We acquired a couple of his travel books when he was yet a young man (including A Poet's Bazaar, 1846, shown here), along with three non-fantasy novels, The Improvisatore, O.T., and Only a Fiddler. The Library has never heavily collected non-English-language books, and Andersen wrote only in Danish, so all our holdings come in translation. They also show why we who read in English are missing out. The Library’s holdings by and on Andersen hint at the actual breadth of his work and his centrality in 19th-century European cultural life. The tales may be the best of Andersen’s works, but they’re only the tip of the iceberg: his prolific output included novels, plays, opera libretti and song lyrics, poems, travel narratives, memoirs, and diaries. In part, this is due to the runaway success of the fairy tales, which quickly became family staples across Europe and North America. I thought I did too, until I stumbled into a discovery many adult readers have made before me: We English speakers start from a seriously skewed view of Andersen's life and work. than abroad, the dedication of the day and award to Hans Christian Andersen seems fitting, right? Everyone knows the Danish writer for his iconic child-friendly tales. Its center of operations is the International Board on Books for Young People, who also give the Hans Christian Andersen award every other year "to an author and an illustrator whose complete works have made an important, lasting contribution to children's literature."Īlthough ICBD is observed less in the U.S. International Children's Book Day (ICBD) is celebrated each year on or near April 2, the birthday of Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875). When we reach the end of the story, we'll know more than we do now." - Hans Christian Andersen, "The Snow Queen," translated by Tiina Nunnally
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