interested in a career as an actor, Andersen’s passions soon switched to writing, and, at the urging of theater director and benefactor, Jonas Collin, he began to pen a series of works that would remain in the public conscience for centuries. Many of his stories, such as “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and “The Ugly Duckling” have since become so deeply ingrained in popular culture that it is easy to forget they had an original author to begin with. Andersen enjoyed considerable success during his later years as his stories were translated and garnered international fame, eventually becoming the recipient of a stipend from the Danish government that allowed him to make a comfortable living as an author. This newfound financial freedom gave him the ability to travel, and he wrote several travelogues chronicling his adventures across various countries and continents. He went on to forge a friendship with British novelist Charles Dickens, bonding over their shared concern for the poor and working classes. Andersen died in Copenhagen in 1875 from injuries sustained after a fall in his home.