Hans Christian Andersen – 19th-century Danish writer, author of The Little Mermaid and The Snow Queen, master of the fairy tale. His stories blend wonder with melancholy, turning childhood dreams and sorrows into world classics that shaped the very idea of the fairy tale.
🧵 Born to a poor shoemaker and washerwoman, he grew up on folk tales that later wove into his own. 🎭 Moved to Copenhagen dreaming of the stage, tried acting and singing, but found his voice in writing. 📖 Early critics dismissed his tales as “too simple,” yet they’re now translated into 150+ languages. 💔 Never married, he called his books “the children I never had.” 🌍 Travelled across Europe, befriending Dickens and the Brothers Grimm. 📚 His fairy tales often carry sadness – mirroring his lifelong loneliness and longing for love. 🎂 In Denmark, his birthday is celebrated as International Children’s Book Day. 😂 Curiosity: always carried a rope with him in case of hotel fires. 😄 Amusing fact: overstayed so long at Dickens’s house that Dickens joked about “Andersen’s permanent holiday.”