Why does Andersen have such scary fairy tales? Fairytale dreams of Andersen Why you need to read Andersen's fairy tales

As a child, I was fascinated by Andersen’s fairy tales: “The Snow Queen”, “The Ugly Duckling”, “Thumbelina”, “The Steadfast Tin Soldier”, “The Princess and the Pea”, “The Little Mermaid”, “The Swineherd”... For some reason, the fairy tale “The Spruce” was especially memorable "
When my father brought a two-volume set of fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen (1975 edition) from Chisinau, I was surprised to discover that these were not exactly the fairy tales that I read as a child, but rather fairy tales for adults.
Some researchers believe that the great storyteller Andersen did not like children. Hans Christian was irritated when he was called a children's writer. He considered himself a serious writer for adults. But critics did not recognize him as a poet and novelist. But Andersen was the recognized king of the fairy tale. He paid for this at the cost of personal happiness!
How did Hans Christian write his stories? Where do fairy tales come from?
This is essentially a question about the nature of inspiration and the nature of human genius.

Since childhood, I dreamed of seeing the places where Hans Christian Andersen lived and wrote, and now my dream came true: as part of a cruise through four Scandinavian capitals, I visited Copenhagen.

I liked Copenhagen, its streets and canals. Ancient buildings harmoniously coexist alongside modern buildings, which creates a unique flavor of the city. I tasted the most delicious coffee and the most delicious cake in Copenhagen.
It was pleasant to meet our sailors from the anti-submarine ship Neustrashimy; I even talked to one of them. That day, our famous sailing ship “Sedov” was also in Copenhagen.

Now more than 1 million people live in the capital of Denmark.
Denmark (Kongeriget Danmark) is the senior member of the Commonwealth of States of the Kingdom of Denmark, which also includes the Faroe Islands and Greenland with autonomy.
The population of Denmark is 5.5 million people (the same as in St. Petersburg).
According to the Better Life Index, out of 36 countries, Denmark ranks third after Australia and the United States.
The average life expectancy for men is 78 years, for women – 86 years.
Half of the families own their own homes.
Denmark has its own currency, but the euro is accepted everywhere.

Denmark is the oldest monarchy in Europe, existing since 936.
The head of state, Queen Margaret, exercises supreme power through an appointed government. The Queen is also the Supreme Commander of the Danish Armed Forces and the head of the official state church.

In 1940, Nazi Germany occupied Denmark and the Germans entered Copenhagen. Denmark was declared a German protectorate, but Hitler promised to preserve the king's power.
The Nazis demanded that Jews wear a yellow Star of David on their chests. Then the King of Denmark attached a yellow star to his jacket and rode out to the city on horseback. Although the king recognized the power of Germany, he remained with his people.

Denmark is the birthplace of such famous people as physicist Niels Bohr, philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, film director Lars von Trier, storyteller Hans Christian Andersen.

Hans Christian Andersen was born on April 2, 1805 in the small town of Odense, located on one of the Danish islands - Fionse. His father was twenty at that time, and his mother was a couple of years older.
The father of the future great storyteller was also named Hans Christian Andersen (1782-1816), and he was a poor shoemaker. The father of the great writer loved to read and travel. He endlessly reread the tales of “A Thousand and One Nights” to his son. One day, the father went with his son to the theater, which influenced the boy’s entire future life.
Feeling a sense of adventure, in 1812 my father went to fight as part of Napoleon's army. The family lived on the money earned by the father for three years. Four years later he returned crippled and soon died.

The grandfather of the great storyteller, old man Anders Hansen, a wood carver, was considered crazy in the town because he carved strange figures of half-humans with wings.

Mother Anna Marie Andersdatter (1775-1833), was a laundress from a poor family, she had to beg as a child. She was also not well mentally. She was buried in a cemetery for the poor.

In Denmark, there is a legend about Andersen's royal origin, since in an early biography Andersen wrote that as a child he played with Prince Frits, later King Frederick VII. The reason for this fantasy of Andersen was the stories of his father that he was a relative of the king.
After the death of King Frederick VII, with the exception of relatives, only Andersen was allowed to visit the coffin of the deceased.

In early childhood, Hans Christian was a withdrawn child. He grew up a dreamer and visionary. His favorite game was the puppet theater, which he made himself and where he performed his plays.
The neighbor's son Gottfred Schenk, having learned about Andersen's hobby, teased him as a “play writer” and, at every opportunity, beat him up in vain.

The boy sang in the church choir and once a week his mother took him to Sunday sermons. At the parish school, Andersen was not a diligent student. He did not study lessons, did not try to comprehend mathematics and tricky grammar, for which he received biting blows with the teacher’s pointer.

After several physical punishments, Hans Christian refused to go to parish school, and his mother sent him to a Jewish school, where physical punishment of children was prohibited.
At Jewish school, Andersen became friends with a girl named Sarah, who called him cute and promised that when she grew up, she would become his wife. In gratitude, Hans Christian told her his “darkest secret”: “You know, I come from a noble family. You'll see, someday people will take their hats off to me..."

Andersen did not intend to become a writer, but dreamed of becoming an actor; he wanted to dance and sing on stage, recite poetry. The boy with big blue eyes had a clear voice and could read poetry and sing songs for hours.

“Someday your son will become famous, and Odense will light fires in his honor,” the soothsayer told Andersen’s mother when he was still a child.

