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The Complete Fairy Tales
This book contains the complete Andersen's fairy tales and stories hardcopy format.
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author and poet. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, Andersen is best remembered for his fairy tales, a literary genre he so mastered that he himself has become as mythical as the tales he wrote. Andersen's popularity is not limited to children; his stories - called eventyrs, or "fantastic tales" - express themes that transcend age and nationality.
During his lifetime he was acclaimed for having delighted children worldwide and was feted by royalty. Andersen's fairy tales, which have been translated into more than 125 languages, have become culturally embedded in the West's collective consciousness, readily accessible to children, but presenting lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity for mature listeners/readers as well. They have inspired motion pictures, plays, ballets, and animated films.
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author and poet. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, Andersen is best remembered for his fairy tales, a literary genre he so mastered that he himself has become as mythical as the tales he wrote. Andersen's popularity is not limited to children; his stories - called eventyrs, or "fantastic tales" - express themes that transcend age and nationality.
During his lifetime he was acclaimed for having delighted children worldwide and was feted by royalty. Andersen's fairy tales, which have been translated into more than 125 languages, have become culturally embedded in the West's collective consciousness, readily accessible to children, but presenting lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity for mature listeners/readers as well. They have inspired motion pictures, plays, ballets, and animated films.
803 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 1872
About the author
Hans Christian Andersen
6,538 books3,315 followersHans Christian Andersen (often referred to in Scandinavia as H.C. Andersen) was a Danish author and poet. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, Andersen is best remembered for his fairy tales. Andersen's popularity is not limited to children; his stories — called eventyr, or "fairy-tales" — express themes that transcend age and nationality.
Andersen's fairy tales, which have been translated into more than 125 languages, have become culturally embedded in the West's collective consciousness, readily accessible to children, but presenting lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity for mature readers as well. Some of his most famous fairy tales include "The Little Mermaid", "The Ugly Duckling", "The Nightingale", "The Emperor's New Clothes" and many more. His stories have inspired plays, ballets, and both live-action and animated films.
Andersen's fairy tales, which have been translated into more than 125 languages, have become culturally embedded in the West's collective consciousness, readily accessible to children, but presenting lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity for mature readers as well. Some of his most famous fairy tales include "The Little Mermaid", "The Ugly Duckling", "The Nightingale", "The Emperor's New Clothes" and many more. His stories have inspired plays, ballets, and both live-action and animated films.
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September 30, 2021
The Complete Fairy Tales: The complete collection, Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen often referred to in Scandinavia as H. C. Andersen, (2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author.
Georg Brandes questioned Andersen about whether he would write his autobiography, the poet claimed that it had already been written — "The Ugly Duckling".
All the best-loved fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen:
The Tinder-Box;
Little Claus And Big Claus;
The Princess And The Pea;
Little Ida’s Flowers;
Little Tiny Or Thumbelina;
The Saucy Boy;
The Travelling Companion;
The Little Mermaid;
The Emperor’s New Suit;
The Goloshes Of Fortune;
The Daisy;
The Brave Tin Soldier;
The Wild Swans;
The Garden Of Paradise;
The Flying Trunk;
The Storks;
The Elf Of The Rose;
What The Moon Saw;
The Wicked Prince;
The Metal Pig;
The Shepherd’s Story Of The Bond Of Friendship;
A Rose From Homer’s Grave;
The Buckwheat; Ole-Luk-Oie,
The Dream-God;
The Swineherd;
The Angel;
The Nightingale;
The Ugly Duckling;
The Top And Ball;
The Fir Tree;
The Snow Queen;
The Little Elder-Tree Mother;
The Elfin Hill;
The Red Shoes;
The Jumper;
The Shepherdess And The Sweep;
Holger Danske;
The Bell;
Grandmother;
The Darning-Needle;
The Little Match-Seller;
The Sunbeam And The Captive;
By The Almshouse Window;
The Old Street Lamp;
The Neighbouring Families;
Little Tuk;
The Shadow;
The Old House;
The Drop Of Water;
The Happy Family;
The Story Of A Mother;
The Shirt-Collar;
The Flax;
The Phoenix Bird;
A Story;
The Puppet-Show Man;
The Dumb Book;
The Old Grave-Stone;
The Conceited Apple-Branch;
The Loveliest Rose In The World;
In A Thousand Years;
The Swan’s Nest;
The Story Of The Year;
There Is No Doubt About It;
A Cheerful Temper;
A Great Grief;
Everything In The Right Place;
The Goblin And The Huckster;
Under The Willow-Tree;
The Pea Blossom;
She Was Good For Nothing;
The Last Pearl;
Two Maidens;
In The Uttermost Parts Of The Sea;
The Money-Box;
A Leaf From Heaven;
Jack The Dullard;
Ib And Little Christina;
The Thorny Road Of Honor;
The Jewish Maiden;
The Bell-Deep;
The Bottle Neck;
Soup From A Sausage Skewer;
The Old Bachelor’s Nightcap;
Something;
The Last Dream Of The Old Oak;
The Marsh King’s Daughter;
The Races;
The Philosopher’s Stone;
The Story Of The Wind;
The Girl Who Trod On The Loaf;
Ole The Tower-Keeper;
Anne Lisbeth;
Children’s Prattle;
The Child In The Grave;
Two Brothers;
The Pen And The Inkstand;
The Farm-Yard Cock And The Weathercock;
Beauty Of Form And Beauty Of Mind;
A Story From The Sand-Hills;
The Butterfly;
The Bishop Of B0rglum And His Warriors;
The Mail-Coach Passengers;
The Beetle Who Went On His Travels;
What The Old Man Does Is Always Right;
The Snow Man;
The Portuguese Duck;
The Ice Maiden;
The Psyche;
The Snail And The Rose-Tree;
The Old Church Bell;
The Silver Shilling;
The Snowdrop;
The Bird Of Popular Song;
The Will-O’-The-Wisp Is In The Town, Says The Moor-Woman;
The Windmill; In The Nursery;
The Golden Treasure;
The Storm Shakes The Shield;
Delaying Is Not Forgetting;
The Porter’s Son;
and more Others!!!!!
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز بیست و هشتم ماه سپتامبر سال 2013میلادی
عنوان: مجموعه قصه های پریان: چهار جلدی؛ نویسنذه: هانس کریستین اندرسون؛ مترجم: جمشید نوایی؛ تهران، نگاه، 1384؛ در چهار جلد، در1470ص؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان دانمارک - سده 19م
عنوان جلد اول: پری دریایی و 28 داستان دیگر
عنوان جلد دوم: پری جنگلی و 39 داستان دیگر
عنوان جلد سوم: آدم برفی و 32 داستان دیگر
عنوان جلد چهارم: دخترک کبریت فروش و 53 داستان دیگر
بیشتر داستانهای دل انگیز و اثری ماندگار از «هانس کریستین اندرسون» است؛ یکی از منتقدان به نام «گئورگ براندس» از «آندرسن» پرسید: آیا ایشان روزی روزگاری داستان زندگی خودش را نیز خواهند نوشت؟ «آندرسن» پاسخ دادند: «من پیشتر آن را نوشته ام؛ نام آن (جوجه اردک زشت) است.»؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 01/09/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 07/07/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
Hans Christian Andersen often referred to in Scandinavia as H. C. Andersen, (2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author.
Georg Brandes questioned Andersen about whether he would write his autobiography, the poet claimed that it had already been written — "The Ugly Duckling".
