Authors
Hans Christian Andersen
1805 – 1875
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author who wrote some of the world's most famous fairy tales, including The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, and The Snow Queen. He grew up poor and dreamed of becoming a performer before discovering his gift for storytelling. His fairy tales have been translated into more languages than almost any other book in history, aside from religious texts — though not everyone loved his company: a five-week visit to his friend Charles Dickens in 1857 so wore out his welcome that it ended their friendship.
Quotes
“Where words fail, sounds can often speak.”
“To be born in a duck's nest, in a farmyard, is of no consequence to a bird, if it is hatched from a swan's egg.”
“To travel is to live.”
“The sun made the leaves transparent—there was a fragrance, a freshness—the birds sang. I was overcome by it.”
“That which is bitter passes away, and the whole world appears in sunlight.”
“My life is a lovely story, happy and full of incident.”