In 1816, Andersen's father died, and the boy had to go to work. He was an apprentice to a weaver, then to a tailor, and worked in a cigarette factory.
The mother tried to get her son into a garment factory. The workers, who knew about the boy’s singing talent, asked him to sing. The clear and sonorous soprano caused general delight. However, the next day they began to laugh at Andersen’s ringing voice. Someone suggested checking to see if this lanky boy was a girl. They pulled down Andersen’s pants and checked him amid general laughter...

After this, Andersen finally retreated into himself. His best friends were wooden dolls made by his father. Hans Christian sewed dresses for them, composed funny and sad stories for them, in which the dolls came to life. For his heroes, he came up with a new language, a kind of cross between Danish, German, English and French.

Andersen's mother, unable to bear the poverty any longer, decided to get married again. Andersen did not get along with his stepfather, who was a poor shoemaker. The relationship with his mother, whom Hans Christian was jealous of his adopted sister Karen-Marie, also deteriorated.

For his delightful voice, Andersen was nicknamed “the little nightingale from the island of Funen.” They began to invite him to decent houses. After six months of performances, Andersen collected 13 Riksdallers and, in addition, received a letter of recommendation to the leading ballerina of the royal theater, Anna Margaretha Schell.

The patron of the young Andersen turned to the future king of Denmark with a request to support his talent. Frederick VII replied: “If a person has talent, then it will sprout on its own.”

Where and how is talent born in a shoemaker's family?
Why are some content with their origins and work all their lives as a shoemaker, cook or carpenter, while other children strive for something unattainable, incomprehensible to their parents?

When Andersen turned 14, he decided to go to Copenhagen. His mother asked him why he was going. Hans Christian replied: “To become famous!”
On September 4, 1819, he left Odense and returned to his homeland only 50 years later.

During a whole year of living in Copenhagen, Andersen tried to enter the theater. First, he came to the home of a famous singer and, bursting into tears, asked her to get him into the theater. To get rid of the annoying teenager, she promised to arrange everything, but did not keep her promise. Later, the singer explained to Andersen that she then mistook him for a madman.

Hans Christian was a lanky teenager with long and thin limbs, a long neck and an equally long nose. But thanks to his pleasant voice and persistent requests, Hans Christian was accepted into the Royal Theater in supporting roles.

When the age-related breakdown of his voice began, the young man was fired. Then Hans Christian composed a play in five acts and wrote a letter to the king, asking him to give money for its publication. The book was printed, but no one bought it, and it was used for wrappers.
Andersen did not lose hope and took his book to the theater so that a performance based on the play could be staged. But he was refused with the wording “due to the author’s complete lack of experience.”

Luck smiled on Andersen in the person of the conservatory professor Sibony, the composer Weise, the poet Goldberg and the conference adviser Collin. Seeing Hans Christian's persistent desire, they petitioned King Frederick VI of Denmark, who gave money for Andersen's studies at the gymnasium.

17-year-old Andersen was assigned to an elementary class, where the students were 6 years younger.
The director of the gymnasium, Meisling, humiliated Andersen in every possible way.
– Your father was a shoemaker, and your stepfather too. You will understand how much benefit you could bring by performing the noble work of a shoemaker, repairing boots. And here in your place there could be a truly capable person.

Where did Andersen have such faith in his own destiny? Who was the real father of the great writer?

Andersen is an example of the greatest faith in his talent. It was this faith that allowed him to go through all the troubles and bad weather and become a great writer.
Looking at Andersen's life, one gets the impression that every person is born with a certain purpose.

Recently, almost the first fairy tale of an aspiring writer was found in the archives of Denmark. The fairy tale "The Tallow Candle" tells about the adventures of a candle that could not determine the meaning of its existence. At the end of the story, the candle meets a flint, which lights the candle, thereby indicating its purpose.

In 1827, Andersen completed his studies. But he made many grammatical mistakes until the end of his life. For the rest of his life, Andersen retained a bad memory of his teacher Meisling.
“I learned a lot in your lessons, but I didn’t learn to hate people,” Hans Christian said to his teacher in parting.
- Get out of here, you ungrateful creature!
– People will know the one who bullied the genius Hans Christian Andersen.

When Meisling became royal censor, he continued to criticize and ridicule his former student.
“His latest tale of the ugly duckling is simply outrageous. I was forced to make a reprimand to the editors of the magazine. It is unacceptable to publish such things. This is a libel for our Motherland. In the ugly duckling Andersen portrayed himself; the poultry yard is our country, and we are all evil, disgusting inhabitants, all these turkeys, roosters, geese, peacocks, who do nothing but hiss at him, peck at him and pinch him. And he imagined himself to be a beautiful white swan... What kind of swan is he?... his arms reach to the floor... a typical baboon, orangutan..."

“Yes, the ugly duckling is the spitting image of me,” Andersen admitted.

“What can the fairy tale “The King’s New Clothes” teach children? - Meisling did not let up, - where His Majesty is depicted in a completely indecent form, that is, naked ... ".

What they mocked, they later admired!

In 1829, having entered the university, Andersen published his first story - “A Journey on Foot from the Golme Canal to Amak.” The story brought him fame. Andersen received a financial allowance from the king, which allowed him to make his first trip abroad.

