Fairy Tales

hans christian andersen naomi lewis nigel davenport alan cumming andrew sachs

A new selection of 30 tales to mark the 200 year anniversary of Andersen's birth in 2005. Tiina Nunnally's sparkling translation captures the rawness and immediacy of Andersen's style, for the first time enabling English readers to be as startled and amazed as his original readers were, and revealing the unique inventiveness of Andersen's genius. At a time when children's stories were formal, moral and didactic, Hans Christian Andersen revolutionized the genre, giving an anarchic twist to traditional folklore and creating a huge number of utterly original stories that sprang directly from his imagination. From the exuberant early stories such as 'The Emperor's New Clothes', though poignant masterpieces such as 'The Little Mermaid' and 'The Ugly Duckling', to the darker, more subversive later tales written for adults, the stories included here are endlessly experimental, both humorous and irreverent, sorrowful and strange. This book - beautifully illustrated with a selection of Andersen's amazing paper cut-outs - will bring these magical tales to life for readers of any age.

Genres classicsfantasyfictionfairy talesshort storieschildrensliterature19th centurymythologyfolklore

null pages, Audiobook

First published January 1,1835

This edition

Format: null pages, Audiobook
Published: November 28, 2000 by Puffin
ISBN: 9780140866599
ASIN: 0140866590
Language: English

About the author

hans christian andersen

Hans Christian Andersen (often referred to in Scandinavia as H.C. Andersen) was a Danish author and poet. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, Andersen is best remembered for his fairy tales. Andersen's popularity is not limited to children; his stories — called eventyr, or "fairy-tales" — express themes that transcend age and nationality.

Andersen's fairy tales, which have been translated into more than 125 languages, have become culturally embedded in the West's collective consciousness, readily accessible to children, but presenting lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity for mature readers as well. Some of his most famous fairy tales include "The Little Mermaid", "The Ugly Duckling", "The Nightingale", "The Emperor's New Clothes" and many more. His stories have inspired plays, ballets, and both live-action and animated films.