Whenever a good child dies, an angel of God comes down from heaven, takes the dead child in his arms, spread out his great white wings, and flies with him over all the places which the child had loved during his life. Then h gathers a large handful of flowers, which he carries up to the Almighty, that they may bloom more brightly i heaven than they do on earth. And the Almighty presses the flowers to His heart, but He kisses the flower tha pleases Him best, and it receives a voice, and is able to join the song of the chorus of bliss.

These words were spoken by an angel of God, as he carried a dead child up to heaven, and the child listened as if in a dream. Then they passed over well-known spots, where the little one had often played, and through beautiful gardens full of lovely flowers.

“Which of these shall we take with us to heaven to be transplanted there?” asked the angel.

Close by grew a slender, beautiful, rose-bush, but some wicked hand had broken the stem, and the half-opened rosebuds hung faded and withered on the trailing branches.

“Poor rose-bush!” said the child, “let us take it with us to heaven, that it may bloom above in God’s garden.”

The angel took up the rose-bush; then he kissed the child, and the little one half opened his eyes. The angel gathered also some beautiful flowers, as well as a few humble buttercups and heart’s-ease.

“Now we have flowers enough,” said the child; but the angel only nodded, he did not fly upward to heaven. It was night, and quite still in the great town. Here they remained, and the angel hovered over a small, narrow street, in which lay a large heap of straw, ashes, and sweepings from the houses of people who had removed. There lay fragments of plates, pieces of plaster, rags, old hats, and other rubbish not pleasant to see.

Amidst all this confusion, the angel pointed to the pieces of a broken flower-pot, and to a lump of earth which had fallen out of it. The earth had been kept from falling to pieces by the roots of a withered field-flower, which had been thrown amongst the rubbish.

“We will take this with us,” said the angel, “I will tell you why as we fly along.”

And as they flew the angel related the history.

“Down in that narrow lane, in a low cellar, lived a poor sick boy; he had been afflicted from his childhood, and even in his best days he could just manage to walk up and down the room on crutches once or twice, but no more. During some days in summer, the sunbeams would lie on the floor of the cellar for about half an hour. In this spot the poor sick boy would sit warming himself in the sunshine, and watching the red blood through his delicate fingers as he held them before his face. Then he would say he had been out, yet he knew nothing of the green forest in its spring verdure, till a neighbor’s son brought him a green bough from a beech-tree. This he would place over his head, and fancy that he was in the beech-wood while the sun shone, and the birds carolled gayly. One spring day the neighbor’s boy brought him some field-flowers, and among them was one to which the root still adhered. This he carefully planted in a flower-pot, and placed in a window-seat near his bed. And the flower had been planted by a fortunate hand, for it grew, put forth fresh shoots, and blossomed every year. It became a splendid flower-garden to the sick boy, and his little treasure upon earth. He watered it, and cherished it, and took care it should have the benefit of every sunbeam that found its way into the cellar, from the earliest morning ray to the evening sunset. The flower entwined itself even in his dreams– for him it bloomed, for him spread its perfume. And it gladdened his eyes, and to the flower he turned, even in death, when the Lord called him. He has been one year with God. During that time the flower has stood in the window, withered and forgotten, till at length cast out among the sweepings into the street, on the day of the lodgers’ removal. And this poor flower, withered and faded as it is, we have added to our nosegay, because it gave more real joy than the most beautiful flower in the garden of a queen.”

“But how do you know all this?” asked the child whom the angel was carrying to heaven.

“I know it,” said the angel, “because I myself was the poor sick boy who walked upon crutches, and I know my own flower well.”

Then the child opened his eyes and looked into the glorious happy face of the angel, and at the same moment they found themselves in that heavenly home where all is happiness and joy. And God pressed the dead child to His heart, and wings were given him so that he could fly with the angel, hand in hand. Then the Almighty pressed all the flowers to His heart; but He kissed the withered field-flower, and it received a voice. Then it joined in the song of the angels, who surrounded the throne, some near, and others in a distant circle, but all equally happy. They all joined in the chorus of praise, both great and small,– the good, happy child, and the poor field-flower, that once lay withered and cast away on a heap of rubbish in a narrow, dark street.