But a truly new life began for Andersen when, in 1835, the poor and almost unknown thirty-year-old Hans Christian wrote the fairy tale “Flint.”
The first collection of fairy tales, published in 1835, was called “Fairy Tales Told to Children.” The 2nd issue “New Fairy Tales” was started in 1838, and the 3rd issue “New Fairy Tales and Stories” in 1845.

People became engrossed in Andersen's fairy tales, books were sold out instantly, and children memorized poems.
Hans Christian's travel notes, poems and fairy tales have been translated into 125 languages.
When Andersen first arrived in England in June 1847, he was given a triumphal welcome.
Andersen's fairy tale "The King's New Clothes" was placed in his first primer by Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy.

Oddly enough, Andersen despised his fairy tales, which brought him well-deserved fame. He did not like the word “fairy tale”, but preferred “story” or, even better, “history”.
Andersen wrote not only fairy tales. From his pen came plays and novels full of subtle psychologism. However, critics continued to ignore Andersen as a playwright and novelist.

Once a famous critic, visiting a person, spent a long time scolding Andersen’s book. And when he finished, the owners’ little daughter handed him the book with the words: “There’s also the word “and”, you missed it and didn’t scold it!” The critic blushed and kissed the naive child. Andersen laughed.

Famous people of that time, writers and poets, sought to become friends or at least acquaintances of Andersen. But even among his acquaintances, Andersen was a strange, incomprehensible, extraordinary stranger.
One researcher wrote: “It was probably very strange for Andersen to live among ordinary people...”

Once Andersen was invited to tell fairy tales to the young Prince Ludwig - the future monarch of Bavaria - who many years later was nicknamed the “fairy tale king”. Perhaps it was Andersen's fairy tales that awakened the imagination of the fairy-tale king who built the magnificent castles of Bavaria. The most famous is Neuschwanstein.

It still remains a mystery who the real father of Ludwig of Bavaria is, and why Hans Christian Andersen’s father considered himself to be of royal blood.

In his autobiographical book “The Tale of My Life,” Andersen admitted: “From this book, the guys will learn only the sugary side of my life, I have smoothed out a lot.”

In 2007, Eldar Ryazanov’s wonderful film “Andersen. Life without love."

The film is so explicit that it is not recommended for children under 14 years of age to watch.
In the film, the king asks Andersen:
– I read your wonderful novel “The Improviser”. Admit it, dear Andersen, did you write it yourself?
“To some extent,” answered Hans Christian.
“And he writes everything from himself,” they explained to the king.

– How do you compose your wonderful stories?
- It's very simple. I sit down at the table in the morning, dip my pen into the inkwell and think about what I could write. Suddenly there is a knock on the door, I say “come in”, a woman comes in and barely audibly says “I am a fairy tale, I have come to help you.” She stands silently behind me, and suddenly faces appear in my brain, images are born, words crowd each other, phrases flow from my pen. I turn around sharply, but there is no one there.

The king asked him to compose a tale of glory on the spot. Andersen immediately replied:
“Slava is a woman of gigantic stature, the size of the tower of our town hall. She watches how people, small and small, are swarming around on the ground below. Slava bends down, randomly takes one of them from the crowd, lifts it high, high to the level of his eyes, carefully examines it and says in disappointment: “not the same one again,” and drops it to the ground.”

Andersen wrote easily. Even big stories were born in just one night, at most two days. One day, an acquaintance of his jokingly said: “Write us a new, funny story. You can even write about a darning needle!” And Andersen wrote the life story of a darning needle.

“Fairy tales come to me themselves,” said Hans Christian. – The trees whisper them, they rush in with the wind... I have a lot of material. Sometimes it seems to me that every fence, every little flower says: “Look at me, and the story of my whole life will be revealed to you!” And as soon as I do this, I have a story ready about any of them.”

Andersen drew the plots of his fairy tales primarily from childhood memories. He actually retold the fairy tale “Flint” from what he heard in childhood. The plot of the fairy tale “The King's New Clothes” was also borrowed by Andersen from ancient sources.

“I sometimes make things up, but I never lie!” - said Andersen. “Actually, I found the plots of my stories everywhere. One day I remembered a book about a man who sold his shadow. I rewrote this plot in my own way, and thus the fairy tale “Shadow” was born.
When Andersen was told that his story exactly repeated Shakespeare’s tragedy “Othello,” Andersen replied: “This is such a wonderful story that I decided to write it again in my own words.”

Just as Andersen rewrote other people’s stories in his own way, so Evgeny Schwartz rewrote Andersen’s fairy tales, turning them into his own plays: “An Ordinary Miracle”, “An Old Old Tale”, “The Shadow”.

The problem of the “shadow” - the “double” has excited the imagination of people since ancient times. Ideas about the dual essence of man existed in ancient Egypt. The double also appeared in Hoffmann’s fairy tales, and then appeared in Dostoevsky’s story “The Double.”

Where do fairy tales come from? How and why do they arise in the writer’s imagination?
Were Andersen's fairy tales merely the sublimation of unfulfilled sexuality, as Sigmund Freud teaches, or were they something more?
What is the metaphysics of a fairy tale?

Andersen chose a fairy tale as a form of understanding the world; it is a certain view of the world. Therefore, his tales are philosophical in nature.
The philosophical meaning of Andersen's fairy tales lies in the idea of ​​​​the organic interconnection of all living and nonliving things. The power of love is diffused throughout everything that exists and ultimately triumphs over the forces of evil and destruction.
It is the power of love that allows Gerda to defeat the Snow Queen. It is for the sake of love that the Little Mermaid sacrifices her life, just like the steadfast tin soldier.

