Hans Christian Andersen(1805-1875) - world famous Danish writer, author of popular fairy tales for children and adults.

G.H. Andersen is the author of numerous fairy tales, novels, essays, plays, and poems, but he gained popularity thanks to fairy tales and stories for children and adults. Without exaggeration, he is called the founder of fairy tales, as literary genre. The unusually talented author knew how to light a fire in little eyes with some special magic. The author does everything wonderfully - from a random bottle shard to an ugly duckling that turns into a beautiful swan. Therefore, reading Andersen’s fairy tales means becoming an accomplice in a unique, diverse action.

Read Andersen's fairy tales online

Christian Andersen's fairy tales are a window to the whole world human feelings. In them, mercy and kindness are inseparable from each other just as much as pity cannot be imagined without compassion. The different moods in them never get boring, because they are painted in real life tones - sadness and joy, laughter and sadness, meetings and disappointments. This is such a different, but such a pure taste of real life.

Read Andersen's fairy tales to gain faith in justice, harmony and the eternal victory of good.

Both adults and children love to read Andersen's fairy tales. The list of fairy tales is huge, and we have selected the most interesting and memorable ones. Reading the works of Hans Christian, it is difficult to understand how he could write fairy tales SO that each of them is still relevant and does not leave his lips.

The Danish writer Andersen became famous throughout the world mainly thanks to four fairy tales.

Andersen's fairy tales - list of the most popular:

1. Ugly duck. It is believed that the fairy tale about the fate of the duckling is like a description of the life of little Hans Andersen, because he was also unprepossessing on the outside and very dreamy on the inside.
2. The king's new dress. This fairy tale, as Hans himself admitted, was borrowed by him from a third-party source, but has become so famous that people begin to read Andersen’s fairy tales from it.
3. Princess on the Pea. One of the first fairy tales that parents read to their daughters, it tells the story of a little princess who is so sensitive that even forty feather feathers will not prevent her from feeling a pea.
4. Shadow. A short philosophical essay, just right for reading and understanding by children of high school age.

Andersen's fairy tales also complement the list of the most famous The Snow Queen with countless film adaptations, Ole Lukoie, Thumbelina and many, many other immortal works.

about the author

The writer and storyteller was born in 1805 into a very poor Danish family. From childhood he was a dreamer and visionary, which was encouraged by his father. Andersen was not married, he had no children, he put all his love into the theater, this passion of his brought him a lot of humiliation, he often had to beg to be taken into the play, so he could not make money doing what he loved. Andersen wrote his main fairy tales after 1833, when he went on a trip with the king’s money. He tried to write plays and novels, but only fairy tales brought him popularity, which, although he wrote, he said that he despised them...

Oh, no, Andersen had no intention of becoming a storyteller! All his dreams were about an acting career, a hectic life and other joys. However, it so happened that a thin and completely ugly boy, who excelled in singing and reciting poetry in public, was, thanks to his appearance, not destined to become famous actor. Hans' life itself has become similar to one of his many stories, in which the hero has to endure many adversities before achieving something truly worthwhile, such as Andersen's fairy tales, a list of which, by the way, contains his own autobiography under the simple title “Fairy Tale” of my life".

Andersen's life was not fun or simple; he was always very lonely, even among friends. However, there is no place for sadness in his stories and, as they say in Len’s fairy tale, the song never ends and this is the most wonderful thing! We know about this, and therefore we are the happiest! Andersen's fairy tales are pleasant and easy to read, because through them you can understand what it means: to be the happiest of all.

H. C. Andersen (years of life - 1805-1875) was born in the city of Odense, located on the island of Fionia in Denmark. Since childhood, the future writer loved to compose and dream, and often organized home performances. When the boy was 11 years old, his father died, and the child had to work for food. Hans Andersen went to Copenhagen at the age of 14. Here he was an actor at the Royal Theater, and then, under the patronage of Frederick VI, the Danish king, he entered a school in Slagels, from where he was then transferred to another located in Elsinore.

Andersen's works

In 1829, his first science fiction story was published, which brought fame to the writer. And six years later Andersen’s “Fairy Tales” appeared, a list of the best of which is presented in this article. It was they who glorified their creator. The second edition of fairy tales was made in 1838, and the third was published in 1845. The storyteller Andersen was already known in Europe by that time. In subsequent years, he also published plays and novels, making unsuccessful attempts to become famous as a novelist and playwright, but at the same time he continued to write fairy tales. In 1872, on Christmas Day, the last one was written.

We present to you Andersen's fairy tales. We have compiled a list of his most famous works, but, of course, this is not all.