All the best-loved fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen:
The Tinder-Box;
Little Claus And Big Claus;
The Princess And The Pea;
Little Ida’s Flowers;
Little Tiny Or Thumbelina;
The Saucy Boy;
The Travelling Companion;
The Little Mermaid;
The Emperor’s New Suit;
The Goloshes Of Fortune;
The Daisy;
The Brave Tin Soldier;
The Wild Swans;
The Garden Of Paradise;
The Flying Trunk;
The Storks;
The Elf Of The Rose;
What The Moon Saw;
The Wicked Prince;
The Metal Pig;
The Shepherd’s Story Of The Bond Of Friendship;
A Rose From Homer’s Grave;
The Buckwheat; Ole-Luk-Oie,
The Dream-God;
The Swineherd;
The Angel;
The Nightingale;
The Ugly Duckling;
The Top And Ball;
The Fir Tree;
The Snow Queen;
The Little Elder-Tree Mother;
The Elfin Hill;
The Red Shoes;
The Jumper;
The Shepherdess And The Sweep;
Holger Danske;
The Bell;
Grandmother;
The Darning-Needle;
The Little Match-Seller;
The Sunbeam And The Captive;
By The Almshouse Window;
The Old Street Lamp;
The Neighbouring Families;
Little Tuk;
The Shadow;
The Old House;
The Drop Of Water;
The Happy Family;
The Story Of A Mother;
The Shirt-Collar;
The Flax;
The Phoenix Bird;
A Story;
The Puppet-Show Man;
The Dumb Book;
The Old Grave-Stone;
The Conceited Apple-Branch;
The Loveliest Rose In The World;
In A Thousand Years;
The Swan’s Nest;
The Story Of The Year;
There Is No Doubt About It;
A Cheerful Temper;
A Great Grief;
Everything In The Right Place;
The Goblin And The Huckster;
Under The Willow-Tree;
The Pea Blossom;
She Was Good For Nothing;
The Last Pearl;
Two Maidens;
In The Uttermost Parts Of The Sea;
The Money-Box;
A Leaf From Heaven;
Jack The Dullard;
Ib And Little Christina;
The Thorny Road Of Honor;
The Jewish Maiden;
The Bell-Deep;
The Bottle Neck;
Soup From A Sausage Skewer;
The Old Bachelor’s Nightcap;
Something;
The Last Dream Of The Old Oak;
The Marsh King’s Daughter;
The Races;
The Philosopher’s Stone;
The Story Of The Wind;
The Girl Who Trod On The Loaf;
Ole The Tower-Keeper;
Anne Lisbeth;
Children’s Prattle;
The Child In The Grave;
Two Brothers;
The Pen And The Inkstand;
The Farm-Yard Cock And The Weathercock;
Beauty Of Form And Beauty Of Mind;
A Story From The Sand-Hills;
The Butterfly;
The Bishop Of B0rglum And His Warriors;
The Mail-Coach Passengers;
The Beetle Who Went On His Travels;
What The Old Man Does Is Always Right;
The Snow Man;
The Portuguese Duck;
The Ice Maiden;
The Psyche;
The Snail And The Rose-Tree;
The Old Church Bell;
The Silver Shilling;
The Snowdrop;
The Bird Of Popular Song;
The Will-O’-The-Wisp Is In The Town, Says The Moor-Woman;
The Windmill; In The Nursery;
The Golden Treasure;
The Storm Shakes The Shield;
Delaying Is Not Forgetting;
The Porter’s Son;
and more Others!!!!!
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز بیست و هشتم ماه سپتامبر سال 2013میلادی
عنوان: مجموعه قصه های پریان: چهار جلدی؛ نویسنذه: هانس کریستین اندرسون؛ مترجم: جمشید نوایی؛ تهران، نگاه، 1384؛ در چهار جلد، در1470ص؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان دانمارک - سده 19م
عنوان جلد اول: پری دریایی و 28 داستان دیگر
عنوان جلد دوم: پری جنگلی و 39 داستان دیگر
عنوان جلد سوم: آدم برفی و 32 داستان دیگر
عنوان جلد چهارم: دخترک کبریت فروش و 53 داستان دیگر
بیشتر داستانهای دل انگیز و اثری ماندگار از «هانس کریستین اندرسون» است؛ یکی از منتقدان به نام «گئورگ براندس» از «آندرسن» پرسید: آیا ایشان روزی روزگاری داستان زندگی خودش را نیز خواهند نوشت؟ «آندرسن» پاسخ دادند: «من پیشتر آن را نوشته ام؛ نام آن (جوجه اردک زشت) است.»؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 01/09/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 07/07/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
March 20, 2024
Andersen's Tales are not tales. The proof is that sometimes they end badly. Those who know the Walt Disney version, a cartoon for popcorn eaters, have not had access to the universe of this Danish storyteller, who flirts with his readers' unconscious by dragging them into his dreams and nightmares.
Populated by street children, fabulous animals, and hideous or evil creatures, his tales are closer to Edgar Poe than to the world of Care Bears.
Andersen talks about our anxieties, desires, difficult paths to beauty and truth, and pure souls who struggle against discouragement, fear, darkness, stupidity, and contempt.
He does it as a poet, not as a moralist or a philosopher; he does it with humor, irony, tenderness, or melancholy. He speaks to the hearts and the imagination with shepherdesses, tin soldiers, nightingales, and swallows.
Eye Ole Farm Week or Little Ida's Flowers are my favorites.
They open the door to the imagination for those who want to make themselves small enough and enter it.
Populated by street children, fabulous animals, and hideous or evil creatures, his tales are closer to Edgar Poe than to the world of Care Bears.
Andersen talks about our anxieties, desires, difficult paths to beauty and truth, and pure souls who struggle against discouragement, fear, darkness, stupidity, and contempt.
He does it as a poet, not as a moralist or a philosopher; he does it with humor, irony, tenderness, or melancholy. He speaks to the hearts and the imagination with shepherdesses, tin soldiers, nightingales, and swallows.
Eye Ole Farm Week or Little Ida's Flowers are my favorites.
They open the door to the imagination for those who want to make themselves small enough and enter it.
April 24, 2017
Not a fan of Hans Christian Anderson at all. Most of his stories were short and pointless and the ones with morals made me feel like I was being preached to. I just can't get with the religious tone of his stories or the weird way women are treated like the little mermaid sacrificing herself off the boat, or the prince who tries to court the emperor's daughter but she rejects him so he pretends to be a swine herder and tricks her into getting disowned with him for kissing him and then basically leaves her homeless because that's what she deserves for rejecting an honest prince, or when the guy who journey's with the other guy beats the princess while following her and she thinks its a hail storm. I could go on and on. I literally did not get anything constructive from reading any of the stories and only finished reading the book because I have this compulsive need to finish a book once I start it.
September 6, 2017
Book Review
4 out of 5 stars to The Complete Fairy Tales, written in 1835 by Hans Christian Andersen. Many people are familiar with the fairy tales written by the Grimm brothers, but sometimes don't realize there were several different versions or collections by different authors. Another popular one is the series written by Hans Christian Anderson. The two I was the most familiar with were "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Emperor's New Clothes." In both, you see some of the "horror" that you see from other classic fairy tales, but these are more about reality and real-life situations that could occur. Also, they don't always end up a positive note. A few movies have been made from them, and countless cartoons and TV shows. I enjoyed some of them, but not all of them. I do think they are worth a read, as they provide some insight into the goings-on of a working mind nearly 200 years ago. It's true-to-form stories that have a basis in moral lessons versus coming-of-age sentiments. Both are valuable, but they are a bit different. Not quite for young children, probably better for pre-teens or teenagers.
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by.
4 out of 5 stars to The Complete Fairy Tales, written in 1835 by Hans Christian Andersen. Many people are familiar with the fairy tales written by the Grimm brothers, but sometimes don't realize there were several different versions or collections by different authors. Another popular one is the series written by Hans Christian Anderson. The two I was the most familiar with were "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Emperor's New Clothes." In both, you see some of the "horror" that you see from other classic fairy tales, but these are more about reality and real-life situations that could occur. Also, they don't always end up a positive note. A few movies have been made from them, and countless cartoons and TV shows. I enjoyed some of them, but not all of them. I do think they are worth a read, as they provide some insight into the goings-on of a working mind nearly 200 years ago. It's true-to-form stories that have a basis in moral lessons versus coming-of-age sentiments. Both are valuable, but they are a bit different. Not quite for young children, probably better for pre-teens or teenagers.
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by.
April 4, 2017
If you want to read the real stories that inspired the lion's share of Disney films, definitely read Mr. Andersen's collection of fairy tales. Do not expect happy endings however - leave those to Walt&Co. Instead imagine families trying to scare their kids into behaving in order to survive the many dangers in this world - represented fantastically by witches and wolves and other beasties and meanies. A wonderful collection!
August 20, 2022
A garland of simple, endearing, gleaming pearls. I can't say that each of this pearl is distinctive, but one can wear this garland, or hold one of these pearls, whenever you are knocked down by the humdrumness of life. I found it much better than the Brothers Grimm. A 5-star for this one, for the sensitivity and calm-me-down effect.
June 4, 2016
Although some of the tales are really disturbing, the fantasy and imagination behind them is indisputable. I grew up reading this book and I'm sure it'll be valuable for all future generations.
September 29, 2012
Strangely, despite four decades on Earth, I have almost no familiarity with this gentleman Hans. If I can live another 4 decades, I doubt I'll forget about him from here on out.
