Andersen (Heinz Christian Andersen, 1805-1875) was a Danish writer. Born on April 2, 1805 in the slums of Odense, Funen Island, Denmark. His father was a poor shoemaker who volunteered to fight against Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion. He died of illness in 1816 after being discharged from the army. His mother, who was a washerwoman, soon remarried. Andersen was tortured by poverty since he was a child. He worked as an apprentice in several shops without receiving formal education. He became interested in the stage as a boy and dreamed of becoming a singer, actor or playwright. In 1819, he became a minor supporting actor at the Royal Theater in Copenhagen. He was later fired because his throat was wet. He began to learn writing from then on, but the script he wrote was completely unsuitable for performance and was not adopted by the theater. In 1822, he received funding from theater director Jonas Colin and studied at a grammar school in Slierse. This year he wrote the book "Youth's Attempts", published under the pseudonym Wilhelm Christian Walter. This pseudonym included the names of William Shakespeare, Andersen himself, and Scott. In 1827, he published his first poem "The Dying Child". In 1829, he entered the University of Copenhagen to study. His first important work, "A Walk from the Holmen Canal to the East Point of Amager Island in 1828 and 1829", was published in 1829. This is a travelogue with a sense of humor, and is quite similar to the writing style of the German writer Hoffmann. The publication of this travelogue gave Andersen initial recognition from society. Thereafter he continued to write plays. In 1831, he traveled to Germany and wrote travel notes on his way back. In 1833, he went to Italy and wrote a poetic drama "Egnet and the Mermaid" and a novel "The Impromptu Poet" (1835) with Italy as the background. Shortly after its publication, the novel was translated into German and English, marking the beginning of the author's international reputation.
Brief information:
Born on April 2, 1805, in the small town of Odense, Fern Island, Denmark.
His father died in 1816 when he was 11 years old.
In 1819, when he was 14 years old, he left home alone and went to Copenhagen to seek creative opportunities.
In August 1822, he published the work "Anthology Collection", which contains three poems, dramas and stories. This collection had no chance of being published due to its humble background, but it has attracted the attention of some people in the cultural world. In October, he entered a secondary missionary school for cultural remedial studies. He studied for six years and was deeply distressed by the educational methods. However, during these six years, he read a lot of works by famous writers and also practiced composing poems and operas. In 1827, he left school and returned to Copenhagen. Published poems, praised by upper-class critics, inspired Andersen's confidence in writing.
In 1829, he wrote a long fantasy travelogue "Wanderings on the Island of Amager" and published it. The first edition sold out. The publisher immediately bought the second edition at favorable terms, and Andersen was freed from the oppression of hunger. The comedy "Love on Nikolayev Towers" is performed at the Royal Opera House. In the same year, he also published his first collection of poems.
In 1830, first love failed. Began traveling; second book of poetry published.
From 1831 to 1834, love failed again and his mother died. Soon after, he published a long autobiographical novel "The Improvisational Poet".
In 1835, when he was 30 years old, he began to write fairy tales and published his first collection of fairy tales. It was a 61-page booklet, including "Tinderbox", "Little Claus and Big Claus", "The Princess on the Pea" and "Little Ida's Flowers" *** four chapters. The work did not receive unanimous praise. Some people even thought that he did not have the talent to write fairy tales and suggested that he give up. But Andersen said: "This is my immortal work!"
In 1844, he wrote his autobiography. Sexual work "The Ugly Duckling".
In 1846, he wrote "The Little Match Girl".
"Lucky Belle", the longest work in his later period, was published in 1970, with more than 70,000 words. It was written based on his own life experiences, but it was not entirely an autobiography.
In 1867, he was elected as an honorary citizen by his hometown of Odense.
At 11 a.m. on August 4, 1875, he died of liver cancer at his friend's country house. The funeral was extremely sad and honorable. He died at the age of 70.
Catalogue of Andersen's works:
Novel (6): "The Improvisational Poet" (1835), "O.T." (1836), "Just a Fiddler" (1837) , "The Two Baronesses" (1848), "Alive?" "Death" (1857), "The Lucky One" (1870).
