Andersen's Fairy Tales (Signet Classics) (Paperback)

by Hans Christian Andersen (Author) "A SOLDIER came marching along the highway: One, two!..." (more)
Key Phrases: sausage peg, little nisse, little robber girl, Little Claus, Civil Servant, Big Claus (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
This collection of new translations of 30 stories, most of them among the best known in world literature, is justified on at least two counts. The first is editor Wullschlager's fine introduction, which discriminates three periods in Andersen's story-writing career and traces his and the stories' parallel developments from youthful pluck and optimism through midlife introspection and doubt to elderly fear and wistful hope. Distilling her brilliant, full-scale study Hans Christian^B Andersen^B (2000), Wullschlager shows how Andersen's psychological peculiarities and lasting neuroses inform the stories, points up the serious preoccupations and tragic undercurrents in Andersen's work, and stresses the oral, vernacular character of Andersen's artistry that has been so hard to translate adequately. The book's other great justification lies in translator Nunnally's work, which so persuasively renders Andersen's distinctive voice as Wullschlager--and Nunnally's invaluable translator's note--describes it. Adding value to the enterprise are the illustrations (unavailable for review), one per selection, which depict the paper cutouts Andersen made to accompany his oral delivery of his work. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Signet Classics (June 2, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451521072
• ISBN-13: 978-0451521071
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,774,894 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #43 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > Foreign Language Fiction > More Languages > Danish
  #44 in	Books > Nonfiction > Foreign Language Nonfiction > More Languages > Danish

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This really is the best!, March 30, 2005

By	Bear in the Canyon "libros del oso" (Albuquerque, New Mexico USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fairy Tales (Hardcover)

I've read several versions of many of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales; since I also read Danish, I can confirm that this is definitely the closest to his style of any translation I've ever seen. Nothing is added, nothing is omitted, and all his unique strangeness shines through in English at last.

Andersen was the first Danish author to break out of the mold of both neoclassicism and romanticism which preceded him, and his genius lay in writing as if he were telling the stories out loud to a group of children -- in the earlier, simpler tales -- and in capturing all the sorrow and joy of life in his later tales for adults. You may think you know these stories (no, there are no singing crabs in "The Little Mermaid," one of the more painful stories you will ever read), but you're in for a big surprise. Finally a translator who dares NOT to rewrite, explain, and simplify Hans Christian Andersen! Truly a magnificent edition in celebration of the author's bicentennial on April 2, 2005. (Read the biography by Jens Andersen too, it's a real eye-opener.)

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nothing is sweeter than the real story, April 26, 2000

By	mary wills (New Philadelphia, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fairy Tales (Everyman's Library Children's Classics) (Hardcover)

I believe that the path to a well-rounded child is the truth. Too often we sensationalize and sugar-coat the truth when it comes to our kids. This book is a good example of the way things are. My favorite tale from this book would have to be "The Little Mermaid", and it will be the first tale I read my children when they are born. Mr. Anderson was a firm believer in drama mixed with the hard knocks of real life.Here he has just transformed them into a fantastical story that every child needs to be told. The elements of the story are very powerful, from the loss of innocence to the loss of love,and sometimes we need a good dose of something that isn't wholesome. I recommend this book to everyone, children and adults alike.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The stories sparkle!, April 26, 2005

By	Vonda Covington "climber mom" (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Fairy Tales (Hardcover)

We just got this book for my 8 year old daughter and I've been reading the stories to her. This book shows what a truly great story teller Hans Christian Anderson was! His stories sparkle! When I first got the book I was disappointed because the pictures are not at all spectacular. Upon reading the stories, the pictures don't matter at all. Anderson paints the pictures in your mind and you are just transported into his stories. The words are the pictures. My daughter and I are both enjoying this wonderful literature! I highly recommend the book to anyone wanting to introduce their child to truly wonderful classics.