Hans Christian Andersen in Denmark

Information about destinations which H.C. Andersen travelled to or stayed at is available in the menu item “HCA in Denmark”. H.C. Andersen loved travelling, experiencing new places and revisiting with old acquaintances. He gained a lot of inspiration from his travels, for example, the place “Regisse Kilden” shows H.C. Andersen’s child-like faith which is encouraged in his novel Only a Fiddler(1837) where the protagonists, Christian and Naomi, experience ennui in an effort to change their destinies – destinies that are already predetermined. The map shows points _ public places where You can experience sculptures and other pieces of art which are inspired by, or in honor of, H.C. Andersen, e.g. “The Shepherdess and the Chimney-Sweep”, but also public places like Odense Cathedral, The H.C. Andersen Museum and places of education where he lived or stayed for a long period of time like Bredegade Slagelse and settlements like Odense Convent of Noble Maidens and d’Angleterre.

Awards & Medals in the name of H.C. Andersen

Since H.C. Andersen must be acknowledges as Denmark’s greatest writer – especially seen in light of his appreciation abroad – awards & medals given in his name are seen as prestigious. Some of the awards are given in context with his birthday April 2^nd every year, some are given in context with H.C. Andersen festivals in Odense, and some are given in context with the institutions’ matters. Common for these awards, however, is that they honor the writer. In the menu item “Awards & Medals” are pieces of information about the different awards, medals and scholarships.

Novels by Hans Christian Andersen

H.C. Andersen wrote a total of six novels and he published his first, The Improvisatore, in 1835. The novel was one of Andersen’s attempts at gaining an audience. It was also through his novels that he gained a foothold in his day in age as a writer and became acknowledged abroad. However, Andersen felt that he could gain greater success through his fairy tales, and this could be the reason why he did not publish more novels. The menu item “Novels” contains summaries of H.C. Andersen’s six novels.

The Improvisatore

The Improvisatore is a Bildungsroman in which the mature and serene Antonio recounts his quest to built his own life in the world from childhood into his adult life…

O.T.

The novel depicts a friendship between Otto, who is brought up by his grandfather in western Jutland, and Vilhelm, who is of noble Funen ancestry…

Only a Fiddler

Only a Fiddler depicts the story of the musical, poor child, Christian, and the jewish girl, Naomi, who have known each other since childhood…

The Two Baronesses

Elisabeth enters the world in an abandoned farm by Funens southern seas. Her parents are traveling musicians…

To Be, or Not To Be

Niels Bryde is born and grows up in the Round Tower, where his father is a gatekeeper…

Lucky Peer

The novel portrays Peers life from birth through struggle in school to success before his death…

Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales

There are 212 registered fairy tales by H.C. Andersen and in the menu item “Fairy tales”, there are 157 of the published fairy tales.

The 20 most popular H.C. Andersen fairy tales in Denmark have interpreting pictures of the fairy tales’ titles. The fairy tales include: Clumsy Hans, The Little Match Girl, The Nightingale, The Flying Trunk, The Wild Swans, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Little Mermaid, The Traveling Companion, The Naughty Boy, Thumbelina, Little Ida’s Flowers, The Princess on the Pea, Little Claus and Big Claus, and The Tinder Box. The fairy tale, “The Ugly Duckling”, has been animated and can be seen as a cartoon. Within several of H.C. Andersen’s fairy tales, You can read relevant information in context of the fairy tale, e.g. “The Tallow Candle” has additional pieces of information explaining how it was discovered, how it was dated and how it was verified, in addition to H.C. Andersen’s relation to Madam Bunkeflod.

Fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen er mest berømt for sine eventyr. Hans første eventyrsamling udkom i 1835 og han udgav værker lige til sin død i 1875. H.C. Andersen udgav selv 156 af de eventyrlige tekster, siden er der blevet udgivet 18 mere, altså er 174 af H. C. Andersens eventyr og historier blevet udgivet. Men i alt kan der argumenteres for at 212 tekster er blevet udgivet og bør indgå under betegnelsen eventyr.
Så sent som i 2012 fandt man i Stadsarkivet på Fyn et manuskript til et aldrig udgivet eventyr af H. C. Andersen. Selvom hans eventyr i vestlige lande, i særdeleshed i Skandinavien ses som underholdning for børn, indeholder alle eventyr også pointer, moraler og filosofi for voksne. Dette har givet digteren stor popularitet i især Asien hvor han i Kina kendes som An Tusheng “den vise discipel” og er lige så anerkendt hos voksne som hos børn.

