“Where words fail, music speaks.”
– Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen; often referred to in Scandinavia as H. C. Andersen (1805 – 1875) was a Danish author and poet.
During his lifetime he was acclaimed for having delighted children worldwide and was feted by royalty. Andersen’s fairy tales, which have been translated into more than 125 languages, have become culturally embedded in the West’s collective consciousness, readily accessible to children, but presenting lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity for mature readers as well. They have inspired motion pictures, plays, ballets, and animated films.