"The Snow Queen"

Hans Christian began writing this fairy tale when he was traveling around Europe - in the city of Maxen, located in Germany, not far from Dresden, and finished the work at home, in Denmark. He dedicated it to Jenny Lind, the Swedish singer, his lover, who never reciprocated the writer’s feelings, and this fairy tale was first published in a collection that appeared in 1844, on the eve of Christmas.

This work has a deep meaning, which is revealed gradually as each of the seven chapters is read. It tells about evil and good, the struggle between the devil and God, life and death, but the main theme is true love who is not afraid of any tests or obstacles.

"Mermaid"

We continue to describe Andersen's fairy tales. The list will be completed by the following work. This tale was first published in 1837, along with another tale, "The King's New Clothes", in Andersen's collection. The author initially wrote a short preface to it, and then said that this work touched him even during its creation, it deserves to be written again.

The fairy tale has a deep meaning; it touches on the themes of self-sacrifice, love, and gaining the immortality of the soul. Hans Christian, as a deeply religious person, considered it necessary in his commentary to the work to note that the fate of the soul after death depends only on each of us, our actions.

"Ugly duck"

We continue to describe the most famous fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen. Our list will be complemented by “The Ugly Duckling,” one of the most beloved not only among children, but also among adults. This is not accidental, because the work contains a sacred meaning, the idea of ​​becoming through suffering and obstacles: the birth of a beautiful swan, causing universal delight, from a humiliated, downtrodden ugly duckling.

The plot of the fairy tale reveals the deep layers of social life. A duckling, having found itself in a well-fed, philistine poultry yard, becomes an object of humiliation and bullying from all its inhabitants. The verdict is given by the Spanish fat duck, who even has a special aristocratic sign - a scarlet silk flap tied on her leg, which she found in the trash heap. The little duckling becomes an outcast in this company. He goes in despair to a distant lake, where he lives and grows up in complete solitude. The fairy tale leaves after reading notes of triumph over anger, arrogance and pride. Human relationships are shown with the help of bird heroes.

"Princess on the Pea"

Our story continues about what kinds of fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen exist. The list of them includes "The Princess and the Pea". This work is aimed more at teenagers and older children. This tale is very short compared to other works by H. H. Andersen. Its meaning is a person’s search for a “soulmate,” shown through a romantic plot about how a young prince searches for her. The work places a gentle emphasis on the fact that no social prejudices can prevent a person from finding happiness.

"Thumbelina"

Psychologists believe that all existing fairy tales can be divided into two types: for boys and for girls. There is some truth in this, although works of this genre often contain deep meaning and are subconsciously intended for adults. However, “Thumbelina” can undoubtedly be classified as a girlish one. The fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen, the list of which consists of the most famous, certainly include this work. The story of a little girl is full of difficult twists and turns, described in many ways in the work. But main character overcomes them with wonderful ease and patience, and therefore receives a great reward in the final - happiness and mutual love. Sacred meaning the fairy tale is that chance is very often God’s providence, leading person along the path of his destiny.

"Swineherd"

In addition to a fascinating plot, Andersen's fairy tales always contain a deep meaning of existence and human essence. “The Swineherd,” which continues our list of Andersen’s fairy tales for children, in addition to the story about a kind, poor, proud prince who wanted to marry the emperor’s frivolous and eccentric daughter, also tells us that people sometimes cannot immediately recognize the real human values and therefore sometimes find themselves “at the bottom of nothing.”

"Ole-Lukoje"

G. H. Andersen, the great storyteller, never even thought about becoming a writer, much less creating fairy tales. He wanted to become an actor, recite prose and poetry from the stage, play roles, dance and sing songs. But when he realized that these dreams were not destined to come true, he began to write fairy tales that made him famous throughout the world. One of them, "Ole-Lukoje", is among the most famous works of this author. It has two main characters: Ole-Lukoje, the lord of dreams, a wizard, and Hjalmar, a boy. As Andersen writes in the prologue to his work, every evening Ole Lukoje sneaks unnoticed into the children's bedrooms in order to tell them fairy tales. He first sprinkles warm sweet milk on their eyelids and, inducing sleep, blows on the back of their heads. After all, this good wizard. He always has two umbrellas with him: with amazing pictures, bright, and a faceless and boring, gray one. To obedient, kind children who study well, he shows beautiful dreams, and the bad ones don’t see a single one all night.

The tale is divided into seven chapters, according to the number of days of the week. Ole Lukoje comes to Hjalmar every evening from Monday to Sunday and takes him to a world of amazing adventures and sweet dreams. On Sunday, the last day, he shows the boy his brother - another Ole-Lukoje. He rides on a horse with his cloak fluttering in the wind and gathers adults and children. The wizard puts the good ones in front and the bad ones in the back. These two brothers symbolize Andersen's life and death - two interconnected things.

