Inspiration Rambling VI : Hans Christian Anderson

 I have read my kiddies to sleep almost every day of their lives. I hated to read them picture books, they always wanted to see the pictures and talk about what they were looking at, so I turned too my favorite fairy tales books that had no pictures. I told my kids to "see it in your minds, and if you get bored then its a good time to just pass out." My children spent their childhood being lullabyed by the ugly duckling, the little mermaid, and the snow queen. Though I ramble on, like alice, let me lay down a spell and dream wild dreams fueled by the master of childrens tales, Hans Christian Andersen. 

Hans Christian Andersen was a danish writer of plays, travelogues novels and poems, but he is most remembered for his fairy tales. By the time he died in 1875 he was already a national treasure being paid an annual salary from the danish government. A statue was planned before before his death to honor him. He has awards named after him, and International childrens book day is on his birthday.

At a time when most children stories were retelling of older ones Andersen's tales were new and unique. Amongst his works he is best known for the Ugly duckling, the Little Mermaid, The little match girl, The nightingale, The snow queen, and The steadfast tin soldier. One of my favorite's is What the old man does is always right. A tale where an old woman sends her old husband on an errand to sell a horse, which he trades for a variety of items until he is left is an rotting sack of apples. Two wealthy businessmen witness this last exchange and teases him that his wife will have his head. He explained that not only will she not be mad, but will praise him. A bet is wagered with the old man that this is not the case, so they take him home to see the bet through. The old man explains each trade to his old wife, wherein she is delighted with each tale. At the end he shows her the rotten apples and she exclaimed "You always know best!" and went on to explain that a woman was there commenting on their poverty and said "I bet you don't have a rotting apple in your cupboards"
        "Now!" she said "I can show her that not only is she wrong, but I have a whole bag full." The men were so surprised and delighted by what they heard that they give them a bushel full of money.

What the old man does is always right

In life Anderson was a bit of a weirdo, he couldn't catch a woman to save his life, so he turned gay, but couldn't catch a man either, so he committed his chastity to God. He and Charles Dickens admired each others works and became friends until Anderson invited himself to stay at the Dickens home. What the Dickens thought would be a day or two stay would in reality be five week's. Poor Hans was so surprised when he was forced out of the house by Mrs. Dickens, he had such a lovely time during his visit and couldn't understand why Charles never responded to any more of his correspondence.

 Weirdness aside (I think more then one classic writer can claim that trait)  I love  how he brings life inadament objects, letting us into their thought and feelings.  If I have any style at all in writing its because of his influence. His work is like poetry, it dances and flutters with in the minds eye and you can hear its tune in you soul. I started writing poetry as an exercise so that when I wrote I could flow so easily. Not all his tales ended on happy notes but had a moral tale to tell, and I like this. I wrote a character (and am still working on) that has a lot of Anderson in him. You can find samples here. Abbn Ehr is a philosopher that hates history, because it is doomed to repeat itself and contains no morality (life lessons) so instead  he loves a good moral story infused with morality. his lost tales are a direct result of how much I admire Andersen's works. Abbn Ehr is easily the funniest character I have ever had the joy to imagine. I have a short story I wrote (not sampled) where Abbn Ehr is watching the throng of villagers at market and imagens up a transite beggar who is so desperate for food he endeavors to sell rocks to try to succor his hunger pains. He develops several ideas of what would happen and starts to test them out. He finds himself acting out his beggar's life and is appalled at the kind of life the beggar starts to have based on the success of selling these rocks. "Are the Denizens of this fair country so eager to part with coin that they would rather parly it away on that which they could just bend and pluck?  And yet at my dismay, the beggar within my mind lifts my arm and moves my lips to say " Rocks, rocks, two for a pence" -The lost works Abbn Ehr: The man who sold rocks.

My children and I thank you Hans Christian Anderson