Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen

Fairy Tales Reviews

• 
  Zain

  Kinda Boring.
  
  Many of the stories in this book are too long and dull. Fairly tales should be fanciful and exciting.
  
  Thank goodness for The Little Match Girl. Pleasantly mysterious and fascinating. But also sad.
  
  Many of the stories are too boring to be read in the fairy tale genre. The story is long and redundant.
  
  I don’t remember these stories being such when I was a child. Maybe I read different versions or editions.
• 
  Bionic Jean

  Hans Christian Andersen once said, "Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale." And his life certainly was an extraordinary rags to riches story.
  
  In all Hans Christian Andersen wrote 156 fairy tales, of which forty are in this luxury, large format edition, to represent the cream of the crop. It is a beautiful, sumptuous book, the semi-matt purple cover slightly textured and embossed, giving almost a "padded" feel. It has a feature reminiscent of medallions in old books; in this case an inset glossy illustration of a mermaid. The paper throughout is glossy, and most pages are bordered with patterns and old gold surrounds. Three gold colours are used; the spine is a slightly brighter gold, and the page edges are shiny and gilt-edged, plus there is a gold ribbon bookmark attached. There is an interesting introduction by the translator, Neil Philip, plus copious, carefully drawn illustrations by Isabelle Brent. These are mostly in gouache, and the illustrator makes much use of jewel colours, patterning and many magnificent gold highlights. It is a book which simply begs to be picked up.
  
  The choice of purple and gold is perhaps significant, since it is clear that Hans Christian Andersen believed himself to be a member of the royal family. Not only that, but he tortured himself with the belief that he was unacknowledged royalty, who had been cast out, and this conviction plagued him all his life. Interestingly, although there will probably never be any proof of Hans Christian Andersen's true birth, it is not simply an idle dream, but a genuine possibility.
  
  Hans Christian Andersen may have been the illegitimate son of Crown Prince Christian Frederik, later Christian VIII, and the teenage countess Elise Ahlefeldt-Laurvig. He was born in 1805 at Broholm Castle near Odense. Both Hans Christian Andersen's official parents worked at the castle, his "mother" as a nursemaid, and his "father", a cobbler for the family. There had also been a precedent for an illegitimate daughter (Fanny) to have been adopted by another servant of the Royal family a year earlier.
  
  Hans Christian Andersen seems to have had a privileged position with this family. Rather than play with the other poor children, he was allowed to play with Prince Christian Frederik's son, Prince Fritz, who was three years younger than him. When this prince later died, Hans Christian Andersen was the only person, not in the family, who was allowed to view the body privately.
  
  When he was seven years of age, Hans Christian Andersen's official father was paid to serve in the Napoleonic wars, in place of a local landowner. He returned four years later, a broken man, and died in the Spring. Hans's mother was now destitute, with few choices as she was illiterate, so she took in washing, standing waist deep for hours in the icy river, trying to stay warm by taking nips of schnapps. Two years later she married another shoemaker, who took no interest in the young Hans.
  
  Hence Hans Christian Andersen grew up in heartbreaking poverty, and all his life remained self-conscious about his lower class background, despite his success. Perhaps it is because he was born poor that he was obsessed with social class, and always trying to claw his way to the top. He seemed to both worship the nobility but also resent them for holding him at arm's length. He was of course dependent on the patronage of the wealthy to create his art. Whatever the cause, Hans Christian Andersen's stories portray everyone from invented royalty, to the truly destitute. He believed, "Every man's life is a fairy tale written by God's fingers."
  
  Hans Christian Andersen was awkward and earnest; gawky, ill-at-ease, and always feeling he was picked on by all and sundry. Many of his protagonists are obvious depictions of himself; caring a lot what other people thought of them and worried about fitting in. "The Emperor's New Clothes" and "The Ugly Duckling" are clear examples. Yet even battling all his worries, Hans Christian Andersen managed to find his voice and write his stories. In many of his stories he seems to explore ideas about wealth, self-worth, and the meaning of life.
  
  Many other aspects of the author's life feed into his stories, which were quite an eye-opener to read. If you think that he wrote "nice" stories for children, then perhaps think again. Some of them are very dark in tone, and most are quite depressing. He has been called a "poet of human suffering". Story after story ends in rejection, humiliation or disappointment. Many of the stories feature a downtrodden protagonist. Sometimes the main character will work hard, and then have a wonderful "fairytale" ending. Perhaps they are lucky, becoming rich, or famous, or falling in love, or a combination of these. Sometimes our downtrodden protagonist works hard, and is just about to achieve fulfilment in one of these ways ... but then suddenly dies for no particular reason. Sometimes there is no change at all, and the downtrodden protagonist remains downtrodden. (And then probably dies.)
  
  The downtrodden protagonist is not always "he". Sometimes it is a "she". Or equally often it may be a household object, or a flower, a tree, or an animal. Hans Christian Andersen's stories are fantasies, like dreams or visions. The object or creature will have a personality of its own, often showing a boastful or arrogant side; it will talk to other creatures or objects ... and then die. Sometimes the story does not even seem to be a moral fable; perhaps the object does not seem to have a bad side (but it will probably die nonetheless).
  
  His stories often feature children—usually a perfect vision of children who are like miniature adults doing various good things. Sometimes they die too. Sometimes the protagonists do not themselves die, but lose a loved one, and must accept that God is in charge of everything—even when they do not understand the reason. And in this way, through every single story, there seems to be a common thread.
  
  Hans Christian Andersen's tales are full of ideas about God, angels, faith, the Bible, the afterlife, and sin. He constantly reflects on what it takes to get into heaven, the various wicked things people do, and the nature of God, love, and forgiveness. Considering that the author himself said the stories were for children, it seems remarkable that they are so preoccupied with the darker side of being human. People sin, he says, and darkness often lives in our hearts and souls. He clearly thinks that all humans are sinners and should live in fear of God, but he also keeps reinforcing the redemptive power of love and faith. Many of Hans Christian Andersen's stories end up with the characters in heaven. Although not exactly a Catholic, his views and expressed beliefs certainly inclined that way.
  
  Hans Christian Andersen did not start out by writing fairy tales, although that is what we remember him for. Even as a child he had artistic leanings, becoming swept up by the "Tales from the Arabian Nights" which his father told him, and the toy theatre his father had made. The young Hans played with this, and made clothes for his dolls, dreaming of becoming an actor, a singer or a dancer. After his father died he left home to seek his fortune in Copenhagen, committed to an artistic life. He attached himself to various well-to-do families, successfully courted the attention of wealthy and influential people, one after another, and even had his fees at the Ballet School of the Royal Theatre paid.
  
  However this attendance was a short-lived experience. His teachers there crushed him by saying that he "lacked both the appearance and the talent necessary for the stage." Hans Christian Andersen was incredibly sensitive to slights all his life. Every cruel remark, or casual, careless comment would be taken to heart and never forgotten. So his wealthy patrons transferred their money to educating him at a private school for gentlemen. But he found this experience a torment too, saying, "it will destroy my soul". It led to him writing a sentimental, maudlin poem called "The Dying Child". But with a stroke of luck, the poem was published in the newspaper "The Copenhagen Post" in 1827, and the young man's future was assured.
  
  Hans Christian Andersen's first writing projects included a play, a book of poetry and a travelogue. The promising young author then won a grant from the king, and this enabled him to travel across Europe and work on being an author. He wrote a novel about his time in Italy, which was published in 1835, the same year as he began writing his stories—called "eventyr", or "fairy tales"—and often based on ideas from folk tales that he had heard or read as a child.
  