Libretto (25): poetic drama "Afsol" (1822?), "Love in the Bell Tower of St. Nicholas Church" (1829), opera "The Bride of Lammermoor" (1832) ), the opera "The Raven" (1832), the verse drama "The Mermaid of Egnat" (1834), the vaudeville "Farewell and Reunion" (1835), the opera "The God of Sproo" (1839), " "Mulatto" (1840), "The Moor's Daughter" (1840), "The Flower of Happiness" (1844), one-act poetic drama "The King's Dream" (1844), "The Bird in the Pear Tree" (1845) , "Little Kirsten" (1846), "A Wedding on the Como River" (1848), a comedy in four acts "More Precious than Jewels" (1850), an opera "Nordic Goddess" (1850), "New Property" "(1850), "The Sandman" (1850), comedy "Heldmore" (1851), comedy "Eldermother" (1851), comedy "Not of Highborn" (1863), comedy "Long Bridge" (1863) , the three-act play "The Spanish Guest" (1865), the one-act play "The Newcomers" (date unknown), "Nights of Rosquirida" (date unknown).
Travel Notes (6): "A Walk from the Holmen Canal to the East Point of Amager Island in 1828 and 1829" (1829), "A Journey to Sweden" (1851), "Scenery of Spain" ( 1863), "Visit to Portugal" (1866).
Autobiography (3): "Biography" (1832), "The True Story of My Life" (1847), "My Fairy Tale Life" (1855).
Poetry (4): "Collected Poems" (I, 1829), "Collected Poems" (II, 1830), Collected Poems "Fantasy and Reality" (1830), Collected Poems "Twelve Months of the Year" (1832).
A total of 156 fairy tales
Detailed information:
His first "Fairy tales," Told for Children), which includes "The Tinderbox", "Little Claus and Big Claus", "The Princess on the Pea" and "Little Ida's Flowers", was published in the spring of 1835. In 1837, two more stories were added to this collection and compiled into Volume 1 of Fairy Tales. The second volume was completed in 1842, and another "Picture Album without Pictures" was written in 1847.
From 1840 to 1857, Andersen visited Norway, Sweden, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Asia Minor and Africa, and wrote many travel notes during the journey, such as: "A Poet" "Market" (1842), "Swedish Scenery" (1851), "Journey to Spain" (1863), "Visit to Portugal" (1866), etc. He met many well-known writers and artists in Germany, France and other countries. In 1847, he met Dickens in England.
Andersen wrote three autobiographies: the "Small Biography" (1926) written in 1832, the "Main Biography" published in Germany in 1847, and the later "Biography" (1855). Most of the novels and fairy tales are also autobiographical, such as "The Improvisational Poet", "O.T" (1836), "Nothing But a Fiddler" (1837), "The Two Baronesses" (1848), "To Live or to Live" Not to Live" (1857), "Lucky Belle" (1870), etc. In his works such as "Dream Under the Willow Tree" (1853), "Ib and Little Christine" (1855), "She is a Waste" (1853), he also wrote about the lives of workers such as shoemakers and washerwomen. Life reflects his own unfortunate life experience and experiences, and at the same time expresses the social contradictions in Denmark, which is of profound reality and people's nature.
In 1843, Andersen met the Swedish singer Jenny Lind. The sincere friendship became the inspiring force in his creation. But he was not a bed of roses in his personal life. He has never been married. His closest friends in later life were Henrik and Melcher.
On August 4, 1875, Andersen died at Melcher's mansion in Copenhagen. This fairy tale master continued to create throughout his life, dedicating his genius and life to "the future generation". Until three years before his death, *** wrote 168 fairy tales and stories. His works have been translated into more than 80 languages.
