Born in April 1805, he wrote an amazing 3,381 fairy tales that have been translated into more than 125 different languages.

Original questions and guidelines for philosophical discussion by Melanie Stuart. Edited June 2020 by The Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics. He later described attending school as being the most "bitter" and "darkest" experience of his life, as he said the schoolmaster bullied him, allegedly to "improve his character". He became depressed, but writing helped him to express himself and he blossomed into a swan when he became a popular published author. Brrr!” he said with both wings held close to his chest. “If only there was a place I could get dry.” Then they threw more bread and cake into the water, and said, "The new one is the most beautiful of all; he is so young and pretty." And the old swans bowed their heads before him. Andersen started writing short stories and his debut book, The Ghost at Palnatoke's Grave, was published in 1822. His first fairy tales were published in 1835, in a Danish book called Eventyr, or Fairy Tale. This was the start of his life-long love of fairy tales.

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I think I will sit a little while longer,” said the mother. “I have sat so long, a day or two more won’t matter.” Then they threw more bread and cake into the water and said, “The new one is the most beautiful of all, he is so young and pretty.” And the old swans bowed their heads before him.

But what did he see in the clear stream below? His own image—no longer a dark-gray bird, ugly and disagreeable to look at, but a graceful and beautiful swan. Delightful, indeed!" said the hen, "why you must be crazy! Ask the cat, he is the cleverest animal I know, ask him how he would like to swim about on the water, or to dive under it, for I will not speak of my own opinion; ask our mistress, the old woman- there is no one in the world more clever than she is. Do you think she would like to swim, or to let the water close over her head?" What a great world it is, to be sure,” said the little ones, when they found how much more room they had than when they were in the eggshell. And so he lay quite still, while the shot rattled through the rushes, and gun after gun was fired over him. It was late in the day before all became quiet, but even then the poor young thing did not dare to move. He waited quietly for several hours and then, after looking carefully around him, hastened away from the moor as fast as he could. He ran over field and meadow till a storm arose, and he could hardly struggle against it.This little story, which is beautiful illustrated by Jerry, is such a roadmap and a reminder for those people born in the family that rejects them, that there is a place out in the world with people like them where they can belong. There is a place of acceptance and a place to gracefully fly. I have seen it so many times. At least, that’s one way to analyse the tale – but is its meaning actually a little more complex than its straightforward plot, and seemingly straightforward moral, suggest?

What an absurd idea," said the hen. "You have nothing else to do, therefore you have foolish fancies. If you could purr or lay eggs, they would pass away." Kill me," said the poor bird; and he bent his head down to the surface of the water, and awaited death. See," cried the youngest, "there is a new one;" and the rest were delighted, and ran to their father and mother, dancing and clapping their hands, and shouting joyously, "There is another swan come; a new one has arrived."Andersen's father introduced him to literature by reading him the magical tales of the Arabian Knights. After his father died in 1816, he went to a local school for poor children in Odense, where he received a basic education. He worked as a weaver to support himself after his mother remarried. The famous Danish author also wrote plays, novels, poems and travelogues, but he's best remembered for his wonderful fairy tales. His popular stories seem to transcend age and nationality, appealing to everyone. Andersen's stories have inspired plays, ballets and live-action films. In Denmark, one of Copenhagen's busiest boulevards (circling Copenhagen City Hall Square) is called HC Andersen's Boulevard and features a larger-than-life bronze statue of the author. The story has been told and retold countless times, and is often one of the first stories children learn in childhood, but what does not always transfer to the different versions is Hans Christian Andersen's delightfully droll humour. The positive life-affirming message is always there, that it is important to be yourself, and this is why the story perpetuates, but there are additional nuances in the original which make it one of his most enjoyable stories.