  Another of his preoccupations was to try out new places. He had a wanderlust, and an urge to flee from what he considered to be provincial life. There are echoes of this in his works. In "Five Peas in the Same Pod" all the peas are happy until one needs to explore the world outside. In "The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep", the couple brave all kinds of adventures, in search of something better. There are many instances of someone "trying out their wings". Hans Christian Andersen himself travelled relentlessly, but had a morbid fear of death. Wherever he laid his head, there next to him was a coil of rope which he took everywhere with him, and a handwritten notice, saying, "I only seem dead". He was obsessed with the thought that he might lapse into a coma, and be buried before he could come round. In fact he kept this strange morbid dread of being buried alive through to the very day he died.
  
  Over the next few decades, until his death in 1875, he continued to write for both children and adults. He wrote several autobiographies, and also travel narratives and poetry about the Scandinavian people. In 1845, English translations of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales and stories began to gain the attention of foreign audiences. He became a friend of Charles Dickens, who was already enormously popular, although this friendship ended in failure after Hans Christian Andersen had overstayed his welcome at the great author's home. Charles Dickens rather spitefully put up a notice on the wall of his bedroom, after Hans Christian Andersen had left. It read, "Hans Christian Andersen slept in this room for five weeks—which seemed to the family AGES!" It was in England that Hans Christian Andersen's stories first became classics, despite originally being written in Danish. They had a strong influence on subsequent British children's authors, including George MacDonald, Oscar Wilde, A.A. Milne and Beatrix Potter. Over time, Scandinavian audiences then discovered his stories, and now of course they are known world-wide.
  
  Hans Christian Andersen's tales seem to have universal appeal, no matter what language they are read in. His stories express themes that transcend age and nationality—often presenting lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity. They are written in a very chatty intimate style, which won him no favours from his original literary critics, who considered this tone inappropriate. But once he found his voice, he found he could not stop writing them, saying, "They forced themselves from me". A friend once expostulated, "You're capable of writing about anything - even a darning needle!" And sure enough, the author rose to the challenge, in his story entitled "The Darning Needle". The stories are clearly cathartic, but also full of beauty, tragedy, nature, religion, artfulness, deception, betrayal, love, death, judgement and penance. And—very occasionally—one has a happy ending.
  
  The author called his autobiography "The Fairy Tale of my Life", and indeed his life reads like a traditional fairy tale. Think what the blurb might be:
  
  "The son of an illiterate washerwoman and a poor cobbler, who may secretly be a royal prince, who, through sheer persistence and influential help from an unlikely source, becomes a world-famous author, in a privileged position, hobnobbing with royalty"
  
  perhaps? Ironically, at the age of fourteen, when he left home, he had predicted this outcome, "First you go through terrible suffering and then you become famous."
  
  Charles Perrault had collected fairy tales from many cultural traditions in 1697, and just over a century later in 1808 Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm collected German folk and fairy tales. Later still, Hans Christian Andersen's first fairy tales followed this template of rewriting a traditional story, but in fact only eight out of a total of 156 are direct retellings of Danish folk tales. He quickly moved on to writing his own—and you can certainly tell. Every single one seems to be about an aspect of himself, and he freely admitted, "I was always the chief person", the gawky ugly duckling who didn't quite fit in. His friend H.C. Orsted had said to him, "[Your novel] will make you famous, but the fairy tales will make you immortal".
  
  I have rarely felt such ambivalence towards an author. These fairy stories are probably by the only author for whom my personal rating of works varies between one and five stars. He is an extraordinary writer, but I cannot say that I have enjoyed very many of his tales; many of them I have had to steel myself to read. It will certainly be a while before I read another big book of fairy stories, after ploughing through two collections of "Tales from the Arabian Nights" and now this one. The stories vary in standard and taste so much, that I have given this volume my default rating of three stars. And because of this, I have felt it necessary to review nearly all—(in fact thirty-five)—of the stories in this collection separately, whenever they have been published as individual books. Please see my shelves for links, if you wish to read my review of a particular story.
  
  The 40 stories in this volume are:
  
  The Princess and the Pea
  Thumbelina
  The Swineherd
  The Buckwheat
  The Wild Swans
  The Darning Needle
  The Nightingale
  The Teapot
  The Ugly Duckling
  The Snow Queen
  The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep
  The Last Dream of the Old Oak Tree
  The Shadow
  It's Perfectly True
  Grief
  Father's Always Right
  The Snowman
  The Snail and the Rose Tree
  "Something'
  The Fir Tree
  The Tinderbox
  Little Ida's Flowers
  The Little Mermaid
  The Emperor's New Clothes
  The Steadfast Tin Soldier
  The Flying Trunk
  The Sweethearts
  "She Was No Good'
  The Bell
  The Little Match Girl
  The Collar
  The Goblin at the Grocer's
  In a Thousand Years' Time
  Five Peas from the Same Pod
  The Beetle
  The Toad
  Dance, Dance, Dolly Mine!
  The Flax
  The Gardener and his Master
  The Book of Fairy Tales
• 
  Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile

  A beautiful collection of some of the greatest fairy tales in history. I enjoy Andersen more than Grimm or Aesop's fables. They seem to have more of a magical quality to them.
• 
  Nayra.Hassan

  🦆تلك البطة السوداء الشكاءة
  و هذه البجعة البرية المتحولة
  َو هذا الفتي الَمفعوص في حجم عقلة اصبع
  و ما حكاية حبة البسلة مع تلك الاميرة المدلله
  و حورية البحر البلهاء
  و ملكة الثلج و قبلاتها
  و ذلك الامير الخبيث و تلك الجميلة النائمة
  و تلك الشجرة و ذلك الظل و هذه الابرة و ذلك الجرس
  
  هل نتخيل طفولتنا و هي خالية من ذلك الخيال الذي منحنا ونساً خرافيا؛ و ساعات سعيدة نحلق فيها مع كتبنا الاولي البسيطة؛ المرسومة/المصورة/او المتحركة لدي المحظوظين منا
  
  تلك الحكايا التي شكلت وجداننا و تحولت لثوابت رغم خيالها الجامح
  اندرسن تميز عن الاخوة جريم بالتعقل و التهذيب فلم يسرح كثيرا خلف قصص من طراز امنا الغولة
  و لم يكن هدفه الاول اخافة الأطفال؛
  بل كانَ و سيظل صاحب القصص المثلي لفترة ما قبل النوم التي ستترك لعقلك الباطن عِبرة ما؛ كثيرا ما ستعود لك في العقود التي يشكلها عمرك
  
• 
  Jo (The Book Geek)

  First of all: that cover. Isn't it exquisite? I think I may have been in a trance when I picked up this book, because as I read the title I was immediately transported to the days where I was read stories before bedtime. If it was my Mum turn, I received something from Hans Christian Andersen, or something very similar, but if it was Dad's turn to read me something, it was something from Tolkien (My lifelong obsession with hobbits) or as an extra,
  Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky: A Book of Brillig Dioramas, which was my favourite, and still is today. As one can imagine, bedtime stories with my dad were delightfully long-winded.
  
  This book is full of the stories I remember reading as a child, and it was wonderful to return to them. I do feel a little differently about a few of them now, but years have passed, so I expected it. There are twelve stories here, translated accordingly, and although I know some of them like the back of my hand, some of them I had completely forgotten about.
  