Andersen's fairy tales embody the democratic tradition and realist tendency in Danish literature. His best fairy tales are very popular and are still read by many adults and children around the world today. Some fairy tales, such as "The Little Match Girl", "The Ugly Duckling", "The Janitor's Son", etc., not only truly depict the tragic life of the poor, but also permeate the romantic sentiment. and fantasy. Since the author was born into a poor family, he was deeply aware of the phenomenon of inequality between the rich and the poor in society and the law of the jungle. Therefore, on the one hand, he warmly praised the working people with sincere writing, sympathized with the unfortunate poor, and praised their kindness, purity and other noble qualities; On the one hand, he angrily criticized the cruel, greedy, weak, and stupid reactionary ruling class and exploiters, exposed the scandalous behavior of church monks and people's bad habits, and spared no effort to criticize social evils. "The Emperor's New Clothes" poignantly satirized the emperor's incompetence and the sycophancy of his courtiers; "The Nightingale" and "The Princess and the Pea" mocked The ignorance and fragility of the aristocracy. Some stories, such as "The Snow Queen", express the author's view of human ideals, that is, the optimistic belief that "truth, goodness and beauty will eventually prevail." In his last work, "The Gardener and the Master," he also focused on creating the image of a true patriot, reflecting the author's unswerving patriotism.
Some of Andersen's fairy tales, especially some of his late works, also show the limitations of his thinking. Although he was full of sympathy for the poor, he could not find a way out of misfortune and looked at the world with a sad eye, showing negative emotions. He believes that God is the embodiment of truth, goodness and beauty and can guide people towards "happiness". In his works, he sometimes preached morals, promoted the Christian idea of ??fraternity, and advocated the spirit of tolerance and reconciliation.
Andersen's fairy tales are closely related to folk literature, inheriting and carrying forward the simple and fresh style of folk literature. Most of his early works were based on folk tales, and many folk songs and legends were also cited in his later creations.
In terms of genre and writing techniques, Andersen's works are diverse, including fairy tales and short stories, fables and poems; they are suitable for both children's reading and adult appreciation. The artistic images he created, such as the emperor without clothes, the determined tin soldier, Thumbelina, the ugly duckling, the red shoes, etc., have become allusions in European languages.
In terms of language style, Andersen is a highly creative writer. He makes extensive use of the daily spoken language of the Danish lower class and the structural forms of folk tales in his works. The language is vivid, natural, smooth, beautiful, and full of rich local flavor.
Andersen's works were introduced to China very early. The January 1919 issue of "New Youth" published a translation of "The Little Match Girl" by Zhou Zuoren. In 1942, Beijing Xinchao Press published "Traveling Companions" co-translated by Lin Lan and Zhang Jinfen. Since then, the Commercial Press, Zhonghua Book Company and Kaiming Bookstore have successively published translations of Andersen's fairy tales, Andersen's biography and reviews of his works. The translators include Zheng Zhenduo, Mao Dun, Zhao Jingshen, Gu Junzheng, etc. However, the translations before liberation were all translated from English, Japanese or other languages. After liberation, Ye Junjian conducted a systematic study of Andersen's original works and translated all Andersen's fairy tales directly from Danish into Chinese. People's Literature Publishing House published "Selected Fairy Tales of Andersen" translated by Ye Junjian several times in 1955, 1958 and 1978.
In April 1805, a baby was born on a bed made of coffin boards. He cried loudly, as if protesting against God's banishment of angels to the human world. The priest comforted the frightened mother and said: “The louder you cry when you are a child, the more beautiful your singing will be when you grow up.
"Sure enough, many years later, this angel sang to the whole world with a voice like a nightingale. Even Santa Claus is not more famous than him. His name is Hans Christian Andersen.
Andersen's father was a poor shoemaker in Odense, Denmark. He had read a lot of books, was homesick and had a bit of a romantic temperament, but these were not things he was thankful for. My wife is a simple woman - not beautiful, but very hardworking, easy to believe in everything, including God.
This spring, the stork flew again, and the gooseberry tree in the courtyard wrinkled again. With tiny new leaves, little Andersen knew that he was already 6 years old. He pretended to be serious and pointed at the stork who was cleaning up his old nest. When he went to Egypt to spend the winter and would be pecked to death, he became worried: "Let them come to our attic. I will definitely give them something to eat in the winter." "
Odense is a closed town. People firmly believe in God and witches. Many mysterious legends are floating in the air. The grandmothers in the spinning room sometimes tell "One Thousand and One Nights" The bizarre stories in "Andersen" were told to the little Andersen who came to play, which enriched the mind of this little guy who originally liked to dream. How strange the little guy was: many people sighed endlessly and were frightened when listening to these terrible stories, but they seemed to be okay afterward. To him, everything he heard had a distinct magical quality, as if it were real. Sometimes he would be frightened by the elves in the woods and run home without a trace. Years later, these ancient legends and childhood fantasies became the source of his creation.
