'The history of my life will be the best commentary on my work'
wrote Hans Christian Andersen in one of his many memoirs (he wrote
one for each decade of his life). In her lucid, perceptive
biography, Wallschlager shows how many of his stories seem to be
based on his own characteristics. In telling the story of this son
of a country cobbler and a washerwoman, who went to Copenhagen to
try to make a living in the theatre, Wallschlager reveals a
complex, often contradictory character: a man who fell in love with
both men and women, who was on the side of the underprivileged,
'the little matchgirl', 'the steadfast tin soldier', who identified
with the suffering outsider and yet was enthralled by his rich
patrons. Using letters, diaries and contemporary accounts, the
author places her subject firmly in the context of his times,
introducing us to an unfamiliar Andersen, who wrote plays, novels
and erotica as well as fairy tales, who visited both brothels and
palaces, had many grand friends and admirers and yet needed
constant reassurance. An excellent biography that will see readers
returning to his fabled stories with new insight. (Kirkus UK)
The first English language biographer to have returned to the original Danish sources, Wullshlager creates a fascinating picture of Andersen as a deeply troubled man, as far from Danny Kaye's all-singing version as it is possible to imagine. Desperately sensitive, sexually confused and socially awkward, Andersen found grace and acceptance through the creation of a distinct and beguiling literary world, becoming, as was once said of Tolkien, 'the creative equivalent of a people'. Wullschlager's achievement is to demonstrate the unity of his troubled life and and the soaring achievement of his work. He appears in this biography more various and more flawed, but also more convincing and more impressive, than ever before.
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