  I enjoyed returning to 'The Wild Swans' and 'The Little Mermaid' as well as 'The Snow Queen'. I think this is a beautiful book to gift to a young reader, just starting out on their adventure into the world of fairytales.
• 
  nastya

  3 stars for The little Mermaid and The Steadfast Tin Soldier. Because other stories are 😴
  Tiina Nunnally, the star translator of Sigrid Undset and Tove Ditlevsen, did an amazing job updating old unfaithful translations (according to her, I don't know Danish)
  
  Did you know that he once visited Dickens for 5 weeks and D's family couldn't wait for him to leave? Also Dickens once found him prostrate on the lawn sobbing about a bad review.
• 
  Loretta

  My parents didn’t read “bedtime stories” to me when I went to bed as a child. When it was time to go to bed, it was time to “go to bed”, period! So with that in mind, many of these tales, in this short book (192 pages), were new to me. As an adult I only read three tales out of the twelve,
  The Emperor's New Clothes,
  The Little Mermaid and
  The Princess and the Pea, the other tales in the book were all new to me. The others were somewhat entertaining and probably, my younger self would have enjoyed them more.
  
  
• 
  Mike (the Paladin)

  There are some good stories here, and some that scarred my childhood. Between dead match girls and trashed fir trees not to mention frightening Snow Queens the Thumblinias were sometimes needed. Still they last. Excuse me I didn't get much sleep last night, there was something poking my back under my 20 mattresses.
• 
  Brendan Monroe

  This is an absolutely fantastic collection of Hans Christian Andersen's best work. The translation, by Tiina Nunnally, is sublime and her notes on past translations of Andersen's stories makes it clear just how sublime it is. If you wanted to read a version closer to H.C. Andersen's original, you'd have to read these in Danish.
  
  Jackie Wullschlager's introduction is easily one of the best I've read and an essential lens through which to better understand these tales. Short of reading Wullschlager's biography of Andersen, "Hans Christian Andersen: The Life of a Storyteller", I think you'd be hard pressed to read a more wonderful account of Andersen's life and stories than this 32-page introduction.
  
  And what about the stories themselves? The stories are, of course, phenomenal. This is the first time I've read any of Andersen's stories since I was a child and, if possible, I enjoyed reading them even more as an adult. All the witticisms and references to Andersen's life that you don't pick up on as a child are to be savored as an adult.
  
  Many of these stories I had never read or heard before, so I was also surprised and brought back to what it was like to be a child again - so enrapturing are these tales. There are a total of 30 to be found in this lovely collection, some utterly delightful, others surprisingly dark, and still others that perhaps pale in comparison to the rest. But one thing that is for sure is that these tales are rendered by Tiiny Nunnally to be enjoyed better than ever before in English.
  
  1. The Tinderbox - 5 Stars
  
  Yes, this is a 5-star story to be sure. More folk than fairy, this tale is in fact based on an older Danish folktale that Andersen transformed with his characteristic wit. It features an A+ decapitation and glorious references to sugar-pigs, cake-wives, and social status. It's stupendous.
  
  2. Little Claus and Big Claus - 5 stars
  
  So when I saw the title for some reason I thought that this was going to have something to do with Santa Claus until I realized that, oh yes, Claus is actually a name for ordinary people as well - specifically, Germanic men. But that aside, this is a hilarious story, also based on a Danish folktale, about an awfully clever little fellow who performs some delightful tricks.
  
  3. The Princess on the Pea - 5 stars
  
  This is a simple little story but I liked it all the same. One of Andersen's more famous, it has been at last been rendered into English with the correct title (previously this was widely known in English as "The Princess AND the Pea"). A princess who's able to feel a pea beneath 20 mattresses and 20 quilts?? Why, that's something special indeed! How the pea didn't get squashed is something I would have enjoyed learning.
  
  4. Thumbelina - 5 stars
  
  Another Andersen classic, "Thumbelina" is a delightful tale and at times a bit scary. Inspired by the folktale "Tom Thumb", this one concerns a little thumb-sized lady and her adventures out in the big wide world. You'll never look at moles the same way!
  
  5. The Traveling Companion - 5 stars
  
  This is the first story in the collection that I don't remember having heard before. And it is absolutely fabulous. Quite darker than the ones that preceded it as well. To call it the Danish "Rumplestiltskin" doesn't quite do it justice, and I actually think I liked it better than that famous Grimm Brothers' tale.
  
  6. The Little Mermaid - 5 stars
  
  The most famous of Andersen's stories and, in my opinion, the best. The Disney adaptation, which is almost more famous now than the original, is one of Disney's best films and it is still a terrible adaptation. This has it all, including an almost perfect ending. I saw "almost" because the last page of this feels tacked on.
  
  The Little Mermaid throws herself from the ship into the sea, and her body dissolves into foam. That should have been the end But instead we get a bizarre bit about "daughters of the air" and an obvious plea to children to be good. That tarnishes what would have otherwise been a perfect tale. But, even tarnished, this is still the great writer's best.
  
  7. The Emperor's New Clothes - 5 stars
  
  After "The Little Mermaid", this is likely my favorite of Andersen's stories, and after "The Little Mermaid" it's also probably his most famous. You all know the story, no need for me to recap it here, but I was surprised to learn that the little boy's famous cry at the end of "But he doesn't have anything on!" was hastily added by Andersen after the story had already been sent off to the printer's. This is a satire as excellent and brilliant today, in the age of Trump, as ever.
  
  8. The Steadfast Tin Soldier - 5 stars
  
  Delightfully poetic. This is the first of Andersen's stories in this collection to feature inanimate objects brought to life. I'd never noticed how clearly Andersen influenced later films like "Toy Story" until I read this story about the quite appropriately named Steadfast Tin Soldier.
  
  9. The Wild Swans - 5 stars
  
  Another classic, albeit one I wasn't too familiar with. This one is also based on a classic European folktale, and it's got all the famous elements we see in other tales like Cinderella. Evil stepmother, a bit of magic, and the transformative power of love.
  
  10. The Flying Trunk - 3 stars
  
  This is a sort of story within a story, one involving matches and some dishware, and the other the titular trunk and a Turkish engagement. If only our rich merchant's son could have resisted the urge to set off those fireworks...
  
  11. The Nightingale - 5 stars
  
  Surprisingly sweet, this story of the Chinese Emperor and his obsession with the nightingale took a number of unexpected turns. Andersen was clearly in high spirits when he wrote this one.
  
  12. The Sweethearts - 4 stars
  
  This thought-provoking tale feels like something Andersen wrote after having become the most famous writer in Denmark (and one of the most famous in all Europe) and thinking back on when a woman he loved rejected him - and, lo and behold, it was! All I can say is, that ball deserved it.
  
  13. The Ugly Duckling - 5 stars
  
  Come on. You know you love this one. Another one with clear allusions to Andersen's life.
  
  14. The Fir Tree - 4 stars
  
  It's only once you've grown up that you realize that all that urgency to grow up was unwarranted. A reminder to slow down and savor life while you can.
  
  15. The Snow Queen - 5 stars
  
  This is one of Andersen's more beloved tales, and it features some beautiful moments and spectacular images. The first part, about the mirror, is haunting, and this more than any of Andersen's other tales seems to deal with the battle between good and evil. Reading it, I was reminded of Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy.
  