The mother was full of love for her weak only son. In order to save him from the physical abuse of the bad-tempered old aunt at school, he The 6-year-old Andersen was sent to study with young Karl Schens as the youngest student. This teacher, who was respected for his fairness and kindness, liked the new student who was quiet and girly and often held his hand during class. Walking around the campus, shouting to the playful students from time to time: "Quiet, naughty boys, don't push this kid down." ”
Andersen often peeked at Sara, the only girl in the school. He imagined her as a princess in a fairy tale and longed to get close to this dark-eyed little girl. Once, they went home together, but in fact he The family had already passed by, but he didn’t say a word. Sarah, who also came from a poor family, vowed that she would become a housekeeper on a certain farm in the future. Andersen opened her eyes wide: “That’s so boring! "How can a princess be in charge?" "When I grow up, I want to take you into my castle." "He told the girl that his family was originally a branch of the nobility, but for some reason..., one day... Sarah laughed, this little guy must be crazy. The next day, a miller's son O Lai grabbed Andersen's hair and shouted: "Good day, Your Majesty the Duke!" Where is your beautiful castle? "The people around laughed.
Andersen's love retreated sadly. But in the fantasy, he allowed himself to save Sara in the fire and accepted her apology. He even forgave the bullying and ridicule. His Olai, when the naughty boy was punished to stand on the table, little Andersen put himself in Olai's shoes and imagined the humiliating situation, so that before the punished boy could cry, he cried out and begged the teacher to forgive him. After this incident, the workshop owner's son became the little Andersen's protector.
Time passed quickly, and Andersen was very happy in school, but the times were difficult. The school was closed, and he had to return home. The puppets his father made for him brought great satisfaction to his son. He sewed beautiful clothes for the little people and let the puppets play their part on the "stage". Fantasy.
Soon, something better broke into his life - he read the works of William Shakespeare, and he was deeply fascinated by the magical and magnificent plots. He could recite "King Lear" in its entirety; his puppets were immersed in the sea of ??William Shakespeare's passion.
He began to think of making up his own plays - which he learned from his father. A few German words for the puppet, "Besen!" "This word is so loud, but you would never imagine that the word this puppet loves to say actually means "broom".
In 1813, Napoleon Bonaparte launched a war, and his family was in a difficult situation. And the desire for adventure drove the shoemaker to the battlefield. Two years later, he returned home and never recovered from his illness.
When the snowflakes started to fall, the ice girl who appeared in little Andersen's fantasy took away his father, leaving behind his helpless wife and children and the bone-chilling cold.
After my father died and her livelihood declined, my mother’s only means of livelihood was to wash other people’s clothes every day. In the cold winter, the temperature of the river was unimaginable, so she had to drink a few sips of wine to ward off the cold. In the eyes of decent people, this is such a vulgar behavior! Harsh rumors spread, and people in the city were whispering - "The shoemaker's wife Maria is a drunkard!" Andersen felt infinitely humiliated for his mother. Years later, in the fairy tale "She Was a Waste," he expressed his deep indignation.
Maria originally wanted to fight to the death to support the family independently, but the gossips in the town laughed at her son for being idle, so the mother had no choice but to send her thin and shy son to a factory to work as a child laborer. 11-year-old Andersen was dizzy from the heavy work, but his singing saved him. He sang during a break. The workers no longer let him work. As long as his clear and loud singing can break the dullness of the construction site, what else do they ask this little guy to do? Little Andersen was very satisfied, because he always liked to perform in front of the public, and he even performed William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" alone.
A worker said to him: "Why don't you become an actor?"
Yes, that is perfect for him. If you can't direct your destiny, then on the stage Isn’t it good luck to have a show? What a wonderful idea! So, when Andersen was confirmed at the age of 14, he showed amazing stubbornness towards his mother's plan to arrange for him to be a tailor's apprentice - "No, Mom, I want to be an actor."
