Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was a prolific Danish author of fairy tales. I still have my much-loved copy of tales from my childhood. Many hours were spent losing myself in his marvelous stories.
In Minot's Scandinavian Heritage Park, there is a wonderful sit-by statue that I think really captures the whimsey of Andersen.
My favorite fairy tale was always The Snow Queen. What was yours?
My Dad is a full blooded Dane and comes from a Danish community. We visited a few years back and the (only) Bed & Breakfast in town names each bedroom after one of Andersen's tales. Charming.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what I'd name as my favorite--his tales did always strike me as being more for adults than for children. Children never seem to "get" the moral of the story for some reason.
Perhaps I just really liked the pictures! :) Alot of my favorite childhood books are like that. I loved "Where the Red Fern Grows" and "To Kill a Mockingbird" when I was in upper elementary school, but upon reading them as an adult (more than once), they speak to me so differently.
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