  16. The Red Shoes - 3 stars
  
  Behave yourselves, children! Don't you wear red shoes when you ought to be wearing black ones or you'll be forced to dance dance dance!
  
  17. The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep - 3 stars
  
  Worth it just for the final line - "and (they) loved each other until they broke".
  
  18. The Shadow - 5 stars
  
  Woah! I was not expecting that! This reads much more like something Franz Kafka would have written than Hans Christian Andersen. Surprisingly dark and spookily strange. There's nothing else quite like it in Andersen's oeuvre.
  
  19. The Old House - 4 stars
  
  There's something surprisingly spooky about this store, reportedly much beloved by Charles Dickens. That poor tin soldier...
  
  20. The Little Match Girl - 5 stars
  
  Speaking of Charles Dickens, this gorgeous and heartwrenching story is H.C. Andersen at his most Dickensian. The image of the Little Match Girl, shuddering with cold while staring into the windows of those whose tables were laden with New Year's feasts is absolutely haunting. One of Andersen's best.
  
  21. The Story of a Mother - 4 stars
  
  Andersen's misery at his repressed bisexuality and societal isolation made for some incredible tales, not least this one. It all begs the question: whose stories are better? Happy Hans or Miserable Hans?
  
  22. The Collar - 3 stars
  
  So I've decided I'm not as big a fan of Andersen's stories that feature inanimate objects as primary characters as much as I am the others. This one I found rather ho-hum. Though it is amusingly self-deprecating.
  
  23. The Bell - 3 stars
  
  This one was pleasant enough, but failed to leave much of an impact.
  
  24. The Marsh King's Daughter - 2 stars
  
  I thought this one was much too long, featured too many religious overtones, and was ultimately quite unmemorable. Overshadowed by many, much better, stories.
  
  25. The Wind Tells of Valdemar Daae and His Daughters - 2 stars
  
  I don't think the wind told it best.
  
  26. The Snowman - 4 stars
  
  One can once again see evidence of Andersen's suppressed desires in the Snowman's desperately wanting to be with the Stove. Something that European society at the time would have certainly found most unnatural.
  
  27. The Ice Maiden - 5 stars
  
  This fantastic story, set in Switzerland, is one of the best in the collection. Two people, stranded on the island in the little lake, until the Ice Maiden calls the other away. An image both beautiful and haunting.
  
  28. The Wood Nymph - 4 stars
  
  Beautiful, uncorrupted nature versus the corrupt hustle and bustle of the city. Andersen as environmentalist, perhaps?
  
  29. The Most Incredible Thing - 5 stars
  
  On art and those who would seek to eradicate it. Used during WWII by the Danish Resistance. Without art, without culture, there is nothing.
  
  30. Auntie Toothache - 4 stars
  
  This was the last story Hans Christian Andersen ever wrote. Andersen suffered from toothaches his entire life (19th-century European dentistry not being what it is today), and here he has his protagonist, a poet, receives a visit from the titular Auntie Toothache, who promises pain unless the poet should give up writing - forever.
  
  Humanity has to be grateful that Andersen himself never made such an agreement.
  
• 
  Ivo Stoyanov

  Един от великите разказвачи за всички възрасти , историите му докосват с дълбочина, лиричност, приключения.
  "Грозното патенце " "Оле затвори очички", "Снежната кралица ", "Храбрия оловен войник" ,"Малката кибритопродавачка" приказки които остават в световната класика актуални и днес . Сигурен съм, че всички големи и малки деца стават по-добри докосвайки се до неговото творчество .
• 
  Yousra

  ياللهول!!!
  
  هذا كتاب لا أستطيع تقييمه وبالكاد يمكن مراجعته ... فأنا إن قيمته من ناحية اختيار الحكايات المترجمة أستطيع تفهم وجهة نظر المترجم وإن كنت لم أحب الكثير منها ... وإن أردت التقييم من ناحية الترجمة التي قال المترجم بنفسه عنها أنها كانت من الإنجليزية لا الدنماركية وكانت بشكل ترجمة وصياغة الأفكار لا ترجمه حرفيه فقد كانت الترجمة مناسبة ومفهومة وقريبة من بيئتنا بالفعل
  
  أما عن إخراج الكتاب فلم أستطع إلا أن أقارن هذا الكتاب بذاك الذي يضم بعض حكايات الأخوين جريم والصادر عن المشروع القومي للترجمة فالآخر كان فخيما برسوماته وصفحاته المنمقة رغم أنهم اختاروا ورقا ثقيلا في الوزن وعاكسا للضوء
  
  كان الكاتب يحيل بعض قصص أندرسن للمقارنة بقصص الأخوين جريم في الكتاب الذي ترجمه والذي للأسف لم أقرأه وقرأت بدلا عنه الكتاب بترجمة منى عبدالرحمن الخميسي الرائعة كباقي أفراد عائلتها الموهوبين جدا ولم يكن يضم تلك الحكايات المشار إليها وهنا أثني مجددا على اختيارات منى الخميسي لحكايات الأخوين جريم!
  
  39
  حكاية من أصل
  150
  حكاية كتبها أندرسن على مدار حياته...
  
  بدأ المترجم بالقصص المتعارف عليها هنا كقصص أطفال وقد تم تنقيحها كثيرا حتى يمكن لنا حكيها لأطفالنا
  
  باقي القصص مفزعة ... ربما واحدة أو اثنتان فقط مما يمكن القول عنهما أنهما قصتان طريفتان ... هناك قصص ذات طابع إيماني وديني وفيهم معاقبة الخاطئين بطرق مفزعة وحين يتم التكفير عن الذنب يلي ذلك الموت
  
  القتل تيمة أساسية في عدد من القصص وبعضها قتل شنيع مع الموت عموما للراحة أو قضاء للذنب ... الحب والرغبة في التزاوج بين الجمادات والغزل أيضا حاضرون بقوة
  
  القصص المعروفة كحورية البحر والبطة القبيحة وبائعة الكبريت هي قصص حزينة جدا فعلا
  
  القداحة تشبه كثيرا مصباح علاء الدين ولكن نهايتها مختلفة
  
  ربما من بين القصص الغير معروفة لم تعجبني إلا تاك الصغير والتميمة
• 
  Melania 🍒

  3.5|5
  
  Huh... some of these fairytales are tough to read even as an adult. It’s weird when thinking that HCA stories were always my favorite as a child.
  
  
• 
  Julian Lyubomirov

  ”В това време малката Герда влезе през голямата врата на палата. Буйните ветрове насреща ѝ утихнаха, сякаш заспаха. Герда прекрачи в широката пуста зала и видя Кай. Тя го позна веднага, хвърли се на шията му, притисна го силно и извика:
  — Кай, миличък Кай! Най-сетне те намерих!
  Но Кай не се помръдна и продължаваше да седи все така неподвижен и вцепенен от студ. Тогава Герда заплака. Топлите ѝ сълзи покапаха по гърдите му, проникнаха в сърцето му, размразиха ледената му обвивка и стоплиха зрънцето от дяволското огледало. Той я погледна и тя запя:
  
  Розите цъфтят и прецъфтяват,
  но ние нивга няма да се разделим!
  