What is most generally striking/perplexing to me is how these stories came to be known as children tales, came to be widely accepted and popular rather than scorned. I don't think it's just my glasses that view Hans Christian Andersen as a soul that senses more darkness than light. “Yes, every year the trees have new, fresh leaves, but that is not true of the human heart.” (From a Window in Vartov) HCA desperately wants and loves beauty, yearns for music and poetry and life and innocence, and so we get this at the center of so many of his tales, but at the same time it is mostly apparent that these ideals are but dreams that we must continually reach for, work for, cherish when they sparingly come, because what this world is really filled with is darkness. He seems to say, feel both beauty and evil, know them both, accept them both, but my heart pains that the former will never have the upper hand.
Throughout his tales I find his dreamy poetics are amazingly served with a shimmering personal touch; they are not distant, community-built folktales. There are also wonderful juxtapositions, magical paradoxes, and a communicative simplicity that can travel, like a drop in the lake, as deeply as the reader wishes to take things.
At the same time, there are many stories of a different breed which will never make it to Disney. Stories like Two Virgins/Two Maidens, In the Duck Yard, and The Cock and the Weathercock dish out satire as sharp as any I've ever encountered. Sharp not only in its depth of understanding, but also in both heavy-handedness and bitterness. Word play, symbolism, and connections in these stories are as far from innocence and naivete as you will find.
Other not so well-known stories such as A Drop of Water and The Shadow are probably my favorites so far. Both are extremely intense and particularly revelatory regarding how HCA views human behavior and human nature. Very direct, dark and twisted, but done in unique and colorful ways, they continue to show that HCA was not a simple children's man or the one-trick pony that permeates much of his recognition.
And at some point, I don’t recall exactly when, I began to think a lot of Kafka while reading HCA. What are the connections?
In a time when the construction of myths and fairy tales is practically extinct, when even the originals are mostly watered down and considered antiquated, Mr. Andersen delivered his most pleasant winds not so long ago and they stretch back to not only the earliest of human experience, but also connect just as strongly to us sensitives amongst moderns. This is a tome to keep bedside, never finishing, never repeating.
What is most generally striking/perplexing to me is how these stories came to be known as children tales, came to be widely accepted and popular rather than scorned. I don't think it's just my glasses that view Hans Christian Andersen as a soul that senses more darkness than light. “Yes, every year the trees have new, fresh leaves, but that is not true of the human heart.” (From a Window in Vartov) HCA desperately wants and loves beauty, yearns for music and poetry and life and innocence, and so we get this at the center of so many of his tales, but at the same time it is mostly apparent that these ideals are but dreams that we must continually reach for, work for, cherish when they sparingly come, because what this world is really filled with is darkness. He seems to say, feel both beauty and evil, know them both, accept them both, but my heart pains that the former will never have the upper hand.
Throughout his tales I find his dreamy poetics are amazingly served with a shimmering personal touch; they are not distant, community-built folktales. There are also wonderful juxtapositions, magical paradoxes, and a communicative simplicity that can travel, like a drop in the lake, as deeply as the reader wishes to take things.
At the same time, there are many stories of a different breed which will never make it to Disney. Stories like Two Virgins/Two Maidens, In the Duck Yard, and The Cock and the Weathercock dish out satire as sharp as any I've ever encountered. Sharp not only in its depth of understanding, but also in both heavy-handedness and bitterness. Word play, symbolism, and connections in these stories are as far from innocence and naivete as you will find.
Other not so well-known stories such as A Drop of Water and The Shadow are probably my favorites so far. Both are extremely intense and particularly revelatory regarding how HCA views human behavior and human nature. Very direct, dark and twisted, but done in unique and colorful ways, they continue to show that HCA was not a simple children's man or the one-trick pony that permeates much of his recognition.
And at some point, I don’t recall exactly when, I began to think a lot of Kafka while reading HCA. What are the connections?
In a time when the construction of myths and fairy tales is practically extinct, when even the originals are mostly watered down and considered antiquated, Mr. Andersen delivered his most pleasant winds not so long ago and they stretch back to not only the earliest of human experience, but also connect just as strongly to us sensitives amongst moderns. This is a tome to keep bedside, never finishing, never repeating.
April 6, 2019
"The good and the beautiful is not forgotten; it lives in legend and in song."
منذ أن كنت طفلة صغيرة، كنت أعشق قصص الأطفال وسلسلة المكتبة الخضراء. كنت كذلك أعشق مسلسلات الكرتون مثل "في جعبتي حكاية" و"حكايات ما أحلاه" وإلخ. عرفت حين كبرت قليلاً أن تلك القصص والمسلسلات الكرتونية مأخوذة من الروايات العالمية وحكايات أندرسن والأخوين غريم وإلخ. ومن هنا تولّدت لدي الرغبة في حب القراءة، ونمت في نفسي تلك البذرة التي أتمنى أن تصير شجرة مثمرة وارفة الظلال في المستقبل.
اقتنيت هذا الكتاب قبل ما يقارب 5 سنوات، وشرعت بقرائته بتاريخ السادس من نوفمبر/تشرين الثاني 2015. نعم أربع سنوات مرت وأنا لا زلت اقرأ هذا الكتاب الجميل جداً، قراءة متقطعة، فكنت اقرأ قصة واحدة على فترات متباعدة. في نهاية العام الفائت لاحظت بأنني تجاوزت ثلثي الكتاب، ومن بداية هذا العام وأنا اقرأ بشكل يومي حتى أنهيتها. بالتأكيد ليس سهلاً أن تنهي كتاباً عاش معك أربع سنوات متواصلة، أحمله أينما ذهبت، وأضعه بجانب سريري ليلاً.
هانز كريستيان أندرسن، شاعر الدنمارك الوطني، وأشهر من كتب الحكايات الخرافية، وأسعد ملايين الأطفال حول العالم بقصصه الرائعة. وهذه هي المجموعة الكاملة لحكايات أندرسن البالغ عددها 168 حكاية. هذه الحكايات ليست فقط للأطفال وإنما للكبار أ��ضاً؛ حيث يخاطب أندرسن الطفل الكامن في نفوسنا. قصص مليئة بالفضائل الإنسانية السامية، من خير ونبل وحب وإيثار وإيمان وصدق وعدل ووفاء، ومن جهة أخرى لا يغفل الجانب المظلم في طبيعتنا البشرية من شر، وكذب وخبث ونفاق وانتهازية وطمع.
جميع القصص:
أتذكر هنا كلمات شارة مسلسل في "جعبتي حكاية" التي ما انفكت تدور في ذهني خلال قرائتي لهذه الحكايات:
في جعبتي حكاية أرويها للأطفال
حكايات أحكيها تموج بالألوان
حكايات أرويها عن عالم فتّان
عن عالم الخيال
المليء بالجمال
في جعبتي الحكاية أرويها للأطفال
وكلمات شارة مسلسل "حكايات ما أحلاها" كذلك:
في عالم من الصور
حكاية فيها عبر
تغوص في بحر الخيال
وتنتقي منه الدرر
في الشرق حيناً والجنوب
في الغرب أو نحو الشمال
نعيش في كل الشعوب
نجوب أفاق الجمال
في قصة تروي الكثير
الخير شمس لا تغيب
تظهر في الدنيا تنير
والشر يبقى في المغيب
أحداث نفهم مغزاها
تروي قصصاً ما أحلاها
بالعقل وبالقلب نراها
كم نهواها كم نهواها
في الشرق حيناً والجنوب
في الغرب أو نحو الشمال
نعيش في كل الشعوب
نجوب أفاق الجمال
فلننصت يا أصدقاء
لحكمة فيها الدواء
الخير في الأرض سيبقى
محفوظاً للأوفياء
قراءة هذه القصص متعة لا توصف، تعود بي إلى أيام الطفولة البريئة. كما يقول ديك الجن في كتابه مأمون القانوني:
"في صباي، كنت اقرأ الكثير من قصص الأطفال... ومعظمها كانت تدور حول مفاهيم الحب والعدل والأمانة والصدق والاتحاد، وغيرها من القيم النبيلة.. وقتها اعتقدت، أن هذا مجرد كلام أطفال، وأنني عندما أكبر، سأتعلم الكثير من الحقائق المخفية التي ستجعلني أدخل عالم الكبار. الآن أجد، أن الحقيقية المخفية الوحيدة، هي أن كل مشاكل عالمنا ككبار، تتمحور حول انعدام هذه القيم.. قيم الصغار."