Some people consider Andersen's fairy tales childish and naive. But they also contain philosophical allegory, psychological depth, life truth, and morality.
“Andersen’s fairy tales are an allegory of life’s truth in the form of fantasy.”

The storyteller Andersen is faithful to the truth of life, and therefore most of his fairy tales have a sad ending. Andersen's tales are not so much about a joyful, cheerful life, but about proud resistance to cruel reality. Almost all stories are filled with sadness, and only a few have a happy ending. Of the 156 fairy tales written by Andersen, 56 end with the death of the hero.

Some researchers believe that the great storyteller Andersen did not like children. Some of Andersen's works really suggest such thoughts. For example, in the fairy tale “The Girl Who Stepped on Bread,” the little heroine pays for her actions with the torments of hell. In the magical story “The Red Shoes,” a fair hatchet cuts off the legs of a guilty girl.

It is believed that Andersen composed such “horror stories” when he was overcome by depression or tormented by toothache.
The fairy tale “Ib and Kristinochka” can hardly be called a fairy tale; rather, it is a fairy tale story that has quite worthy real content for a novel.

Where did the idea of ​​the Little Mermaid come from - the sacrificial love of a fantastic creature who is ready to sacrifice her life for the sake of her beloved?
This idea was found earlier in G. Heine (“Lorelei”) and Foucault (“Ondine”).
Andersen said about his fairy tale “The Little Mermaid”: “she is the only one of my works that touched me.”
The famous sculpture of the Little Mermaid in the bay of Copenhagen has become a symbol of the capital of Denmark.

In Andersen's fairy tales, it is not so much the content that is important, but the double line of plot development (one for children, the other for adults). Adults need to read Andersen’s “children’s” fairy tales between the lines.
It must be said that the fairy tales of Charles Perrault are also intended for adults. The famous fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood” is about how girls should behave when meeting wolves (men). The fairy tale “Bluebeard” is about the consequences of marrying young girls for older men.

But most of Andersen’s fairy tales are about the meaning of life and the meaning of art: “Flax”, “Tallow Candle”, “The Last Dream of the Old Oak”, “Something”...
“You will not be driven away, you will be allowed to stand here, outside the doors, and figure out how to improve your earthly life, but you will not be allowed into heaven until you truly accomplish something.”

“How reckless it would be for the bow and violin to boast of their art. And how often do we, people - poets, artists, scientists, inventors, commanders! We boast, but we are all just tools in the hands of the creator! To him alone honor and praise! And we have nothing to be proud of!” (fairy tale “The Pen and the Inkwell”).

What is the nature of genius?
When people tell me “you are a genius,” I object. I am close to the idea of ​​​​the ancient Romans, who believed that every man has his own genius, every woman has her own Juno.
Socrates called this voice from above “daimon.”

Where do ideas and dreams come from?
Plato believed that ideas come from above, and that an idea precedes any thing.
His famous metaphor of the cave helps to understand the essence of human life and the shadow.

The poet is given an image (Idea), which he must decipher and put into words. Moreover, this works in the native language, but in a non-native language it does not work adequately.

Where do fairy tales come from? What is the nature of our imagination?

I am close to John Priestley’s idea that everything that arises in our imagination must exist somewhere in the Universe. In his fairy tale “June 31,” Priestley proves the connection of destinies in time and space.

People love fairy tales in which good triumphs over evil, because in life the opposite is often true.
People want to believe in the victory of love and justice, because they themselves act in the opposite way.
Where does faith in love and the triumph of good over evil come from, since everything is different in life?

Perhaps Andersen’s motives for writing fairy tales were from life, but the ideas and meanings were from Heaven! – the noosphere, as Vernadsky called the information field of the Earth, or as the ancient “Akashic Chronicles” called it. This is precisely what can explain that the same ideas arose simultaneously among several people, such as, for example, the idea of ​​​​radio by Marconi and Popov.

How do fairy tales arise?
Some believe that fairy tales are born from myths.
Saltykov-Shchedrin also wrote fairy tales. But can one really call him a storyteller?

Andersen's life was dramatic, if not tragic.
Hans Christian's childhood and adolescence were traumatized by scenes of sexual life.
Andersen had a bad character. He was tall, thin, awkward, stooped, with inexpressive features, the only noticeable detail being a long nose.
Andersen was subject to hysterics, depression, was suspicious, and could not stand criticism of himself. His actions were eccentric. He dressed without taste. He understood that he was not created for family life.

Andersen did not have success with women - and did not strive for this. But the sexual need demanded satisfaction. And one day Andersen went to a brothel. He wanted love, and he was offered sex. “You are not a man and you never will be.”
The shock of what he saw in the brothel shaped his attitude towards women for a long time.

The tragedy of the lives of many outstanding people was sexual disharmony and dissatisfaction. This includes King Ludwig of Bavaria, composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, inventor Alfred Nobel, and many others.

In his life, Andersen loved two women: the Swedish singer Jenny Lind and the daughter of Admiral Wulf Henrietta. He was offered to marry Henrietta, who was not indifferent to Andersen.
– Do you want Denmark’s first writer to have a hunchbacked wife? – Hans Christian was indignant.