  Кай изведнъж се обля в сълзи и плака тъй силно, че стъкълцето му изскочи заедно със сълзите. Сега той позна Герда и извика радостно:
  — Герда, миличка Герда! Къде беше досега? Къде съм бил и аз самият? — И той се озърна наоколо. — Колко студено и пусто е тук!
  Кай прегърна Герда, а тя се смееше и плачеше от радост. Те бяха тъй щастливи, че дори и ледените късове около тях се разиграха, а когато се измориха и нападаха долу, образуваха тъкмо оная дума, за която Снежната царица бе обещала на Кай да го направи господар на себе си и да му подари целия свят и един чифт нови кънки.
  Герда го целуна по бузите и те се покриха с руменина, целуна го по очите и те светнаха като нейните, целуна ръцете и нозете му и той стана отново здрав и бодър…”
  
  < 3
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfpbL...
  
  Обожавам Андерсен, откакто живея и винаги ще. Ако има още приказки след края, ще търся най-вече неговите.
  
  Харесва ми как ги чета през две-три години и докато животът около мен се променя, откривам все повече и повече.
  
  Всички са ми на сърце, но личен топ 5 ми е:
  
  1. Снежната кралица (винаги и завинаги)
  2. Грозното патенце
  3. Малката русалка
  4. Дивите лебеди
  5. Палечка
  
  
  
• 
  Momčilo Žunić

  U autopoetičkom iskazu iz pisma Ingemanu (1843) Andersen spočetka progovara o oslobađanju sopstvenog prosedea od svetonazora i obrazaca narodnih bajki - jer je, kako sam bez zazora objašnjava, ranije izdavao stare bajke, prerađujući ih na svoj način- da bi u iskazu koji se na ovaj spomenuti naslanja očitovao stvaralački credo. Sada, naime, crpeći slobodnije iz vlastite imaginativnosti, hvata ideju za odrasle a priča je deci.
  
  Iako je prvopomenuto u flaneriji kroz sižee transparentno - treba samo pratiti trajektoriju od "Kresiva", "Divljih labudova", "Svinjara" ili pak "Palčice" do, primerice, "Male sirene" - to ipak ne znači da i njegove ranije bajkovit(ij)e proze približnije usmenim kalupima umnogome ne baštine nešto od ingenioznosti poznijeg Ansersena. Jasni su već tu: 1)izuzetan smisao da se čudesno pospe realističkim, ponekad i izrazito zabavnim, bizarnim, odnosno apsurdno-humornim detaljem: kralj potpećuje svoju obuću/vojnik se ne može suzdržati da ne poljubi princezu, jer ga to jedino i čini pravim vojnikom/do pása pomagača koji na svadbenoj proslavi groteskno kolutaju preuveličanim očima; 2) efektno (iz busije dijegeze) ozračivanje bilo satirično-ironičnim bilo refleksivnim komentarom - zašto kvariti iznenađenjca!; 3)odstupanje od (upisanog) maskulinizma kolektivnih gatki, budući da je fabulativni prostor ustupljen delatnim junačicama - ne Palčić, nego Palčica!; 4)neizbrisivim hororičnim sekvencama - žanrovski gledano, prema Munitiću, horor upravo i proizlazi iz bajke - ne bi li nabrala koprivu, heroina "Divljih labudova" će svaki put morati proći kroz stravično grobljansko uprizorenje, dok je Palčicino buđenje iz ušuškanog sna u primoravajuću udadbu za žabu krastaču i obećani život u rečnom mulju, egzistencijalno grozomorno, sa istovetnom silinom prilikom svakog narednog čitanja... U najkraćem: i kod ranijeg Andersena odavno smo u zabranu autorske bajke, čiji je ovaj - ne držite me baš strogo za reč, mada za mene jeste, iako nije! - rodonačelnik.
  
  U naslanjajućem iskazu - vratimo se pismu Ingemanu -  Andersen ne samo da eksplicira vlastitu intencioznost, nego ujedno pruža ekstrakt onoga čime bi se mogao obuhvatiti Klasik književnosti (za decu): istovremena prijemčivost i izazovnost narativa svestima na različitim razinama. I plitka i duboka voda istodobno, ovisno o verziranosti i dohvatima plivača! Neporecivo je, razume se, da Andersen jeste u jatu onih koji "uranjaju" dva plivača jednim udarcem. Zato bi se najrađe i dalo zbrisati ono u zagradi dopisano pored Klasika, jer je sobom protivrečno!
  
  A sve drugo - i to da su, recimo, "Slavuj" i "Ružno pače" vrhunske alegorije o lepom, umetnosti i umetniku!, ili to da je Andersen varirajući lajtmotiv labuda, uvek nov i uvek svež!, ili i to da je "Princeza na zrnu graška" komprimovana komedija karaktera dobrano problematizovane konačnice, jer to, veli se na kraju, ne mož' biti bajka!; a možda i to da je "Carevo novo odelo" oduvek aktuelna društvena parabola, dubinski promišljaj odnosa (dečije) istine, laži (odraslih) i pristanka da se laže i kada se zna istina!, eventualno i to da su mi reči nedelje pućpurikanje i zapučak!; sasvim sigurno i to kako se u (tobožnje) storije za decu znalački utkivaju smrtonosnice ("Saputnik", "Mala Sirena", "Ole Lukòje", "Slavuj"), auh!; kao i to sadržano u svim onim nazovi-nenazovi neprimerenostima i skarednostima (Zlatni wtf! ide "Malom i Velikom Klausu" zato što i dalje ne mogu da se opasuljim nad crnom komikom u sceni s mrtvim babama!); svakako baš to i to (sic!) u "Ružinom Vilovnjaku", "Rodama" "Susedima",...; onda i to koje povezuje "Snežnu Kraljicu" sa Isidorom Sekulić i Crnjanskim; zatim i to kao madlena na deku i baku u "Olovnom Vojniku" i "Devojčici sa šibicama"!; sledi i to koje vaskrsava imperfekat!, potom i to i to i to...; naposletku i to koje se H. K. A. zapravo vrlo malo tiče, a više svih onih njemu sučeljenih, kičoliko-diznijevskih pojednostavljivanja, sumanutih kasapljenja i  zašećerenih "hepiendiranjā" koji se svi odreda kose sa onim geslom o "ideji za odrasle a priči za decu" (naširoko se može, a ni vreme ni mesto!) - mu dođe kao plivanje umesto nekog drugog, a to se ne računa. Priručimo se za(to) labudovima!
  
  Fusnota prva: Kako postoji silesija izdanja, Andersenove "Bajke i priče" čitao sam u Nolitovom izdanju iz 1992, edicija "Moja knjiga", u izboru, prevodu i predgovoru Petra Vujačića. Doduše, neke od narativa dosipao sam sa strane, prema osobitom nahođenju, odnosno, rekao bi Brodolomi, prema ćudima čitalačkog erosa. Inače, postoji i šestoknjižje sabranih proza, H.K.A. ih je otprilike napisao 160. Trebalo bi i za tim posegnuti ponekad, po sistemu: jedna dnevno. Možda nedostaje mise en abyme, ali je novelističkih osobenosti koliko vam duša ište.
  
