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Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen was born on April 2, 1805 at Odense, Denmark. Although he attended two different schools at Odense, he did not complete his schooling until he was given state funding to attend Slagelse State Grammar School in 1822. Six years later, he passed his university examinations (Spink 117-8).

With the publication of his first novel, The Improvisatore, Andersen also published his first set of fairy tales containing "The Tinder Box," "Little Claus and Big Claus," "The Princess and the Pea" and "Little Ida's Flowers" in 1835 (Spink 53). From 1837 onwards, Andersen published his fairy tales in annual volumes. On August 4, 1875, he died at a summer villa near Copenhagen after suffering several years from liver cancer (Spink 117-8; "Chronology of HCA's Life").

Several important events occurred that transformed Andersen's life. The first event was the death of his young father in 1816 (Spink 18). When his father died, Andersen lost the only person who was attuned to his creativity and sensitivity. A superstitious and uneducated woman, his mother was unable to replace the loss of his father (Godden 22-3). This gap in his life paved the foundation for Andersen's decision to leave his hometown in order to become famous in Copenhagen. Thus, the second most important event of Andersen's life was his departure for Copenhagen on his own in September 1819, at the age of 14 (Spink 21).

Throughout his independent life in Copenhagen, Andersen led a difficult life, dependent on many benefactors for his survival and education. However, the important event that turned his life around occurred when Jonas Collin, a member of the Royal Theater's governing body, obtained a financial grant for Andersen's education in 1822, thus enabling Andersen to complete his schooling (Spink 28). With his formal education, Andersen acquired the knowledge of grammar and spelling that had severely undermined the quality of his writings.

Upon t...

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Hans Christian Andersen. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 08:12, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1687743.html