In 1840, Andersen met the Swedish singer Jenny Lind in Copenhagen.

“My visit was very short, we parted as soon as we met, and she left me with the impression of a completely ordinary person, which I soon forgot,” writes Hans Christian in “The Tale of My Life.”
Three years later they met again and Andersen fell in love. He dedicated poems to her and wrote fairy tales for her. Although he was 40, and she was only 26 years old, and she addressed him exclusively as “brother” or “child”.
- You probably hate me? - Andersen asked her.
“In order to hate, I must first love...” answered Yenny.

Andersen followed Jenny Lind to London and Berlin, where she toured, but never achieved reciprocity. He admitted to Yenny that he had never been intimate with a woman. But, despite sincere recognition, he was refused.

Andersen dedicated the fairy tales “The Snow Queen” and “The Nightingale” to Jenny Lind.
Fans of the storyteller called Yenny the “Snow Queen”; after all, even the love of the great Dane could not melt her heart.

Andersen wrote the fairy tale “The Swineherd” about his unsuccessful matchmaking with Jenny Lind. So he took revenge on his passion.

Most people read Andersen's fairy tales only in childhood. But if you re-read them as an adult, a rather frivolous meaning emerges. Only adults can fully comprehend the meaning of the Danish writer’s fairy tales.
In "Flint" a sexual scene is played out: a dog brings a sleeping princess into a soldier's closet. They spend the night together, and in the morning the princess remembers the “amazing dream.”

Erotic overtones are present in almost every Andersen fairy tale. The Snow Queen kisses the boy on the lips and, for a specific purpose, settles him in her ice palace.
The ugly duckling falls in love with the handsome swans, and at the sight of the beautiful birds he is seized by an “incomprehensible anxiety”, he becomes “as if out of his mind.” Nowadays they would call it homosexual fantasies.
The heroes of "Thumbelina" are generally obsessed with only one manic goal - to quickly indulge in passion with this little girl.
Today, for such liberties, a writer could (following the example of V.V. Nabokov) be accused of pedophilia, and the fairy tale itself could be recommended +18.
Perverted minds can even see bestiality in the fairy tale “The Swineherd”...

During his long life, Andersen fell in love many times, but was always unhappy in love.
The tragedy of Hans Christian's unrequited love manifested itself in his fairy tales.

“A sad storyteller running away from love,” that’s what they called Hans Christian Andersen.
Andersen treated women all his life as something unattainable. He could awaken passion in a woman by talking romantic nonsense, but when the lady stretched out her hands to him, the storyteller hurried to escape.

In old age he became even more extravagant, spending a lot of time in brothels. He did not touch the girls who worked there, but simply talked to them. They offered him sex, but he wanted love. “It is better to invent love than to experience it in reality,” said the storyteller.

Andersen traveled all over the world and saw what his father once dreamed of. He spent almost his entire life in hotel rooms, and carried a rope with him everywhere in case of fire.
The great storyteller seriously believed that the number of teeth in the mouth affects his creativity. In January 1873, Hans Christian lost his last tooth and immediately stopped composing. “Magic stories don’t come to me anymore. I was left completely alone,” Andersen wrote in his diary.

Hans Christian Andersen achieved world fame during his lifetime, but remained lonely until the end of his days. Shortly before his death, he said: “I paid a large, exorbitant price for my fairy tales. I gave up personal happiness for them and missed the time when imagination should have given way to reality.”

In 1867, already an old man, Andersen again came to Odense. The hometown declared the washerwoman's son its honorary citizen. On the day this celebration took place, fireworks thundered in the city, all children were released from school, and a crowd of enthusiastic residents shouted “hurray” in the square!

Andersen spent his entire life ashamed of his origins and his prostitute sister.
“Hans Christian, you are a great liar and deceiver. You are leading a double life. In your fairy tales you are kind, generous and noble. But in fact, you are a terrible person, you are calculating and cold. All your life you have been hiding the squalor of your origins. You were afraid that this would defile you in the eyes of the world. You hid your base, voluptuous inclinations. You betrayed our mother. When you die, not a single near and dear person will accompany your coffin, because you don’t have them. Hans Christian, you are a great liar and deceiver."

“There was a lot of vanity and vanity in my life. My ambition seemed excessive. I turned away from my mother, renounced my sister. This is my huge sin. I bowed to the rulers. He was arrogant. He could be cruel, selfish, stingy. I'm ashamed of this.
“You atoned for your guilt by suffering and not becoming embittered.” Your creations instilled goodness in the souls of people. And people repaid you with love and respect. But you are a fool, Andersen, for passing by such a miracle as the love of a woman!”

When Andersen fell ill shortly before his death, the residents of the capital decided to prepare in advance for farewell to their writer. A fundraiser for the monument was announced. The sculptor Auguste Sabø came to Andersen with a project. When Andersen saw himself sitting in a chair, surrounded by children, he was indignant: “Do you want me to read fairy tales surrounded by children hanging on my shoulders and knees? I wouldn’t even utter a word in such an environment!”
The sculptor was shocked, but removed the children.

The monument to Andersen was erected during his lifetime. And now on the square near the Town Hall in Copenhagen, named in his honor, there is a monument - a storyteller in a chair with a book in his hand and alone.