انتهيت منها ولم ولن تنتهِ مني.
...
September 12, 2016
Taking the FutureLearn course from Odense. You can find the complete tales online here
HC Andersen Museum Collection
1 Corinthians Chapter 13
Catechism in Christianity
HC Andersen Museum Collection
1 Corinthians Chapter 13
Catechism in Christianity
August 25, 2010
Today, Hans Christian Andersen would be given drugs and therapy, and then more drugs. He would be put into a study about repressed homosexuals and boys with a mamma fixation. All this because of his stories. Andersen’s stories are also not very happy when you truly think about them. For every happy story, like “The Ugly Duckling”, there are at least two sad stories.
Yet Andersen, at least in American circles, is considered a children’s author. Whether this is due to those editions or retellings of Andersen’s stories that make the ending happy, I don’t know. I do know that I have read Andersen more times than I have read the Brothers Grimm and that Andersen speaks to more people than the Grimm brothers ever will.
The Grimms were interested in collecting folktales and folklore. Andersen is interested in telling stories. Outside of Demark and other northern countries, he is known for his stories, in particular for his fairy stories. This is misleading for Andersen also wrote plays and poems as well as travelogues and autobiographies. His first success wasn’t with his fairy stories. His poem about a mother mourning her dead children is touching (and a theme that enters into one of his tales). Even just considering his stories, people are misled. Everyone thinks they know “The Little Mermaid,” “The Ugly Duckling”, or “The Little Match Girl”, fewer people know the stories how they actually are and even fewer know more of Andersen’s work, such as “The Shadow” or ‘”The Storks”. This does Andersen a huge injustice.
Andersen was heavily influenced by several things in his writing. It is common knowledge that he was influenced by folklore and the stories told to him by his grandmother, but he was also influenced by the German writers that predated him or who were his contemporaries. While it is not apparent in his better known tales, he had a strong love of country (even though he always seemed to be traveling away from it) as well as a good dose of patriotism. He was also religious, though this seems to come though in his tale more than anything else.
Several critics have pointed out that Andersen has a cult of suffering. His leads his heroes and heroines always suffer. The Ugly Duckling gets frozen in water, the Little Mermaid feels as if she is walking on knives (or broken glass); the Marsh King’s Daughter is transformed into a frog, the little Match Girl freezes to death, the money pig breaks, the storks deliver dead babies. Andersen’s characters seem to suffer far more than those people in the Grimm’s tales (though that isn’t a cake walk either). Andersen, however, is still a considered a children’s author because of the tone, his use of sound (read his tales aloud if you don’t believe me), of putting himself in a child’s shoes (who doesn’t imagine the flowers coming to life).
Too often people look at Andersen in the simplest terms. Take “The Little Mermaid” for example. Many today know the story not as Andersen’s but as Disney’s. They think that the mermaid marries her prince and everyone lives happily ever after. While the cursory reader of Andersen knows that this is not the ending, a deeper reading reveals, if not a happy ending, perhaps a slightly hopeful one as well as a few details about the prince. In the mermaid’s story, Andersen presents a people where the women seem to help each (the witch, the mermaid’s sisters, the mermaid herself) and where the only male who does anything is the prince himself. The mermaid and her sisters are desexualized (she loses her voice, they their hair). The prince treats the mermaid like his pet dog. The mermaid, however, wants a soul more than a prince. She acts more as if she has a soul more than prince. By taking “The Little Mermaid” and reducing the plot to a love story, the adaptor or reader does Andersen a disservice and dismisses the larger issue. In the story, it is the non-humans, the merfolk, who appear to have those virtues that humanity claims – compassion. The mermaid might eventually get her soul though she doesn’t get her prince. Today, there is a movement to de-religion stores (look at Narnia in both the movies and the exhibit), but to do so to Andersen guts this story.
Or take “The Marsh King’s Daughter”, one of Andersen’s lesser known popular tales. Fairy Tales always treat rape as a non issue or blame the victim. Sleeping Beauty, for example, in some versions is woken by the birth of twins, yet never seems to feel any emotional upheaval. Andersen is one of the few fairy tale writers to deal with the issue of rape and not fully gloss over it. Like the Grimms, who buried the incest theme of some tales, Andersen glosses over the attack that starts “The Marsh King’s Daughter”. The daughter of the title is the offspring of the Marsh King and the Egyptian princess who he attacks. This daughter is full of rage and pain except at night when she becomes a frog. Part of the story is about the daughter coming to terms with this rage. Where else would the rage come off except for the attack on the mother?
Many of Andersen’s tales are concerned with relationships, in particular those of mothers and children. Many critics have discovered or argued for the presence of Andersen’s own relationship with his mother in these tales. Andersen’s mother, who gave birth to a bastard daughter before marrying Andersen’s father, comes off looking less like a saint and more like a drunk if this is true. But then, there is a tale like “She Was a Good for Nothing” where the mother is a drunk who dearly loves and cares for her son. In this story, Andersen contrasts public view versus private life, of how the upper class views the lower class.
Andersen is often concerned with class in his tales. The upper classes tend to be dismissive of the lower classes, though it is the lower classes that exhibit more of those human virtues. Sometimes, like in “The Tinderbox”, Andersen even seems to attack the royalty, seemingly suggesting that the old order must give to the new. Even in his class stories, Andersen also shows a great love and knowledge of his country. Some of his stories are about the humble beginnings of Great Danes (no, not the dogs) like Thorvaldsen, whose work Andersen seemed to love if Andersen’s stories are anything to go by. It should also be noted that in some of stories, especially in stories where different classes of children met, Andersen suggests more of equality than out and out class warfare.
Andersen’s stories aren’t all for children; in fact, as he wrote more stories, Andersen saw himself as writing more for adults and this would example the class conscious stories, but also the longer stories like “The Ice Maiden” or “Ib and Little Christine”. It is in the longer stories that one can see the German romantic influence on Andersen. While the tales are more adult, they also consider several of the same themes that inhabit his more child friendly stories. While “Ib and Little Christine” can be rather annoying if you are female reader, it is impossible to describe the creeping feeling of unease that stories such as “The Ice Maiden” and “The Shadow” inspire.
Andersen borrowed from more than his grandmother and the Germans. His “The Rose Elf” presents a revenge minded “Pot of Basil”, a twist on a familiar tale presented by Boccaccio but also used by Keats among others. Andersen’s variation of the “Seven Swans” makes far more sense than other versions, even if it is chaster than those other versions.
Andersen’s most famous story might be “The Ugly Duckling”, a story that many critics, rightly it seems, consider to be Andersen’s most autobiographical work. This isn’t to say that the similar theme of belonging, of fitting in, doesn’t appear in other works. There are shades of “Duckling” in “Thumbelina” as well as some of the class conscious Andersen short stories. “The Ugly Duckling” is more memorable because the plot of the story could happen. The plot of “Thumbelina”, not so much. We believe in the duckling becoming the swan because of the way Andersen sets up the story – a mistake could happen. Today, even with all our supposed advancements, you still have hospital mix ups.
In most of Andersen’s stories, the reader can meet actual places and people that Andersen knew or admired. Edvard Collin, Andersen’s man crush, appears, as does Jenny Lind. Even smaller characters in Andersen’s history, less well known to the average reader, seem to appear. Andersen’s teachers, the women Andersen felt rejected him (or whom Andersen allowed himself to be rejected by); all seem to appear. Copenhagen is a time honored companion in the stories, but so is Andersen’s love of Italy. This sense of place gives another level of reality to the tales, a level that seems to be missing from the works of the Grimms or Perrault.
While many of Andersen’s tales have “morals” or lessons, they are not spelled out as in the work of Aesop or Fontatine. Andersen respects his reader, be that reader a child or an adult, and knows that his reader can follow his lesson without the moral being directly spelled out. Perhaps it is this reason that examines Andersen’s staying power even among, or especially among, female readers.
Andersen’s female characters do seem to get punished at far steeper rate than his male characters. While it is true that the Ugly Duckling freezes, his end is far different than those ends of the girls in “The Little Match Girl”, “The Red Shoes” or “The Girl Who Trod on a Loaf”. To say that Andersen was sexist would be a mistake. Even in stories where the girl is horribly punished there are good women – the grandmother, the girl who prays for Karen. More importantly, one of Andersen’s most famous stories, “The Snow Queen” presents two strong willed girls, one of whom keeps her independence; another of women is helped by more women than man when she quests to save her childhood fan who also is perhaps her adult love or husband.