  Fusnota druga: Pozitivistu u meni raduje intrigantna reljefnost bajkopričaševog životopisa. Valjalo bi i nad time probdeti - eto, i Crnjanski se njegove biografije dotiče, ako me već pamćenje ne zavitlava, u "Hiperborejcima" - stoga i prilažem jedan biografski "Šta?!". Na putovanju po Nemačkoj Andersena je razočarao Jakob Grim, jer ovaj brajkan za Andersena nikad ne čuše, priupitavši, štaviše, kakvu to prozu ubogi Danac piše! Ooo, sudija, sudija!
• 
  Erasmia Kritikou

  Πέντε αστέρια για τις υπέροχες ιστορίες του Πατέρα όλων των παραμυθιών -με αυτο το ιδιότυπα λυπηρό, συνηθως τέλος που αγαπά να δίνει στους ήρωές του- μείον ένα αστέρι για τις λιγότερο ευφανταστες και αρκετα τσεκουρεμενες περιληψεις των εκδ. susaeta, καθως και την ελλειψη εντεχνου λόγου. Τεσσερα αστερια στο συνολο και για την συλλογή και δι��λ��γή στη συγκεκριμενη εκδοση: γνωστα παραμυθια οπως η Τοσοδουλα, το Ασχημοπαπο, Άριελ η μικρή γοργόνα, το Κοριτσακι με τα Σπίρτα, αλλά και λιγοτερο γνωστα, εως σχεδον άγνωστα παραμυθια του, όπως ο Φοίνικας, η Πορσελανινη Βοσκοπουλα, η Καμπάνα κοκ.
  
  Γενικά, τα παιδιά μου το χαρηκαν. Εμένα μ' ενόχλησε η έλλειψη λογοτεχνίας και οι απλοποιήσεις σε αριστουργηματικά παραμύθια.
  Γενικά, δεν είναι να παίζεις με τους Μεγάλους Κλασσικούς. Θέλει σοβαρή προσέγγιση και σεβασμό, αν μη τι άλλο, ένα τέτοιο εγχείρημα.
  Ωστόσο, αποτελεί μια καλή πρώτη επαφή και γνωριμία με τα παραμύθια που αγάπησαν και ανέθρεψαν γενεές γενεών.
• 
  M Blankier

  Andersen is probably best known today for “The Little Mermaid,” usually in the sense that children who have seen the Disney film often hear, from their friends, something to the effect of, “Did you know that she actually dies in the end.” Andersen stories, more than any other traditional fairy tales, are filled with pathos and sadness, and end badly for their protagonists.
  
  But to dismiss Andersen’s tales as “dark” fairy tales or, as seems to often be the case, a way to totally scar children forever, is truly to miss out on an incredible imaginary world, one so rich in meaning and elegantly constructed in lyrical language, and to which we mostly owe the aesthetic sensibilities we associate with fairy tales today. When you imagine a fairy tale, you don’t just see the beautiful princess and handsome suitor of the Grimms or Perrault, but the untainted, exquisite nature of Andersen, the warmth of a hearth, the sparkling of snow, the detail. No fairy tale writer before Andersen had been so literary.
  
  Nunnally’s translation is faithful not only to the original language, but the poetic spirit of the original text. Yes, Andersen’s stories are brutal, but they are also gentle; merciless, but also sympathetic and tender. The ending of “The Little Mermaid” so often quoted is actually an invitation to children to be good. Like clapping your hands to bring a fairy back to life in Peter Pan, a good child helps shorten the mermaid’s sentence in purgatory and send her to heaven; it’s very beautiful, and if you bypass Andersen’s tales under the idea that they’re screwed up, as I almost did, you are missing out on one of the greatest children’s classics ever written.
• 
  Pinkerton

  Il ritmo di lettura serrato in quest’occasione non ha certo giovato ad un lavoro del genere, ma non è nemmeno andato ad incidere particolarmente su quella che comunque sarebbe stata la mia valutazione finale. Sono ben 156 i titoli all’interno del volume, eppure non mi sento così “arricchito” dopo l’esperienza. Ammetto che il mio approccio non è stato il medesimo con tutte quante le storie, le più blasonate diciamo, avevano da parte mia un occhio di riguardo in più… ma anche un’aspettativa maggiore. Per le altre è stato diverso, godevano del beneficio del dubbio ma pagavano lo scotto di essere in mezzo a tante altre che avrei dovuto leggere in un lasso di tempo così breve (per via di una gara di lettura e di una mia decisione non troppo azzeccata ^^’).
  In generale posso dire di aver riscontrato le solite caratteristiche, morali e non, che accompagnano fiabe e racconti simili appartenenti alla tradizione europea, non filtrati dai rimaneggiamenti moderni atti a renderli più soft e commerciali. Il primo esempio che mi viene in mente è quello della sirenetta, ce la vedete voi una Ariel a cui viene mozzata la lingua come nella storia scritta da Andersen?!
  
  Questo è l’aspetto che più di tutti stimola il mio interesse nei confronti delle fiabe, non intendo quello truce, ma le differenze che posso scoprire su queste pagine. Una sorta di versione non censurata dell’originale così com’era stato concepito. Debbo dire però che l’esito non si è sempre rivelato così soddisfacente e, vuoi per la brevità di alcune, vuoi per il dilungarsi in modo relativamente utile di altre, vuoi per quel certo non so che… in più di un’occasione a mio avviso le trasposizioni moderne hanno avuto la meglio sulla vecchia scuola. Trova qui conferma il detto: “chi accresce la propria conoscenza accresce anche il proprio dolore”, perché l’immaginario di alcune storie ormai radicate in me sin dall’infanzia ha perso un po’ della sua magia, causandomi più dispiacere che delusione. Spesso dopo letture del genere mi ritrovo pentito di aver perso il tal titolo così come lo idealizzavo in cambio di una grama realtà, eppure paradossalmente continuo a farne :P
  Il resto dei racconti ha suscitato in me scarso interesse, non so se per colpa mia: non appartenendo al mio bagaglio culturale veniva a mancare la spinta motivazionale del confronto; o se per colpa loro: se gli altri sono così famosi e loro no un motivo c’è; fatto sta che mi sono apparsi semplicemente come una marea di riempitivi che hanno esageratamente appesantito il tomo. Non fraintendetemi, c’è anche roba buona ma niente che avesse quella ‘singolarità’ tale da fargli meritare le luci della ribalta.
  Lettura parecchio impegnativa e dall’esito discreto, però me la sono andata a cercare XD
• 
  Aubrey

  I recently chose this book for my book cub. I love HCA fairy tales. They are so compelling and read as though you are sitting at the man's feet and he is telling them straight to you and guestering with his overly large hands. What was so great about reading them this time is this particular edition that is translated by Tiina Nunnally. It is incredible with it's bio of him in the front- a MUST read and the notes about each story in the back to conect it to a time and place in the authors life. Also, the translation is fantastic. At the begining of each story is a picture of one of HCA's many intricte paper cut outs that he often created, which inspired me to get creative as well. I like that you can read one story or all of them. Some stories are one page long and others are 30, so you can take or leave it based on your time limit. If you haven't read The Little Mermaid and only seen the Disney Movie then you are really missing out. One of the most heartbreaking love stories you will ever read. My personal favorite is Great Clause and Little Clause. I laughed out loud when I read in the back notes that "Andersen sanitizes the sexual innuendo of the traditional version by giving the farmer an irrational dislike of deacons, though the cuckold theme is clear to adult readers." As a kid I totally bought that the farmer just had an irrational dislike of deacons, and rereading them as an adult has just been a pleasure. He is the original to what Pixar is doing now with thier storytelling that will entertain kids, allow them to learn lessons, and have a lot of deep thinking and jokes specifically put in just for adults. Just a note to parents - Some of these stories can be somewhat graphic and if you have a very sensative child you might want to preview them first, these are not your sanatized Disney version, but that is what is great about them. Enjoy!! I have also included some quotes I like about fairy tales.
  