The last fairy tale was written by Andersen on Christmas Day 1872. In 1872, the writer fell out of bed, was badly hurt and never recovered from his injuries, although he lived for another three years.

Andersen died on August 4, 1875 in Copenhagen. The funeral of the great storyteller, held on August 8, 1875 at the Assistance cemetery, was attended by the poor and nobility, students, foreign ambassadors, ministers and the king himself. National mourning was declared in Denmark. People read Andersen's poems.

“How I want to believe in a fairy tale, that old dreams will come true, that I will meet my soul mate and with her we will make our dreams come true. But life whispers a different song: look at the experience of others, and show me any family where you would be happy. But there are none, everyone is unhappy, they torment each other, enduring. Dreaming is harmful and dangerous. Most people live without love. And you wanted to build a world, create an ideal hearth, where there was no need to argue, where everyone was sincerely happy, where you could love without hesitation, and could be tender without hiding, where you lived every day, smiling, giving grace to everyone around you, where every night is full of admiration and tender caress, and the whole day is filled with creation in which the soul would grow, where few words would be spoken, listening fully with the eyes, the soul would never get tired of loving lips, shoulders, eyes... But enough of the ridiculous fantasies. It's a dream or delirium in reality. Life does not tolerate fairy tales about brave bears who said “I love you.” We cannot insure our dreams from the prose of betrayals and insults. We create everything in life only ourselves, and the storyteller is hidden in our souls.”
(from my true-life novel “The Wanderer (mystery)” on the New Russian Literature website

In your opinion, WHAT IS THE MYSTERY OF ANDERSEN’S TALES?

© Nikolay Kofirin – New Russian Literature –

A children's fairy tale is a fascinating introduction to the world around us, the system of human values ​​and the entertaining characters. A child brought up on fairy tales from an early age has a wild imagination and creative imagination, and has the concept of humanity and kindness towards people and animals. Therefore, the benefits of fairy tales for children are undeniable.

The enchanting world of fairy tales is represented by fantastic stories of various peoples of the world. Children listen to the sad Russian story about the gullible Kolobok or the English tale about the confrontation between the wolf and the three little pigs with extraordinary delight. However, the wonderful fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen occupy a special place on the fabulous Olympus.

How did the creations of the brilliant storyteller originate?

The master of fairy tales, Hans Christian Andersen, grew up in the Danish town of Odense. The Danish young man's dream was to act on stage and recite poetry, but he immortalized his name precisely thanks to his writing talent. The literary fairy tale owes its appearance to this man. Published in the 19th century, Andersen's fairy tales captivated all young readers without exception.

Memories from childhood formed the basis of the plot lines of Andersen's magical stories. Everyone's favorite characters in his fairy tales are ordinary animals, such as cats, dogs or chickens; kitchen utensils; simple flowers and plants glistening under the rays of the sun on the forest edge. But these are the simple heroes that kids wait for before going to bed. His fairy tales for children are fascinating. It’s not without reason that hundreds of cartoons have been made around the world based on Andersen’s children’s works. And parents begin reading Andersen’s fairy tales to children very early.

Why should children read Andersen's fairy tales?

As you know, children do not tolerate monotony, so it is not so easy to captivate them with a book. However, all of Andersen's fairy tales have a unique, non-repetitive plot, which arouses delight and great interest among children. From the pages of Andersen's books, a child always learns something previously unknown and at the same time exciting and fascinating. At the same time, he acquires versatility of thinking and vivid imagination. So, after reading Andersen's fairy tale "The Nightingale", why not delve deeper into thoughts about China. Or tell your child about Denmark, answering his inexhaustible questions, after learning the wonderful story of “Galoshes of Happiness.” And the world-famous “Snow Queen” in the imagination of children seems to be an action-packed adventure story, the outcome of which they eagerly await. The reason for this is the author’s system of vivid and unique images.

Another characteristic feature of Andersen’s fairy tales is the almost complete absence of violence and cruelty in them, with the exception of two episodes: the kidnapping of Thumbelina and the possible execution of the Soldier in “Flint.” Andersen's fairy-tale stories are imbued with wisdom and kindness, even if at times their ending is sad ("The Little Mermaid").

However, to appreciate Andersen's fairy tales, first of all, follows the writer's desire to reach the very hearts of young readers.

Spiritual and moral education of children through Andersen's fairy tales

The meaning of each Andersen fairy tale is very deep, and the themes of the stories are extensive. Below are the main themes of his children's works.

1) Humanity, heroism and selflessness.

Fairy tales such as “Wild Swans” and “The Snow Queen” are dedicated to these strong qualities. Thus, Gerda’s courage and unquenchable faith in the person inspires only admiration.

2) The immeasurable power of love.

This is what motivates little Gerda, the Little Mermaid, and the steadfast tin soldier. Love in Andersen's fairy tales is a feeling that can overcome the bitterness of separation and all the difficulties that arise along the way.

3) The meaning of life and art.

This theme is vividly represented in several of the writer’s fairy tales: “Flax”, “Tallow Candle”, “The Last Dream of the Old Oak”.

4) Compassion and mercy.

The sensitivity of Gerda's heart helped to cope with evil and envy, greed and indifference.

5) The ability to appreciate and love life.

Thus, in the fairy tale “The Nightingale,” a living nightingale was more desirable than an artificial bird, because it was a real bird that could cure the emperor.