The statue of the Little Mermaid, which just recently had its birthday, in many ways, is a fitting and unfitting memorial to Andersen. Like Andersen himself, the statue has survived various attempts to deface it. Andersen faults against those who mocked him, who tried to educate the imagination out of him, or who ignored him because of his class. He survived the fact that he would not be able to fulfill his first dream, to be a dancer. The statue of the mermaid has overcome beheadings, defacing, and veils to still exist as a tourist attraction. But like the works of Andersen’s own works, few people who see the statue know true story of the character the statue is based on, few know the story of the statue itself or of the Kasslett located nearby. Fewer know that it is not the only statue in Copenhagen depicting a merperson that has connection to Andersen (he wrote a story based on the Forsake Merman). Perhaps it is this sense of mystery that keeps Andersen’s popularity. We are introduced to him at two points in our lives. The first time when we are children. The second time when we are older, perhaps after seeing the statue or reading a story to a child. We can have two different readings of Andersen, the man and his work.
Yet Andersen, at least in American circles, is considered a children’s author. Whether this is due to those editions or retellings of Andersen’s stories that make the ending happy, I don’t know. I do know that I have read Andersen more times than I have read the Brothers Grimm and that Andersen speaks to more people than the Grimm brothers ever will.
The Grimms were interested in collecting folktales and folklore. Andersen is interested in telling stories. Outside of Demark and other northern countries, he is known for his stories, in particular for his fairy stories. This is misleading for Andersen also wrote plays and poems as well as travelogues and autobiographies. His first success wasn’t with his fairy stories. His poem about a mother mourning her dead children is touching (and a theme that enters into one of his tales). Even just considering his stories, people are misled. Everyone thinks they know “The Little Mermaid,” “The Ugly Duckling”, or “The Little Match Girl”, fewer people know the stories how they actually are and even fewer know more of Andersen’s work, such as “The Shadow” or ‘”The Storks”. This does Andersen a huge injustice.
Andersen was heavily influenced by several things in his writing. It is common knowledge that he was influenced by folklore and the stories told to him by his grandmother, but he was also influenced by the German writers that predated him or who were his contemporaries. While it is not apparent in his better known tales, he had a strong love of country (even though he always seemed to be traveling away from it) as well as a good dose of patriotism. He was also religious, though this seems to come though in his tale more than anything else.
Several critics have pointed out that Andersen has a cult of suffering. His leads his heroes and heroines always suffer. The Ugly Duckling gets frozen in water, the Little Mermaid feels as if she is walking on knives (or broken glass); the Marsh King’s Daughter is transformed into a frog, the little Match Girl freezes to death, the money pig breaks, the storks deliver dead babies. Andersen’s characters seem to suffer far more than those people in the Grimm’s tales (though that isn’t a cake walk either). Andersen, however, is still a considered a children’s author because of the tone, his use of sound (read his tales aloud if you don’t believe me), of putting himself in a child’s shoes (who doesn’t imagine the flowers coming to life).
Too often people look at Andersen in the simplest terms. Take “The Little Mermaid” for example. Many today know the story not as Andersen’s but as Disney’s. They think that the mermaid marries her prince and everyone lives happily ever after. While the cursory reader of Andersen knows that this is not the ending, a deeper reading reveals, if not a happy ending, perhaps a slightly hopeful one as well as a few details about the prince. In the mermaid’s story, Andersen presents a people where the women seem to help each (the witch, the mermaid’s sisters, the mermaid herself) and where the only male who does anything is the prince himself. The mermaid and her sisters are desexualized (she loses her voice, they their hair). The prince treats the mermaid like his pet dog. The mermaid, however, wants a soul more than a prince. She acts more as if she has a soul more than prince. By taking “The Little Mermaid” and reducing the plot to a love story, the adaptor or reader does Andersen a disservice and dismisses the larger issue. In the story, it is the non-humans, the merfolk, who appear to have those virtues that humanity claims – compassion. The mermaid might eventually get her soul though she doesn’t get her prince. Today, there is a movement to de-religion stores (look at Narnia in both the movies and the exhibit), but to do so to Andersen guts this story.
Or take “The Marsh King’s Daughter”, one of Andersen’s lesser known popular tales. Fairy Tales always treat rape as a non issue or blame the victim. Sleeping Beauty, for example, in some versions is woken by the birth of twins, yet never seems to feel any emotional upheaval. Andersen is one of the few fairy tale writers to deal with the issue of rape and not fully gloss over it. Like the Grimms, who buried the incest theme of some tales, Andersen glosses over the attack that starts “The Marsh King’s Daughter”. The daughter of the title is the offspring of the Marsh King and the Egyptian princess who he attacks. This daughter is full of rage and pain except at night when she becomes a frog. Part of the story is about the daughter coming to terms with this rage. Where else would the rage come off except for the attack on the mother?
Many of Andersen’s tales are concerned with relationships, in particular those of mothers and children. Many critics have discovered or argued for the presence of Andersen’s own relationship with his mother in these tales. Andersen’s mother, who gave birth to a bastard daughter before marrying Andersen’s father, comes off looking less like a saint and more like a drunk if this is true. But then, there is a tale like “She Was a Good for Nothing” where the mother is a drunk who dearly loves and cares for her son. In this story, Andersen contrasts public view versus private life, of how the upper class views the lower class.
Andersen is often concerned with class in his tales. The upper classes tend to be dismissive of the lower classes, though it is the lower classes that exhibit more of those human virtues. Sometimes, like in “The Tinderbox”, Andersen even seems to attack the royalty, seemingly suggesting that the old order must give to the new. Even in his class stories, Andersen also shows a great love and knowledge of his country. Some of his stories are about the humble beginnings of Great Danes (no, not the dogs) like Thorvaldsen, whose work Andersen seemed to love if Andersen’s stories are anything to go by. It should also be noted that in some of stories, especially in stories where different classes of children met, Andersen suggests more of equality than out and out class warfare.
Andersen’s stories aren’t all for children; in fact, as he wrote more stories, Andersen saw himself as writing more for adults and this would example the class conscious stories, but also the longer stories like “The Ice Maiden” or “Ib and Little Christine”. It is in the longer stories that one can see the German romantic influence on Andersen. While the tales are more adult, they also consider several of the same themes that inhabit his more child friendly stories. While “Ib and Little Christine” can be rather annoying if you are female reader, it is impossible to describe the creeping feeling of unease that stories such as “The Ice Maiden” and “The Shadow” inspire.
Andersen borrowed from more than his grandmother and the Germans. His “The Rose Elf” presents a revenge minded “Pot of Basil”, a twist on a familiar tale presented by Boccaccio but also used by Keats among others. Andersen’s variation of the “Seven Swans” makes far more sense than other versions, even if it is chaster than those other versions.
Andersen’s most famous story might be “The Ugly Duckling”, a story that many critics, rightly it seems, consider to be Andersen’s most autobiographical work. This isn’t to say that the similar theme of belonging, of fitting in, doesn’t appear in other works. There are shades of “Duckling” in “Thumbelina” as well as some of the class conscious Andersen short stories. “The Ugly Duckling” is more memorable because the plot of the story could happen. The plot of “Thumbelina”, not so much. We believe in the duckling becoming the swan because of the way Andersen sets up the story – a mistake could happen. Today, even with all our supposed advancements, you still have hospital mix ups.
In most of Andersen’s stories, the reader can meet actual places and people that Andersen knew or admired. Edvard Collin, Andersen’s man crush, appears, as does Jenny Lind. Even smaller characters in Andersen’s history, less well known to the average reader, seem to appear. Andersen’s teachers, the women Andersen felt rejected him (or whom Andersen allowed himself to be rejected by); all seem to appear. Copenhagen is a time honored companion in the stories, but so is Andersen’s love of Italy. This sense of place gives another level of reality to the tales, a level that seems to be missing from the works of the Grimms or Perrault.
While many of Andersen’s tales have “morals” or lessons, they are not spelled out as in the work of Aesop or Fontatine. Andersen respects his reader, be that reader a child or an adult, and knows that his reader can follow his lesson without the moral being directly spelled out. Perhaps it is this reason that examines Andersen’s staying power even among, or especially among, female readers.