  When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than any talent for abstract, positive thinking.
  - Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
  
  When Albert Einstein was asked how to develop intelligence in young people, he answered: "Read fairy tales. Then read more fairy tales."
  
  "Storytellers make us remember what mankind would have been like,
  had not fear and the failing will and the laws of nature tripped up its heels."
  
  -- W.B. Yeats
  
  "In a utilitarian age, of all other times, it is a matter of grave importance that fairy tales should be respected."
  -- Charles Dickens
• 
  Danielle The Book Huntress *Pluto is a Planet!*

  Saw this on the shelf at my library yesterday when I was browsing the audiobook selection, and used my Goodreads barcode app to scan it in from when I listened to it several months ago. I mostly enjoyed this, although I didn't love all the stories and I kept falling asleep on others as I listened (a hazard associated with listening to audiobooks at bedtime). Listening to 'The Little Mermaid' brought back that sense of sadness and poignancy of reading this much-loved story as a child. There are other stories in this volume that are equally sad, such as "The Steadfast Tin Soldier,' which gives me some serious heartache. Although Andersen's stories are for a younger crowd than say, Grimms', there are some adult subject matter and themes here. At the same time, that sense of awe and enthusiasm that marks Hans Christian Andersen's storytelling gives these stories a lighter feel than the often gruesome and dark tone of many the real fairy tales (not the Disney versions). But I honestly think that fairy tales are almost essential to giving a child cultural development. It's nice to know that there is the option to play some of these fairy tales as audiobooks, although nothing beats reading a book with a child.
  
  I wasn't able to finish this, since it was due back, but I listened to the bulk of it, and I feel I should be able to count it as read. I was glad to see this at my library and that I had the opportunity to enjoy it.
• 
  Kübra Yağmur Aslanhan

  Andersen, namı diğer masalların babası...
  
  Bir zamanlar masalları uykuya dalmadan önce yüzlerde tebessüm bırakan güzel dinletiler zannederdim. Büyüdükçe hayat kadar korkunç ve gerçek olduklarını anlamaya başladım.
• 
  فاطمة يس

  كنت أظن أن كثير من الحكايات التي أحببتها في فترة الطفولة هي حكايات شعبية مجهولة المؤلف، ولم أكن أعلم أنها من تأليف هانز كريستين أندرسن إلا بعد قراءة العمل الحالي
• 
  Cheryl

  I thought I was a fan of Andersen, but I guess not a good one, as there were several tales here that I did not know. And I never before realized that The Princess and the Pea is actually only one page long. And that The Tinderbox is awful, that soldier is not a good guy. The Swineherd is a terrific story in any edition, and here it has some of the best pix in the book.
  
  All the pictures are excellent, actually. They have a certain kind of eerie charm, a beauty that is made of both joy and creepiness. You might want to investigate them for yourself before sharing with your child.
  
  Many favorites are omitted, which is good because nobody needs another version of Ugly Duckling, Little Mermaid, or even Snow Queen. I would have liked to see Zwerger's work for The Red Shoes and The Steadfast Tin Soldier, though. Btw, I just did a search, and found HCA's name attached to the movie "Frozen" (gonna investigate that!) and to a list of 212 (!) tales:
  http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/regi...
  ---
  Too many editions. For a group, I read Haugaard's 1974 translation of Snow Queen from a "Treasury" that has 72 stories over 528 pp.
• 
  Eddie B.

  أستمتع بكل سطر من حكايات أندرسن.. الرجل الذي خلق عالما كاملا من أساطير الأطفال
• 
  Saturn

  Le fiabe di Andersen sono avvolte da un'infinità di emozioni: possono essere nostalgiche, tristi, allegre, divertenti, spesso sono malinconiche, alcune arrivano a essere struggenti... Sono però tutte intrise di una profonda umanità, di un'attenzione per le piccole cose e fortemente legate all'espressione dei sentimenti. Ci sono amore, amicizia, ma anche invidia, irrequietezza, desiderio. Oltre alle fiabe più famose ci sono tante piccole o grandi storie. Ciò che mi colpisce è la capacità di Andersen di ricavare dei racconti da qualunque cosa, come semplici oggetti di uso comune. Tutta la realtà che ci circonda racchiude in sé una storia da scoprire o da inventare, sta a noi riuscire a guardare oltre la superficie e trovare la magia che si nasconde intorno a noi. Credo che questo sia il potere delle fiabe, quello di ricongiungerci con una parte di noi che con la crescita e la maturità tendiamo a perdere, impoverendoci.
  Tutte le fiabe e le storie sono intrise di una forte componente cristiana che le priva un po' di universalità. Anche se non tutte sono perfettamente riuscite, alcune sono indimenticabilmente ricche di fascino e la gran parte incantano per la loro creatività.
• 
  Radwa Abdelbasset

  كحكايات الجنيّات الجميلات كانت تلك الرحلة 💙
• 
  Becky

  What does one say about Andersen’s Fairy Tales, other than that they are a must read? All fantasy lovers should of course read it, because all fantasy has this sort of primal connection to early humanities’ fear of the dark forests. Everyone else should read it just to see how these tales have evolved into the modern stories that we all know now. I hear people constantly complaining the Disney teachers girls all the wrong lessons (and I have some very biting arguments about that, but another time), but what they should be doing is handing these stories out to kids instead. Kids need the whole story. They need to know that Ariel felt like she was walking on shards of broken glass when she walked on her feet, and they should know that Cinderella had her sisters dance to death in iron shoes. Why? Because Life is Pain, and anyone that tells you differently is trying to sell something. Sometimes the world can be dark, and scary, and these stories, more than Disney, will definitely teach you that. Sometimes the Match Girl dies alone in the cold, and sometimes, being a good, kind person, will save you from a horrible death. Both are good lessons.
• 
  Simona B

  Belle, belle, bellissime. Intense, delicate, soavi, alcune allegre altre tristi, ma tutte in grado portarti nel mondo dei sogni e dell'innocenza dell'infanzia.
  

  
  “Ah, che ragazzaccio è mai questo Amor! Lo voglio dire a tutti i bambini buoni, perchè se ne guardino, e non giochino mai con lui: già, egli non farebbe loro che male...” [...] Tutti i buoni fanciulli, ragazzine e ragazzini, ai quali raccontò il fatto, si tengono ora in guardia contro il cattivello; ma egli è così scaltro ed accorto, che riesce sempre a burlarsi delle loro precauzioni.”

  - da Il ragazzaccio

  
  “Lontano lontano, in alto mare, l'acqua è azzurra come i petali del più bel fiordaliso, e limpida come il più puro cristallo. Ma è molto profonda, più profonda di ogni scandaglio; bisognerebbe mettere molti e molti campanili l'uno sopra l'altro per arrivare dal fondo sino alla superficie dell'acqua. E laggiù, nel fondo, vive la gente del mare.”

