hans christianspiration andersen
We’ve been reading aloud some Hans Christian Andersen classics this week, and today picked up a simple biography to learn a little more about The Man.
“At the age of fourteen, Hans climbed aboard a coach clutching a bundle of clothes. Soon he was rattling out of Odense. He was on his way to Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital city. He was bursting with hope and excitement.”
“By the summer of 1829, Hans had earned enough money to take a holiday. He made a tour of Denmark.”
Now here’s a sponsorship deal:
“Over the next three years, Hans became a well-known writer. His poems, plays and stories sold all over Denmark. Now he wanted to see more of the world. The Danish king granted him enough money for a long trip abroad.
“So Hans set out on his next great adventure. First he went to Germany, then to France. Paris, the capital of France, seemed to be a wonderland, with its grand buildings and milling crowds. Here, Hans met other famous writers and composers.
“He travelled on to Italy. This was even more wonderful! Hans loved Rome so much that he stayed there for four months, looking at the churches and ancient ruins. He told a friend that the city “has opened my eyes to beauty””
He didn’t stop there though. He made it to Greece and modern-day Turkey, before taking the then-dangerous trip up the River Danube.
At a later date he even recahed the shores of England and Scotland, where he met Charles Dickens (and in preparation for his trip, he learnt English!)
What inspiration. The book may not have been well-written, but the ideas it contained sparked imaginations round here. Where’s Odense? Is the statue of Andersen still around? Is there an Andersen museum anywhere?
It just so happens that Odense is right on the train line that we are planning on taking from Copenhagen to Esbjerg. We might have to stop. There’s a museum to visit and a walk to take.
Tags: 2008/09, book, history, itinerary, preparation, Travel
rayres
when I was a child I went and saw a stage play about his life in Auckland
He was an awesome man who wrote a lot of wonderful stories
that museum will be really interesting
HCA’s tale ‘Little Mermaid’ (made more popular by Disney’s movie) is every little girl’s favorite. The commonly quoted idiom ‘Emporer’s new clothes’ is attributed to Anderson. The fact that he came from humble beginnings (he is believed to have been born in the slums of Odense) and reached the heights he did is indeed inspiring.
Mala Mukunda
Live The Dream…Tell The Tale
http://www.traveling-stories-magazine.com/