Andersen’s female characters do seem to get punished at far steeper rate than his male characters. While it is true that the Ugly Duckling freezes, his end is far different than those ends of the girls in “The Little Match Girl”, “The Red Shoes” or “The Girl Who Trod on a Loaf”. To say that Andersen was sexist would be a mistake. Even in stories where the girl is horribly punished there are good women – the grandmother, the girl who prays for Karen. More importantly, one of Andersen’s most famous stories, “The Snow Queen” presents two strong willed girls, one of whom keeps her independence; another of women is helped by more women than man when she quests to save her childhood fan who also is perhaps her adult love or husband.
The statue of the Little Mermaid, which just recently had its birthday, in many ways, is a fitting and unfitting memorial to Andersen. Like Andersen himself, the statue has survived various attempts to deface it. Andersen faults against those who mocked him, who tried to educate the imagination out of him, or who ignored him because of his class. He survived the fact that he would not be able to fulfill his first dream, to be a dancer. The statue of the mermaid has overcome beheadings, defacing, and veils to still exist as a tourist attraction. But like the works of Andersen’s own works, few people who see the statue know true story of the character the statue is based on, few know the story of the statue itself or of the Kasslett located nearby. Fewer know that it is not the only statue in Copenhagen depicting a merperson that has connection to Andersen (he wrote a story based on the Forsake Merman). Perhaps it is this sense of mystery that keeps Andersen’s popularity. We are introduced to him at two points in our lives. The first time when we are children. The second time when we are older, perhaps after seeing the statue or reading a story to a child. We can have two different readings of Andersen, the man and his work.
February 16, 2023
I had this as a child and grew up hearing actual fairy tales before seeing Disney versions which are basically viewed through the pink glasses.
I think those are actually more harmful to the children than the original ones.
I want to share a quote from Criminal Minds I really like;
No, actually most fairy tales in their original form were gruesome to the extreme. In Cinderella the stepsisters had their feet mutilated to fit in the shoe and her eyes were eventually picked out by doves. Sleeping Beauty was raped while she was unconscious by the King. Hansel and Gretel were held captive by a half blind cannibal. Solders were instructed to cut out Snow White's liver and lungs, so the Queen could feast upon them.
My point is: one could argue that the sanitized versions we have today are actually counterproductive to the original purpose of fairy tales - so the children can safely confront their darkest fears.
I think those are actually more harmful to the children than the original ones.
I want to share a quote from Criminal Minds I really like;
No, actually most fairy tales in their original form were gruesome to the extreme. In Cinderella the stepsisters had their feet mutilated to fit in the shoe and her eyes were eventually picked out by doves. Sleeping Beauty was raped while she was unconscious by the King. Hansel and Gretel were held captive by a half blind cannibal. Solders were instructed to cut out Snow White's liver and lungs, so the Queen could feast upon them.
My point is: one could argue that the sanitized versions we have today are actually counterproductive to the original purpose of fairy tales - so the children can safely confront their darkest fears.
September 16, 2016
FANTASTIC !!!!
I dreamt of Wind and Rain... I ran with Fairies... Cats whispered to me from dawn to dusk ... I could feel the breeze touching trees' hair.
I was living in the fairy tales till the end of the book !
.......................................................
I would like to recommend this to all who want to escape from the harshness of this so called "real world" ! ... It will open a door of dreams to you !
I dreamt of Wind and Rain... I ran with Fairies... Cats whispered to me from dawn to dusk ... I could feel the breeze touching trees' hair.
I was living in the fairy tales till the end of the book !
.......................................................
I would like to recommend this to all who want to escape from the harshness of this so called "real world" ! ... It will open a door of dreams to you !
February 27, 2019
(Finished reading February 25, 2019)
Thanks to the power you hold via Goodreads, though you may forget something you’ve logged in, you can then be reminded of it: a joyful thing. Right now I'm referring to my childhood copy of https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... (which doesn't contain all of Andersen's tales though it's combined on Goodreads as if it does).
Of those in this current volume I decided to read only the stories I hadn’t read in this edition, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1..., so I thought I was reading only the tales I hadn't read before. Au contraire. Looking at the description of the childhood copy (which I no longer physically own), I see it contains a few I didn’t remember, including "The Shoes of Fortune," called "The Galoshes of Fortune" in this collection, a story that didn’t even seem vaguely familiar.
Reading the more obscure tales might be an eye-opener for some. Sure, they can be sad and sentimental, like "The Little Match Girl" (one of my favorites); but they are also downright wacky, especially the descriptions of morbid flowers, trees and other mutant-like growths of nature. The man’s imagination was off the charts. If he'd lived in a different time period, we would've thought he was dropping acid.
Thanks to the power you hold via Goodreads, though you may forget something you’ve logged in, you can then be reminded of it: a joyful thing. Right now I'm referring to my childhood copy of https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... (which doesn't contain all of Andersen's tales though it's combined on Goodreads as if it does).
Of those in this current volume I decided to read only the stories I hadn’t read in this edition, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1..., so I thought I was reading only the tales I hadn't read before. Au contraire. Looking at the description of the childhood copy (which I no longer physically own), I see it contains a few I didn’t remember, including "The Shoes of Fortune," called "The Galoshes of Fortune" in this collection, a story that didn’t even seem vaguely familiar.
Reading the more obscure tales might be an eye-opener for some. Sure, they can be sad and sentimental, like "The Little Match Girl" (one of my favorites); but they are also downright wacky, especially the descriptions of morbid flowers, trees and other mutant-like growths of nature. The man’s imagination was off the charts. If he'd lived in a different time period, we would've thought he was dropping acid.
December 28, 2015
Should an apocalypse ever befall, this is the first book I'm putting in my survival bag.
I don't think I can properly review this book, and I don't intend to. However, I cannot be silent about it when it had had such an impact on me. The Complete Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen encompass all beauty, darkness, and light there is in the world - in the human soul.
These are charming stories for everyone of every age. Some tales are happy, and some are very, very sad. Yet they are beautifully written with a kind hand, from an honest, sensitive (broken) heart through an astonishing imagination. These pages bring you adventure, romance, cruelty, love, loss, gain, acceptance, mistakes, fear, courage, pain, death, life... So much life.
And it's magical. It's true. It's the beating heart of Andersen.
It's the heart of us all.
I don't think I can properly review this book, and I don't intend to. However, I cannot be silent about it when it had had such an impact on me. The Complete Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen encompass all beauty, darkness, and light there is in the world - in the human soul.
These are charming stories for everyone of every age. Some tales are happy, and some are very, very sad. Yet they are beautifully written with a kind hand, from an honest, sensitive (broken) heart through an astonishing imagination. These pages bring you adventure, romance, cruelty, love, loss, gain, acceptance, mistakes, fear, courage, pain, death, life... So much life.
And it's magical. It's true. It's the beating heart of Andersen.
It's the heart of us all.
December 5, 2019
“Everything you look at can become a fairy tale and you can get a story from everything you touch.”
Anderson really could make children's stories out of anything. The best stories sometimes had a sad ending to them. Anderson also probably had a lot of imagination even though some of the stories contained in here might not be best for little kids - far from happily ever afters their Disney-ised versions. Although it was always going to be a five-star book because of some amazing stories, the author's religious values spoil some others. There is also a lot of Christian cruelty in many of these stories (I should have seen it coming, 'Christian' is literally the author's middle name) where good people including children are punished with years of misery for very small acts of folly.
Anderson really could make children's stories out of anything. The best stories sometimes had a sad ending to them. Anderson also probably had a lot of imagination even though some of the stories contained in here might not be best for little kids - far from happily ever afters their Disney-ised versions. Although it was always going to be a five-star book because of some amazing stories, the author's religious values spoil some others. There is also a lot of Christian cruelty in many of these stories (I should have seen it coming, 'Christian' is literally the author's middle name) where good people including children are punished with years of misery for very small acts of folly.
July 12, 2010
Whenever I get exhausted from listening to lectures, writing papers, making reports or solving problems at the university, I always find that at the end of the day, all I need to calm down my traffic jam of a six-day school week is a pleasant story from Andersen's collection of stories.
There is something so compelling about Andersen's tales. They are the simplest, shortest stories I have ever had the pleasure of reading and yet, their morals leave me thinking far past the stories themselves and onto a broad array of matters which I encounter around me every single day.
There is something so compelling about Andersen's tales. They are the simplest, shortest stories I have ever had the pleasure of reading and yet, their morals leave me thinking far past the stories themselves and onto a broad array of matters which I encounter around me every single day.