  - da La Sirenetta
• 
  Aya Ibrahim

  القصص موجهة للأطفال ولكن بعضها أقسى من أن تقصّ على أطفال، وبعضها الآخر أعمق من أن يستوعبها عقل طفل، ولكن خلال قراءتي لم يكن ببالي سوى فكرة واحدة وهي لو أن ديزني اختارت نهايات القصص الحقيقية لتغيرت فكرتنا عن الأميرة الجميلة والأمير الوسيم
• 
  Sérgio

  Antes de mais, e pondo de lado uma definição hermenêutica dos contos de fadas, que continua a ser objecto de discussão entre os investigadores, podemos dividi-los, quanto à sua génese, em dois grupos. O primeiro grupo é constituído por obras que derivam exclusivamente da liberdade criativa dos seus autores. No segundo incluem-se aquelas que são extensamente baseadas em adaptações de obras precedentes ou que retiram inspiração do folclore popular de um povo, transmitido por via oral de geração em geração. A este último pertencem respectivamente as Fábulas de La Fontaine, de um lado, e os Contos ou Histórias dos Tempos Idos de Perrault, de que já tive oportunidade de falar noutro
  lugar, e os Contos dos irmãos Grimm, do outro. Do grupo inicial fazem parte as Fábulas de Esopo e os Contos de Andersen.
  
  Na verdade, os Contos de Andersen estão para a contemporaneidade como as Fábulas de Esopo estão para a Antiguidade: um conjunto de contos de fadas escritos para os mais novos, contendo um substrato moral de crítica social, de costumes e de valores que pretende entreter ao mesmo tempo que mune a criança de uma série de lições de vida capazes de a enriquecer interiormente.
  
  A presente edição reúne vinte e sete dos cento e cinquenta e seis contos produzidos por Andersen, a saber: “A Princesa e a Ervilha”, “O Fuzil”, “A Polegarzinha”, “A Sereiazinha”, “O Rei Vai Nu”, “O Valente Soldadinho de Chumbo”, “Os Cisnes Bravos”, “A Mala Voadora”, “O Senhor Morfeu”, “O Porqueiro”, “O Rouxinol”, “O Patinho Feio”, “A Rainha da Neve”, “O Abeto”, “História duma Agulha”, “O Lampião Velho”, “A Casa Velha”, “Uma História”, “É Tudo Verdade”, “Tagarelice de Crianças”, “No Pátio”, “O Que Faz o Velho é Sempre Bem Feito”, “O Homem de Neve”, “A Moeda de Prata”, “Por Ser Passado Não é Esquecido”, “História de Um Cardo” e “A Pulga e o Professor”. Várias destas histórias, como “A Polegarzinha”, “A Sereiazinha”, “O Rei Vai Nu” ou “O Valente Soldadinho de Chumbo”, fazem parte integrante do repertório literário ocidental. Outras tantas, como a “A Princesa e a Ervilha” ou “O Rouxinol”, preenchem o nosso imaginário colectivo de tal forma que a noção da sua autoria foi já perdida.
  
  Hans Christian Andersen era uma criança pobre, aprendiz de tecelão e de alfaiate, a quem foi dada a oportunidade de estudar – devido a uma bolsa instituída pelo rei da Dinamarca –, que nunca permitiu que o seu Eu de menino fosse abafado ou silenciado. Viveu uma vida solitária, apaixonando-se frequentemente por mulheres inacessíveis, de quem nunca pôde verdadeiramente aproximar-se. Os exegetas da sua obra foram capazes de decifrar vestígios desses desgostos em vários dos seus contos, sendo “A Rainha da Neve” o mais evidente. Contudo, a grande maioria das histórias deve a sua concepção ao penetrante poder de observação de Christian Andersen das realidades sociais e da natureza humana das pessoas envolventes. A mestria de Andersen consistiu em verter essas observações para contos de fadas, aparentemente inócuos e inocentes, mesclados de maravilhoso, recorrendo à fantasia com situações do quotidiano com vista à passagem de uma moral.
  
  Outro dos encantos dos Contos de Andersen é a imensa plasticidade metafórica das suas histórias, que se prestam facilmente a interpretações de carácter intimista. A título pessoal, “A Sereiazinha”, melhor conhecida como “A Pequena Sereia”, é-me particularmente cara. Sempre considerei o pungente amor e curiosidade da Pequena Sereia pelo mundo fora do mar como a metáfora perfeita para o historiador: aquele que ama sinceramente o passado sem nunca o ter visto directamente, imbuído de um vivo interesse por todos os pormenores de um mundo de antanho que nunca poderá visitar. A pequena colecção de itens humanos da Sereia é um exemplo flagrante: objectos de uma realidade espacial e temporal directamente inalcançável, que apenas pode ser contemplada/estudada através deles, como os nossos livros e registos históricos ou locais arqueológicos.
  
  Apesar de ter sido demolido pela crítica literária aquando da publicação das suas primeiras histórias, Andersen cedo alcançou o sucesso junto do público. Tal aclamação, não obstante a qualidade literária da sua obra, não pode ser destrinçada do período em que foi publicada. O século XIX, sobretudo a primeira metade, foi um momento particularmente desolador e sem esperança para largos sectores da sociedade europeia. A Revolução Industrial, em conjunto com o liberalismo, desregulador das velhas formas de protecção social e laboral do Antigo Regime, foram os responsáveis pela exploração das vastas hordas de camponeses desenraizados que assolavam então às cidades, em busca de uma vida melhor. Dias de trabalho de 12h a 16 horas, salários miseráveis, precariedade contratual e até inexistência de subsídios de desemprego e pensões de reforma, eram a regra comum. Esta realidade tenebrosa tinha já o seu paladino em Charles Dickens, de quem, aliás significativamente, Christian Andersen se tornou amigo. Contudo, o público necessitava ainda de alguém que o reconfortasse com belas histórias que lhe permitissem recuperar a inocência perdida e manter a sanidade num ambiente asfixiante. A obra de Andersen veio preencher, precisamente, essa necessidade.
  
  São inúmeras as colectâneas e antologias dos contos de Andersen. Todavia, poucas são as edições dos contos completos. O Círculo de Leitores lançou em 2005, aquando do bicentenário do nascimento do autor, uma edição ilustrada por Nikolaus Heidelbach e traduzida por Maria Nóvoa, que não me foi possível confirmar se contém os cento e cinquenta e seis contos. Não obstante, em 2015, a Temas e Debates, chancela do Círculo de Leitores, editou os Contos de Andersen em versão integral, recuperando as traduções de Maria Nóvoa e acrescentando-lhe outras de Luís Oliveira e João Quina.
• 
  Lilirose

  Le fiabe di Andersen sono tante e spaziano dal buffo al commovente, ma tutte hanno in comune una vena di poesia che affascina grandi e piccini: sin dalle prime righe sembra di entrare in un mondo incantato, ed è questo che si richiede ad una fiaba in fondo.
  Naturalmente in una produzione così sconfinata è ovvio che ce ne siano di meno riuscite: alcune sono dei semplici divertissement, altre sono un po' troppo paternalistiche, ma anche nelle più banali c'è quel tocco magico che è l'impronta inconfondibile dell'autore. Certe poi sono dei piccoli capolavori: penso alla straziante "La bambina dei fiammiferi" o all'elaborata "La regina delle nevi"(quasi un romanzo in miniatura), ma soprattutto penso a "La sirenetta", struggente e di grande atmosfera.
  Attenzione però a non accostarsi ad Andersen pensandolo "facile" e giocoso: nelle sue fiabe il lieto fine non è mai scontato, i protagonisti soffrono e non è detto che siano ricompensati e non ha remore nel mostrare anche gli aspetti più crudi della vita: questo perchè ci sono vari livelli di lettura, non sono pensate per un pubblico esclusivamente di bambini.
  Leggere Andersen è sempre un'esperienza memorabile, e nonostante la morale un po' anacronistica e decisamente troppo religiosa per i miei gusti le sue opere riescono sempre a farmi sognare.