Although Andersen told his mother Promising fame, she begged and cried, but my mother refused to give in. However, the fortune-telling witch helped him; "The child's flower of happiness does not bloom here, so he has to leave here to find it in a distant place!"
Carrying 30 silver coins and his beloved puppet, the young Andersen came to Looking back at my hometown on the carriage. He once wrote this sentence: "When I become great, I must sing about Odense. Who knows that I won't become a wonder in this noble city? At that time, in some geography books , under the name of Odense, there will be a line like this: A tall and thin Danish poet Andersen was born here! ”
This is an accurate prediction. However, at this time, on September 6, 1819, when the 14-year-old tall and thin boy held a bundle in his hand and looked at Copenhagen that was displayed in front of him, his hometown seemed to be out of reach. This huge and unfamiliar city The city made him feel small and lonely. But he immediately wiped away his tears and told himself that now is not the time to cry, but to act and act with confidence. This boy from a small town, like the poor young Aladdin in "The Arabian Nights", began to fight for his magic lamp.
His painstaking efforts to write a letter of introduction to the famous ballet dancer Madame Schaal did not achieve the effect of apprenticeship, so he went to see Holstein, the manager of the Royal Theater, to ask to be an actor. The manager looked at the child who was as tall as a stork and said: You are too thin. The audience will boo you off the stage when you act. The young man was still not disappointed, and took the initiative to suggest: "This is easy to handle. As long as you give me a monthly salary of 100 yuan, I will gain weight soon." "The manager was angry - this poor boy was either an idiot or just here to have fun. He immediately issued an eviction order, and the frustrated Andersen had to leave.
The dance school will only enroll students in May, and Andersen already has the money in his hand. There was not much left. After being introduced by an acquaintance, he worked as a small worker for a few days, and was treated as a joke because of his native accent, so he had to leave the workshop angrily. He was wandering on the street, confused, and suddenly remembered what he had read in the newspaper. After hearing about the Italian singer Professor Siboni's performance and opening of a singing school in Copenhagen, he desperately broke into the professor's home, which was full of guests. The curious guests were attracted by this young man who was struggling alone in Copenhagen. What's more, he was. His singing really showed his love for the Muse. Everyone donated their money, and Andersen finally got his wish and entered the singing school in Siboney.
However, luck does not always follow a person. Although Andersen is diligent and superhuman, But a serious illness damaged his voice, and there was no hope of learning vocal music. The subsequent setbacks made him discover that he also lacked talent for dancing and acting. He finally understood that he did not belong on the stage.
Four years of hard work away from home made Andersen deeply aware of this broader society full of joys and sorrows. In school, he read masterpieces by Shakespeare, Goethe and others, as well as Danish classical works, and deeply experienced the charm of writing. He suddenly knew clearly what the "magic lamp" he wanted to pursue was - "literature". As long as you have unyielding courage and a sincere and susceptible heart, you will definitely be able to reach the pinnacle of literature.
In 1822, several critics read a script called "Afsol", which was sent by a reckless young man. The script has uneven rhythm and many grammatical errors - of course, the author's lack of training is obvious. But wait, there are a lot of real, vivid sparks here, and maybe this puny little guy can bring some clarity to the theater world. So the author of the play, Hans Andersen, was sent to a Latin school for further study, and the state counselor Mr. Gurin applied for a royal public fund for him to pay for it.
The 17-year-old Andersen is tall and thin. It is not a pleasant thing for him to sit in the lower grade classroom with the children. The children laughed at him as a country fool because he didn't understand the etiquette of upper class society at all. In their eyes, he was the unpopular "ugly duckling"; at the same time, those complicated Latin modifiers were so boring: empty Languages, even if they were artificially decorated, had no soul, and he had to recite them!
However, after trials and tribulations, he finally passed the graduation examination in 1828. And in the past few years, he has read the works of many poets and writers, such as Byron, Heine, and Scott. They are the real treasures!
In school, Andersen did not forget his creation. His poems "Evening" and "The Dying Child" were published in the publication of the writer Heidenberg and were well received. In 1829, Andersen's comedy "Love on the Nikolayev Tower" was performed. Listening to the audience's applause, the young playwright burst into tears - it was in the same theater that he had performed more than ten years ago. He was bitterly scorned and denied, but today, he finally succeeded and was recognized and cheered by the public.