August 19, 2018
অবশ্যই পড়েছি, কারণ অবশ্যপাঠ্য বইয়ের তালিকায় একদম ওপরদিকেই এটা থাকে। তবে, যদি আপনি সেই অভাজন হন যিনি এখনও এই সংকলনটি পড়েননি, তাহলে লীলা মজুমদারের অনুপম অনুবাদে, বিমল দাসের অলঙ্করনে শোভিত, এশিয়া পাবলিশিং থেকে প্রকাশিত সংস্করণটি দয়া করে কিনুন। অমন মাধুর্য আপনি ইংরেজিতে পাবেন না, এ আমি হলফ করে বলতে পারি।
January 22, 2022
Extremely beautiful but extremely depressing.
November 14, 2011
Beautifully selected works set in a fantastic translation, Hans Christian Anderson’s The Complete Fairy Tales and Stories is a wonderful introduction to the author’s work. His famous works are included and the translations are just as engaging as Anderson’s original tales. What is pertinent about Anderson’s work is his descriptions and gift for imagery. For example, in ‘The Little Mermaid’ Anderson opens his story by describing the colors and textures of the undersea kingdom that is both lyrical and vivid, “The waters are as blue as the petals of the cornflower and as clear as glass.…” Anderson’s ability to write diversely while remaining fresh is also a noticeable trait. His stories relate about orphans, oriental clockwork birds, and toy soldiers, each aiming to entertain, to educate on life lessons, or to illuminate on morality and mortal philosophies. The arrangement and organization of the stories are aptly crafted, as is the flow and pacing of each story. Though the pacing varies from tale to tale, such can be seen in ‘The Snow Queen,’ and “The Little Match Girl,’ the quality of the stories, in language and substance, make up for the structure. This collection is universally enjoyable and capable of variety and thoughtful insight. Anderson’s tales prove that children need not settle for simplicity or repetitive formulas; they are worthy of substance and intellectual care.
March 23, 2014
Having recently moved to Denmark I needed to get familiar with its number one writer! This was a wonderful collection of stories, some rather dark truth be told but that's what makes them so special. They are fantastical, gritty, funny, sad and everything real writing should be. Classic storytelling which will stand the test of time.
September 5, 2016
Some of these stories are old classics and beloved childhood-memories, some of these stories are a little bit weird and make no real sense but overall, the book completely deserves the 4-star-rating, Andersen's imagination is just incredible!
August 30, 2017
فکر کنم عشقم به کتاب خوندن رو مدیون این مجموعه داستانم، مرسی هانس کریستین آندرسن��
May 6, 2023
Different than my usual reading material...but different doesn't always mean better.
April 16, 2013
HCA seems like such a close friend and fellow human traveller to me. Once in Denmark, in front of a beautiful bronze statue of him sitting calmly on a chair, I felt so close to his pain. And what could be a better way of dedicating your life than instead of wallowing in your personal pain, than to spread beauty and kindness through your art and immortal words. I don't think there has ever been a writer who managed to stay so true to his own personal difficulties and struggles and yet at the same time complete story upon story bringing so much hope and faith to humanity (and interestingly enough especially to women) as he managed to do. And at the same time he bared his naked soul complete with all it's repressed desires, amorous, sexual and otherwise, perennial disappointments and broken dreams. This literary giant from Odense proved once and for all that no compromises are necessary when it comes to self expression. My favorite living composer (and an acolyte of the great Schnittke) was given the honor of composing a ballet based on The Little Mermaid for the inaugural concert at the new Opera House in Copenhagen, with choreography of the great Neumeier who worked with Schnittke himself on his masterpiece Peer Gynt. Lera Auerbach created a ballet truly on par with HCA's short story's darker side, the darker parallel aspect of his work so often ignored for the sake of translations appropriate for children. To win something you have to risk it all and when it becomes necessary to pay the bill you face the consequences, however harsh and painful. That is the true cost of Kierkegaard's great Leap of Faith into the Unknown. And Hans Christian Andersen knew this and willingly paid the price. We owe him our gratitude, admiration, respect and above all; our love.
December 21, 2020
بالاخره صد و پنجاه داستان هانس کریستین اندرسون تموم شد. داستان مورد علاقه من مادر بود و بعد از اون بند انگشتی
اما بنظرم اندرسون یکم زیادی به قول معروف اورریت شده. بجز داستان های معروفش که فکر کنم نهایتا بیست تا بشن، بقیه یه مقدار خشک بودن و حوصله سر بر و بدون رسوندن نکته خاصی! شخصیت های زن تو خیلی از داستان هاش معشوقه بی وفای لعنتی بودن که باعث بدبختی و مرگ معشوقشون میشدن دقیقا مثل تجسم شیطان اغواگر قرون وسطی! از تم مذهبی اکثر داستان هاش هم زیاد خوشم نیومد
و در آخر اینکه بنظرم اونقدرها هم این داستان ها مناسب کودکان حال حاضر نیستن! اکثرا یا مثل دخترک کبریت فروش، بچه رو دچار افسردگی میکنن یا خیلی خشنن! به جرأت میتونم بگم که اندرسون تو بیشتر داستان هاش برای رسوندن نکته اخلاقی، شخصیت اصلی رو به فجیع ترین شکل ممکن می کشه که تصادفا اکثر این شخصیت های اصلی کودکن!
اما بنظرم اندرسون یکم زیادی به قول معروف اورریت شده. بجز داستان های معروفش که فکر کنم نهایتا بیست تا بشن، بقیه یه مقدار خشک بودن و حوصله سر بر و بدون رسوندن نکته خاصی! شخصیت های زن تو خیلی از داستان هاش معشوقه بی وفای لعنتی بودن که باعث بدبختی و مرگ معشوقشون میشدن دقیقا مثل تجسم شیطان اغواگر قرون وسطی! از تم مذهبی اکثر داستان هاش هم زیاد خوشم نیومد
و در آخر اینکه بنظرم اونقدرها هم این داستان ها مناسب کودکان حال حاضر نیستن! اکثرا یا مثل دخترک کبریت فروش، بچه رو دچار افسردگی میکنن یا خیلی خشنن! به جرأت میتونم بگم که اندرسون تو بیشتر داستان هاش برای رسوندن نکته اخلاقی، شخصیت اصلی رو به فجیع ترین شکل ممکن می کشه که تصادفا اکثر این شخصیت های اصلی کودکن!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2013
I've waited too long after reading this one to remember many specifics, so my rating and my review have more to do with an overall impression. I really enjoyed parts of this collection as well as valued the stories for their literary heritage. However, as I was reading this to my boys to put them to sleep at night, I began having a very hard time with the several stories Andersen wrote in which children died cruelly, either to teach them a lesson or because it was, simply, the way of things. It's not exactly Grimm's, but it is off-putting, especially for me, a father who is trying to teach my sons of their worth and potential. I'm also trying to build their trust both in God and me not to let bad things happen to them, nor do I want them to believe they could ever commit an offense so bad that it earns them the worst possible consequence of karma and fate. I'm not sure why storytellers used to write this way, but I can only assume it's because people once had a very fatalistic view of life. The fact that we are sometimes still attracted to this kind of storytelling and even celebrate it means we still have much growing to do. I prefer gentler children's stories, especially when I'm reading them to sleep. I prefer good things to happen to children in stories. Otherwise, I feel like I'm giving them a bad model. Children need to feel safe and secure. There is PLENTY of time to learn about the darkness in the world when they get older. Those looking for an alternative, a story with many happy returns, might I suggest my own "A Night with St. Nick"?
June 12, 2011
I first read Andersen's Fairy Tales when I was 8, and since then I frequently re-read them, as I love them so much.
Hans Christian Andersen was categorical: his stories were not intended for children, they were aimed at grown-ups. When you read them, you obviously understand why. These stories are totally different from the Disney's adaptations that nearly everyone know (but I'm a huge fan of them too, don't get me wrong)!
The edition I own contains : The Little Mermaid, The Flying Trunk (my thoughts as a little girl: why couldn't he take the stairs?), The Swineherd, The Snow Man, The Garden of Paradise, The Elfin Hill, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Beetle Who Went On His Travels, The Sheeperdess and the Chimney Sweep, The Little Match Girl, The Princess and the Pea, The Ugly Duckling, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and Thumbelina.
I love them all but my favorites are probably The Little Mermaid (tragic ending), The Ugly Duckling (awesome ending), and The Little Match Girl (overwhelmed me as a kid, and still does).