Many parents doubt the need to read Andersen's fairy tales to children. Their hesitation is caused by the sad endings of some of the writer’s stories, as well as the presence of the theme of death in fairy tales. But the main thing Andersen strives for in such stories is to show that his actions and actions during life are of great importance for a person, they remain forever in memory, even after the person passes away.

Thus, children should read Andersen’s fairy tales, but always remember that some of the writer’s creations are addressed to older children and adults. Therefore, it is better to approach this issue thoughtfully and choose Andersen’s fairy tales, taking into account the child’s age (as a rule, it is better to start introducing Andersen’s fairy-tale world to children who have reached the age of five). The writer's children's fairy tales will become a worthy guide to the fascinating world of literary masterpieces.

In most of them, the author forces kind and defenseless characters to go through terrible trials.

This plot is also typical for folk tales, but what is atypical for them is that Andersen’s good heroes are often defeated, and many fairy tales have a sad ending.

Psychologists explain this by the neurotic personality type of the writer, who was lonely all his life and suffered from many phobias.

Famous Danish writer.

Psychologists say that Andersen was neurotic and suffered from various phobias. This is partly explained by severe heredity - his grandfather was mentally ill, his mother drank a lot and died of delirium tremens.

Biographers characterize Andersen as a depressed, unbalanced, restless and irritable person, and also a hypochondriac - he was constantly afraid of getting sick and groundlessly found symptoms of various diseases.

The writer really had many phobias. He was afraid of being buried alive and during his illness he always left a note on the table by his bed to remind him that he was not really dead, even if it might seem so.

The writer was also afraid of burning in a fire and being poisoned. Over the years, his suspicion increased.

One day, fans of his work gave him a box of chocolates. He did not eat them, fearing that the candies were poisoned, but treated them... to the neighbor's children. Convinced the next morning that they had survived, I tried the candy myself.

As a child, Andersen often played with dolls and was very soft and indecisive. Later, he himself admitted the duality of his nature and the lack of masculine fortitude.

At school, boys teased him for constantly telling made-up stories about himself. Andersen admitted: “I was often carried away in my dreams to God knows where, unconsciously looking at the wall hung with paintings, and I got a lot of punishment from the teacher for this.

I really loved telling other boys amazing stories in which the main character was, of course, myself. I was often laughed at for this.”

The love stories in his life were as sad as in fairy tales. Andersen was unrequitedly in love with the daughter of his patron, who was married off to a more successful admirer - a lawyer.

His love for the famous Swedish singer and actress Jenny Lind also turned out to be non-reciprocal. He dedicated poems and fairy tales to her (“The Nightingale”, “The Snow Queen”), but she remained indifferent.

All his life Andersen remained single and, according to biographers, he died a virgin. One of them writes: “His need for women was great, but his fear of them was even stronger.”

That is why, according to psychologists, in his fairy tales he constantly tortures women: he either drowns them, then leaves them in the cold, or burns them in the fireplace. Andersen was called "a sad storyteller running away from love."

Andersen died completely alone after a long illness. Shortly before his death, he said: “I paid a large, exorbitant price for my fairy tales.

I gave up my personal happiness for their sake and missed the time when imagination should have given way to reality.”

Andersen's exciting tales are familiar to each of us since childhood. Great film adaptations have given us a sense of goodness and magic from each of them, but if you think about it, the plot of these fairy tales was rarely optimistic or cheerful. Of course, Andersen’s heroes in fairy tales spoke about such qualities as envy and malice, deceit and cunning, cruelty and indifference through their own actions, but why did the great storyteller create the fairy tale world so... dull?

The symbol of Denmark is the Little Mermaid looking at the sea...

Of Hans Christian Andersen's 156 fairy tales, 56 end with the death of the main character; in most of them, the author forces kind and defenseless characters to go through terrible trials. This plot is also typical for folk tales, but what is atypical for them is that Andersen’s good heroes are often defeated, and many fairy tales have a sad ending.

m/f "The Snow Queen"

Psychologists explain this by the neurotic personality type of the writer, who was lonely all his life and suffered from many phobias.

m/f "The Ugly Duckling"

This is partly explained by severe heredity - his grandfather was mentally ill, his mother drank a lot and died of delirium tremens. Biographers characterize Andersen as a depressed, unbalanced, restless and irritable person, and also a hypochondriac - he was constantly afraid of getting sick and unreasonably found symptoms of various diseases in himself.

m/f "The Steadfast Tin Soldier"

The writer really had many phobias. He was afraid of being buried alive and during his illness he always left a note on the table by his bed to remind him that he was not really dead, even if it might seem so. The writer was also afraid of burning in a fire and being poisoned. Over the years, his suspicion increased. One day, fans of his work gave him a box of chocolates. He did not eat them, fearing that the candies were poisoned, but treated them... to the neighbor's children. Convinced the next morning that they had survived, I tried the candy myself.

m/f “The Snow Queen” The prototype for the Snow Queen was the only love of Andersen’s life, Jenny Lind, who throughout her life did not let him come closer than one step to her.