"Travel is life", Andersen once said. In 1831, Andersen began his first overseas wandering. Throughout his life, he visited all countries in Europe with an umbrella, a walking stick and simple luggage, and successively completed "A Wanderings on the Island of Amager" , "Fantasy Sketches", "Travel Silhouettes" and other works. In 1835, his autobiographical novel "The Improvisational Poet" was published and received warm welcome.
Andersen is a poet, playwright, and travel writer. He is versatile and is also good at cutting paper. In the museum commemorating him, various patterns he cut are on display, including dancers hanging on the Christmas tree, various flowers and animals, and even the door emblem on the door, which is also his head cutout.
But fairy tales are the crown of all Andersen's creations. In 1835, Andersen wrote to his girlfriend: "I want to create for the next generation." From his own childhood experience, Andersen deeply understood the loneliness and pain in the lives of poor children. He believes that in the field of poetry, nothing is as infinitely inclusive as fairy tales. Fairy tales will give children a little happiness, hope and lessons, right? He began to create with all his emotions and thoughts.
In 1835, Andersen's first collection of fairy tales was published, which included "The Tinderbox", "Little Claus and Big Claus", "The Princess on the Wanbean", "Little Meaning" "Flowers of Da" four fairy tales. These fairy tales come from Andersen's own life experience. "They are hidden in my thoughts like 'seeds'. A trickle of water, a beam of sunshine, or a drop of bitter wine can make them break out of the ground."
From this year on, a new fairy tale comes to children every Christmas. He wrote for 43 years, and until the end of his life, he created 168 works. His poetic language and twists and turns made his fairy tales the most read books in the world during his lifetime. "Ugly Duckling", "Steadfast Tin Soldier", "Wild Swan", "Nightingale"... He gives everything a living soul and makes them sing. He dedicated them to everyone - children were fascinated by the strange and touching stories; adults lingered between his deep philosophy of life and couldn't leave.
Andersen's fairy tales are not only full of strange and dreamlike sparks, but this writer who grew up in suffering also has deep sympathy for working people and those children who live in pain. In "The Little Match Girl", the little girl who has not sold a single match all day huddles in the corner and lights the matches. In the dim light, she imagines the joy of Christmas Eve: the table is covered with snow-white The tablecloth and the steaming roast goose with a knife and fork stuck in her body staggered towards her... But the vision passed quickly, and on the morning of New Year's Day, people found her frozen to death on the street. No one knows how many of the same children are going barefoot on winter nights. Andersen has no way to solve this profound social problem, so he can only place his hope in heaven with deep sorrow.
Andersen's longest fairy tale in his later years, "Lucky Belle", is quite autobiographical. Belle, the protagonist of the fairy tale, pursues perfection all his life and pursues an artistic realm full of beauty. When he succeeds, when the audience cheers for him, when his beloved girl throws a bouquet to him, he is "like Sofolk." Like Rhys at the Olympia, like Mr. Doval when he heard the symphony in the theatre... an artery burst in his heart, and his time here was over - his joy on earth. After completing his mission to the world, he ended without any pain. He was luckier than thousands of people! "This is Andersen's lifelong pursuit.
Andersen is not beautiful, and he is not from a famous family. He has a deep inferiority complex in front of women. When he was studying, he lived among Gulin's family. Mr. Gulin's daughter, Louisa Gulin, who was gentle, beautiful and had profound literary accomplishment, penetrated into the heart of the young man. He fell in love with her every move, every word and every smile. In view of several failed interactions with women in the past, Andersen no longer wants people to know even a little trace of the love in his heart. But the fierce and sincere feelings cannot be sealed. They bloom in the moist atmosphere of the fairy tale and condense into the sad and beautiful "Daughter of the Sea".
In the fairy tale, the graceful, noble and wise prince is the incarnation of Louisa; Andersen himself is the daughter of the sea who looks at him from a distance. The beautiful little mermaid is innocent, kind and selfless, and her strong love is so tough and pure. She pursues the most precious thing in life - her soul - at all costs. This is exactly what Andersen pursues in art - eternity, sincerity, and the human soul.