"Flint"

The fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen, the list of which we are compiling, include “Flint”. This fairy tale is perhaps one of the most “adult” by this author, although thanks to its colorful characters, children also love it. The moral and meaning of the work is that you need to pay for everything in this life, but at the same time, dignity and honor always remain the foundation of human existence. This fairy tale also glorifies folk wisdom. Good soldier, main character, buying the benefits provided by the witch, thanks to his cunning and wisdom, emerges victorious from all the vicissitudes and receives in addition the kingdom and the love of the princess.

Andersen's famous fairy tales, the list of which we have compiled, includes other works. We have listed only the main ones. Each of them is interesting in its own way.

Once upon a time there lived a proud teapot. He was proud of his porcelain, and his long nose, and his graceful hand - we fancied, and he talked about it. But the fact that his lid was broken and glued together - he did not talk about this, this is a shortcoming, and who likes to talk about his shortcomings, that is, there are others. The entire tea set - cups, creamer, sugar bowl - spoke more readily about the frailty of the teapot than about its good handle and magnificent spout. The teapot knew this.

“I know them! - he reasoned to himself. - I know my shortcomings and admit them, and this is my humility and modesty. We all have shortcomings, but we all have our advantages. The cups have a handle, the sugar bowl has a lid, and I have both and something else that they will never have - a spout. Thanks to him, I am the king of the entire tea table. The sugar bowl and the cream pot also had the job of delighting the palate, but I am the only true gift, I am the main one, I am the delight of all thirsty humanity: in me boiling tasteless water is processed into a Chinese aromatic drink.”

This is how the teapot reasoned during his carefree youth. But then one day he’s standing on the table, someone’s thin, graceful hand is pouring tea. The hand turned out to be awkward: the teapot slipped out of it, fell - and the spout was gone, the handle too, and there’s nothing to say about the lid, enough has already been said about it. The kettle lay unconscious on the floor, boiling water was running out of it. He was dealt a heavy blow, and the hardest thing was that they laughed not at his clumsy hand, but at himself.

“I will never forget this! - said the teapot, later telling his biography to himself. “They called me a cripple, they stuck me in a corner somewhere, and the next day they gave me a gift to a woman who asked for some bacon. And so I found myself in a poor situation and wasted away without any benefit, without any purpose.

Internal and external. So I stood and stood, when suddenly a new one began for me, better life... Yes, you are one thing, but you become another. They stuffed me with earth - for a teapot it's the same as being buried - and they planted a flower bulb in the ground. I don’t know who planted it, who gave it to me, but they gave it to me in exchange for Chinese leaves and boiling water, in exchange for a broken handle and spout. The onion lay in the ground, lay in me, became my heart, my living heart, which had never been in me before. And life arose in me, my strength began to boil, my pulse began to beat. The onion sprouted, it was ready to burst from an excess of thoughts and feelings. And they poured out into a flower.

I admired him, I held him in my arms, I forgot myself for the sake of his beauty. What bliss it is to forget yourself for the sake of others! But the flower didn’t even say thank you to me, he didn’t even think about me - everyone admired him, and if I was happy about this, then how happy he himself must have been! But then one day I heard: “Such a flower deserves the best pot!” I was broken, it was terribly painful... The flower was transplanted into a better pot, and I was thrown out into the yard, and now I’m lying there, but no one will take my memories away from me!”

Information sheet:

Andersen's most popular fairy tales are known all over the world. Sometimes his heroes are sad or unhappy, but always kind and fair. You will find out which of them your child will like best by reading the entire collection.

How to read Andersen's fairy tales?

To understand what the writer’s works teach, you need to read them more carefully, trying to discern the writer’s thought behind the fairy tale plot and try to explain the meaning of the fairy tale to a child of any age. The peculiarity of Andersen's books for children is that surprisingly deep ideas can be hidden behind a simple narrative.

An older child will decide for himself which fairy tales to read. For the youngest, parents should choose small works with a positive ending to the plot, where good triumphs over evil. Otherwise, an impressionable child may become very upset. For bedtime reading, choose the best to guarantee your baby a restful sleep.

Features of the storyteller's creativity

The writer was from a very poor Danish family, and for a long time tried to become famous. He began his literary experiments early, but fame came at the age of thirty, when the first collection for children was published and received rave reviews.

How many troubles he had to endure during his life is unknown. Apparently this is why Andersen writes a lot about the simplest objects, decorating them with a fabulous essence that was so lacking in life. The description of what is happening is not always joyful and positive, but the description of everyday events from a fabulous angle and the author’s imagination are simply amazing.

We offer a complete collection of Andersen's fairy tales, the list of which is quite large. Among them is probably the most famous “Snow Queen” and many others. Free reading and printing options. Well structured text, easy to read. Short and long fairy tales without abbreviations.