As a child, Andersen often played with dolls and was very soft and indecisive. Later, he himself admitted the duality of his nature and the lack of masculine fortitude. At school, boys teased him for constantly telling made-up stories about himself. Andersen admitted: “I was often carried away in my dreams to God knows where, unconsciously looking at the wall hung with paintings, and I got a lot of punishment from the teacher for this. I really loved telling other boys amazing stories in which the main character was, of course, myself. I was often laughed at for this.”

m/f "Wild Swans"

The love stories in his life were as sad as in fairy tales. Andersen was unrequitedly in love with the daughter of his patron, who was married off to a more successful admirer - a lawyer. His love for the famous Swedish singer and actress Jenny Lind also turned out to be non-reciprocal. He dedicated poems and fairy tales to her (“The Nightingale”, “The Snow Queen”), but she remained indifferent. They were friends for a long time, but after her marriage Andersen did not meet with her again, although until the end of his life he remembered only her alone.

m/f “Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep”

They say that in his old age he became even more strange. He spent a huge amount of time in brothels, but not at all because he was looking for carnal pleasures. He simply had conversations with the “priestesses of love” - he considered everything else to be betrayal of his only beloved.

illustration from the book “The Princess and the Pea”

All his life Andersen remained single and, according to biographers, he died a virgin. One of them writes: “His need for women was great, but his fear of them was even stronger.” That is why, according to psychologists, in his fairy tales he constantly tortures women: he either drowns them, then leaves them in the cold, or burns them in the fireplace. Andersen was called "a sad storyteller running away from love."

m/f “The King’s New Dress”

Andersen died completely alone after a long illness. Shortly before his death, he said: “I paid a large, exorbitant price for my fairy tales. I gave up my personal happiness for their sake and missed the time when imagination should have given way to reality.”

The famous Dane wrote more than 150 fairy tales and stories for children, more than a third of them end with the death of the main characters

Myself Hans Christian Andersen I never considered this course of events to be pessimistic. Perhaps his worldview is most accurately expressed in the final phrase of the fairy tale “The Ice Maiden”: “God arranges everything for the best for us.” In the Soviet Union, Andersen's fairy tales were quite popular, and even more so were films and cartoons based on the plots of his works. This is explained by the fact that the originals were heavily adapted and processed. Without this, censorship simply would not have allowed them to be published.

"Flint"

A generation of Soviet schoolchildren knew this story in a highly revised version. In the original version of “Flint” there is a real horror going on - just look at the hellish dogs that attack King And Queen and drag them to the underworld. Of course, Soviet children had no need for such obscenity, as well as constant religious hints and digressions, and translators and retellers came to the rescue. For example, talented Evgeny Schwartz, from whose pen gloomy tales came out transformed.

"Mermaid"

One of Andersen's most famous fairy tales, The Little Mermaid, has an incredibly sad ending. Modern children know this story from the beautiful Disney cartoon with the traditional American happy ending. The original fairy tale ends much worse: the prince marries another, the Little Mermaid, in order to save her life, must plunge a sharp knife into the heart of the traitor, but she sacrifices herself for the happiness of her beloved - she throws herself into the sea to turn into sea foam.

It is not known why Andersen came up with such a cruel fate for the Little Mermaid, but he described it, we must give him his due, so poetically that many find it difficult to resist tears.

The Snow Queen

Brave Gerda, rushing to free his sworn brother Kaya, walks and walks through the snow and blizzard, not paying attention to the cold, and, having reached the palace of the Snow Queen, frees his brother. The original is replete with many angels who help Gerda after the girl recites the Lord's Prayer. And Gerda got there only thanks to the angels, who stroked her arms and legs with warm palms, not allowing her to freeze. And she was able to cast a spell on Kai, because she tirelessly read psalms about Jesus.

And the fairy tale ends with the children finding their grandmother sitting in the sun and enthusiastically reading the Gospel. The last words of the fairy tale “Roses are blooming - beauty, beauty! Soon we will see the baby Christ." It is clear that this option was completely unsuitable for reading to Soviet children.

By the way: Biographers of the famous storyteller claim that he portrayed a Danish singer and actress in the image of the cold and cruel Snow Queen. Jenny Lind- a woman whom Andersen devotedly and hopelessly loved all his life and who never allowed the writer to come near her.

The most terrible

Many fairly well-known fairy tales and stories by Andersen are crammed with such details that even adults find it difficult to perceive.

« Girl with matches" A little girl sells matches on the street. Despite the approaching New Year, she does not want to return home, where her cruel father is waiting for her. She gradually burns one match at a time, and in the light of the flame, fairy-tale pictures float in front of the baby. As a result, the girl freezes to death. « The New Year's sun illuminated the dead body of the girl with matches; she burned almost the whole pack.”

"The Flea and the Professor". A professor and his girlfriend, a magical flea, arrive in a land of savages ruled by an 8-year-old (!) princess. The princess falls in love with a flea and wants to marry her. Moreover, the princess is a cannibal. « Baby hangers with strong sauce are especially good! - said the princess’s mother.”

"Heartbreak". Children arrange a paid visit to the grave of a dog who has just died. And only one little ragged woman could not “pay” and see, this was her grief. “The children danced around the grave, and then the eldest boy, a practical seven-year-old youth, offered to arrange a viewing of the pug’s grave for all the neighboring children. You could take a panty button for entry..."

"Rosebush Elf" A young man and a girl love each other, but the young man’s evil brother, out of jealousy, kills him and buries him in the ground. The girl digs up the corpse and plants the dead man's head in a flower pot. “We know! We know! After all, we grew from the eyes and lips of the murdered man!”