Andersen's Fairy Tales are always funny, cute, but sometimes really sad and tragic, and they all come with a moral lesson in the end you often can relate to, even as an adult.
Hans Christian Andersen was categorical: his stories were not intended for children, they were aimed at grown-ups. When you read them, you obviously understand why. These stories are totally different from the Disney's adaptations that nearly everyone know (but I'm a huge fan of them too, don't get me wrong)!
The edition I own contains : The Little Mermaid, The Flying Trunk (my thoughts as a little girl: why couldn't he take the stairs?), The Swineherd, The Snow Man, The Garden of Paradise, The Elfin Hill, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Beetle Who Went On His Travels, The Sheeperdess and the Chimney Sweep, The Little Match Girl, The Princess and the Pea, The Ugly Duckling, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and Thumbelina.
I love them all but my favorites are probably The Little Mermaid (tragic ending), The Ugly Duckling (awesome ending), and The Little Match Girl (overwhelmed me as a kid, and still does).
Andersen's Fairy Tales are always funny, cute, but sometimes really sad and tragic, and they all come with a moral lesson in the end you often can relate to, even as an adult.
February 27, 2021
So I've had The Complete Fairy Tales book in my family for like ever. Never really dove into though. Well, until now. Before diving into the book, though, I knew that these were going to be somewhat dark or different than other books I've read - like the retellings. Especially if anything resembles a Disney movie I grew up with. So, I'm just going to state that I wasn't really surprised by any of the stores because of knowing this.
Now this book has so many short stories in it. So it's not really surprising how quickly I went through this either. Some of them, I actually knew about because my parents either read them to me when I was little, watched a movie or show that was about it, read a retelling for fun, or I had to read about it in school. Lots of options but this book had lots of stories to dive into.
Each and every story just completely sucked me in. Out of all of them, I definitely had a few favorites and a bunch of others that were cute (in a way). Yet, the dangerous, dark, and mysterious ones were the most memorable for me. Some make you sit and ponder and others open new doors for you. Honestly, this book dives into so many things that it's hard not to find one thing likable (for me).
In the end, I'm definitely happy that I found the time to dive into this and get to re-read some of the stories I knew about already - The princess and the pea, the ugly ducking, the snow queen, the little mermaid, and the emperor's new clothes.
Now this book has so many short stories in it. So it's not really surprising how quickly I went through this either. Some of them, I actually knew about because my parents either read them to me when I was little, watched a movie or show that was about it, read a retelling for fun, or I had to read about it in school. Lots of options but this book had lots of stories to dive into.
Each and every story just completely sucked me in. Out of all of them, I definitely had a few favorites and a bunch of others that were cute (in a way). Yet, the dangerous, dark, and mysterious ones were the most memorable for me. Some make you sit and ponder and others open new doors for you. Honestly, this book dives into so many things that it's hard not to find one thing likable (for me).
In the end, I'm definitely happy that I found the time to dive into this and get to re-read some of the stories I knew about already - The princess and the pea, the ugly ducking, the snow queen, the little mermaid, and the emperor's new clothes.
December 31, 2016
Φαντάζομαι πως όλοι μας όταν ήμασταν μικροί ήρθαμε με κάποιον τρόπο σε επαφή με το έργο του Χανς Κρίστιαν Άντερσεν. Φυσικά τότε το νεαρό της ηλικίας και το αποσπασματικό του διαβάσματος δεν μας επέτρεπε να βγάλουμε κάποιο συμπέρασμα για το έργο του, οπότε η ανάγνωση σε αυτήν την ηλικία που βρισκόμαστε μιας εκτεταμένης συλλογής με τις ιστορίες του μου φάνηκε κάτι το απαραίτητο. Φυσικά το κίνητρο για να αρχίσω το διάβασμα μέσα σε αυτές τις ημέρες των γιορτών δεν ήταν απλά φιλολογικό, θα έλεγα ότι αυτό ήταν μάλλον δευτερεύον μπροστά στην ανάγκη να προσεγγίσω νοσταλγικά ένα κομμάτι του παρελθόντος μου.
Νιώθω, λοιπόν, ευτυχής που κατάφερα μέσα από την ανάγνωση των ιστοριών να διαπιστώσω ότι ο συγγραφέας δεν ήταν απλά ένας παραμυθάς που έφτιαχνε ή ανακάλυπτε απλές ιστορίες για να κάθονται ήσυχα τα μικρά παιδιά αλλά κάτι πολύ σημαντικότερο. Οι ιστορίες του άλλες σοβαρές και άλλες αστείες, άλλες λυπητερές και άλλες χαρούμενες, άλλες παραμυθένιες και άλλες πιο ρεαλιστικές, έχουν ένα κοινό παρανομαστή στο ότι προσπαθούν με κάθε τρόπο να περάσουν μηνύματα σε μικρούς και σε μεγάλους. Μηνύματα αγάπης, αυτοθυσίας, επιμονής αλλά και εμπιστοσύνης στην απλή λογική κυριαρχούν μέσα σε αυτές κάνοντάς τες ιδανικές για να μπορέσουν να χρησιμεύσουν στη σωστή συναισθηματική και κοινωνική ανάπτυξη των παιδιών. Βέβαια το πρόβλημα είναι ότι οι ιστορίες του σπανίως είναι αισιόδοξες. Οι περισσότερες είναι βαθιά μελαγχολικές και απαισιόδοξες, με το θάνατο να παραμονεύει ως απειλή ή ως λύτρωση και τα όνειρα των ανθρώπων πολύ σπάνια να πραγματοποιούνται. Αυτό φυσικά δεν είναι απαραίτητα κακό, ίσως μοιάζει σκληρό αλλά μπορεί και να είναι καλύτερο να εκτίθενται τα παιδιά στην πραγματικότητα για να μαθαίνουν πως όλα δεν είναι ρόδινα και πως πρέπει να είμαστε ευχαριστημένοι με αυτά που έχουμε. Πέρα όμως από το διδακτικό του όλου πράγματος, οι ιστορίες του έχουν αξία και απλά και μόνο επειδή είναι όμορφες και αυτό ίσως είναι το πιο σημαντικό, καθώς τις κάνει να μην είναι απλά μέρος μιας φιλολογίας ειδικού σκοπού αλλά κάτι πολύ περισσότερο.
Νιώθω, λοιπόν, ευτυχής που κατάφερα μέσα από την ανάγνωση των ιστοριών να διαπιστώσω ότι ο συγγραφέας δεν ήταν απλά ένας παραμυθάς που έφτιαχνε ή ανακάλυπτε απλές ιστορίες για να κάθονται ήσυχα τα μικρά παιδιά αλλά κάτι πολύ σημαντικότερο. Οι ιστορίες του άλλες σοβαρές και άλλες αστείες, άλλες λυπητερές και άλλες χαρούμενες, άλλες παραμυθένιες και άλλες πιο ρεαλιστικές, έχουν ένα κοινό παρανομαστή στο ότι προσπαθούν με κάθε τρόπο να περάσουν μηνύματα σε μικρούς και σε μεγάλους. Μηνύματα αγάπης, αυτοθυσίας, επιμονής αλλά και εμπιστοσύνης στην απλή λογική κυριαρχούν μέσα σε αυτές κάνοντάς τες ιδανικές για να μπορέσουν να χρησιμεύσουν στη σωστή συναισθηματική και κοινωνική ανάπτυξη των παιδιών. Βέβαια το πρόβλημα είναι ότι οι ιστορίες του σπανίως είναι αισιόδοξες. Οι περισσότερες είναι βαθιά μελαγχολικές και απαισιόδοξες, με το θάνατο να παραμονεύει ως απειλή ή ως λύτρωση και τα όνειρα των ανθρώπων πολύ σπάνια να πραγματοποιούνται. Αυτό φυσικά δεν είναι απαραίτητα κακό, ίσως μοιάζει σκληρό αλλά μπορεί και να είναι καλύτερο να εκτίθενται τα παιδιά στην πραγματικότητα για να μαθαίνουν πως όλα δεν είναι ρόδινα και πως πρέπει να είμαστε ευχαριστημένοι με αυτά που έχουμε. Πέρα όμως από το διδακτικό του όλου πράγματος, οι ιστορίες του έχουν αξία και απλά και μόνο επειδή είναι όμορφες και αυτό ίσως είναι το πιο σημαντικό, καθώς τις κάνει να μην είναι απλά μέρος μιας φιλολογίας ειδικού σκοπού αλλά κάτι πολύ περισσότερο.
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