Denne side indeholder 167 af H.C. Andersens eventyr. Mange veksler mellem at kalde hans eventyrlige tekster for eventyr og historier. I H.C. Andersens forfatterskab betegner historier en bevægelse mod en større æstetisk bredde, hvor der eksperimenteres med det realistiske og sådan er mere for det voksne publikum og i mindre grad for børn. De første, publicerede seks hæfter af HCAs eventyr går under betegnelsen: Fortalt for børn, siden udkom en række nye eventyr og billedbog – uden billeder, men i 1852 udkom den første samling afHistorier.

Hans Christian Andersen Biography

H.C. Andersen (1805-1875) is known by everyone as the world famous, Danish poet, writer and artist who was already recognized and considered an original author in his time. He is mostly recognized for his fairy tales which are translated into more than 125 different languages and are still used for interpretation and for general joy in our day in age. However, H.C. Andersen did more than write his beloved fairy tales. Among other things, he published six novels, poetry and was very skilled at papercuttings. He is also believed to be the originator of the Danish knitted Christmas heart.

Biography

Within Hans Christian Andersen’s biography, you can read more about how H.C. Andersen was a subclass child in the Danish town, Odense, with dreams of becoming an artist. You can also read about his work with great literary works, his interest in acting and entertainment, e.g. Madam Bunkeflod. In addition, You can read about how he did when he travelled to Copenhagen to follow his dreams and established a career in 1819. H.C. Andersen died in 1875 and was buried at Assistens cementary.

Hans Christian Andersen’s Biography

• Childhood in Odense
• Youth in Copenhagen
• Career

Visit Andersen – An international H.C. Andersen Universe

Visit Andersen is an international H.C. Andersen universe, and the first collective online universe for anyone who seeks H.C. Andersen related information or entertainment. Visit Andersen offers a variety of H.C. Andersen related information and activities.

A long and a short version of a biography that describes his life and accomplishments. Read his travelogues and all of his 157 published fairy tales which are also animated and recorded for You to listen to. Visit Andersen features summaries of his six novels, pictures of H.C. Andersen’s paper cuttings and a description of his poetry.

Visit Andersen also features an overview of the prizes and medals that are annually and bi-annually awarded in H.C. Andersen’s name. It is possible to buy e-books, regular books and a number of different H.C. Andersen related articles in the menu point “Store”.

Visit Andersen LTD.

Visit Andersen was founded in 2013. Visit Andersen is an online universe that features cultural and tourist dissemination. Visit Andersen addresses both the national and international segment of people who take an interest in H.C Andersen. The data on the site is a combination of new and well-known material, all exciting and high quality material. Visit Andersen works with cultural and social institutions, all with knowledge about H.C. Andersen, and are, among others, The University of Southern Denmark and The Hans Christian Andersen Center.

The university’s ideas are plenty and some have already been implemented at the university. Pictures have been made for H.C. Andersen’s 20 most read fairy tales, and the fairy tale “The Ugly Duckling” has been animated and is available for viewers as a cartoon. It will be possible to experience several of H.C. Andersen’s fairy tales in for of podcasts, in different languages like English and German. Later on, it will be possible to experience H.C. Andersen’s work as edutainment and in the form of games.

Visit Andersen and Social Media

On Facebook, Visit Andersen has created a place for those who are interested in receiving information directly via their social media feed. In relation to the animating of the fairy tales, Visit Andersen run a YouTube channel where You can watch some of the products made by the university. You can also find Visit Andersen on Google+,Twitter and Instagram.

Besides the web page VisitAndersen.com, You can also find the web pages: www.visitandersen.dk, www.visitandersen.de, www.visitandersen.cn, www.visitandersen.co.uk.