Andersen : What was he like ?

Andersen: What was he like ?

His life story is not the rosy fairy tale he liked to pretend it was. Nor was it as tragic as he sometimes tried to convince himself it was. But it is a strange andfascinating story about a strange
and remarkable outsider whose language of communication proved to be more universally intelligible than that of any other writer .

by Elias Bredsdorff

Andersen from painting by C.A.Jensen 1836

Nr.1	Having read some of Andersen's posthumously published letters Georg Brandes
Nr. 2	A social outsider
Nr. 3	Nothing but the show-dish -entirely insipid
Nr. 4	Lack of a woman's love
Nr. 5	Behaving like a good boy
Nr. 6	His appearance against him
Nr. 7	Primitive and undogmatic religion
Nr. 8	Trust and doubt
Nr. 9	Sense of humour and fun