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Danish master of the literary fairy tale whose stories achieved wide renown. He is also the author of plays, novels, poems, travel books, and several autobiographies. While many of those works are almost unknown outside Denmark, his fairy tales are among the most frequently translated works in all of literary history.

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April 2, 1805 • Odense • Denmark

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August 4, 1875 (aged 70) • Copenhagen • Denmark

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Childhood
Andersen was born in Odense, Denmark. His father was a shoemaker, and his mother washed clothes for customers. The family was poor. When Andersen was 11, his father died. At 14, Andersen left his mother and his home. He moved to Copenhagen.
Becoming a writer
The king helped Andersen finish his education. Andersen wanted to be an actor or dancer. He did not have the talent for either. He started to write novels, plays, poems, short stories, and travel books. In 1835, he published four fairy tales that were liked by the readers. After this success, he wanted to write more fairy tales.
Travelling to cure loneliness
Andersen was a sad and lonely man. He travelled all over Europe. He wanted to see the sights. He hoped travelling would make him happier. He always carried a rope with him. He planned to use this rope as a fire escape if needed.
A liver cancer
In the spring of 1872, Andersen fell off of his bed and did not recover. Soon after that, Andersen showed signs of liver cancer. He died on 4 August 1875 from complications following a fall and from liver cancer.

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- 1829: “A Walk from Holmen’s Canal to the East Point of the Island of Amager in the Years 1828 and 1829”), a fantastic tale in the style of the German Romantic writer…

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- 1835: “Tales, Told for Children”

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- Andersen’s fairy tales are not only addressed to children.
- Andersen loved traveling.
- Andersen’s image may have been lost in translation abroad.
- Andersen was dyslexic.
- Andersen was declared a Danish national treasure.
- Some of Andersen’s fairy tales are autobiographical.

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The protagonist
He looks different to the other ducklings, and runs away to try and find others like him. He felt lonely because he had no friends and he felt scared, rejected, unloved and misunderstood. On his adventures, he learns he is actually a swan and has been beautiful all along.

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The classic nineteenth century fairy tale tells the story of a duckling who, when hatched along with his brothers and sisters, is ridiculed and ostracized because they perceive him as ugly. He wanders alone through the fall and winter, and suffers from fear, loneliness, and sadness. In the spring he flies away from the marsh and meets up with a group of swans, and realizes that he too has become a beautiful swan.

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Was the “ugly duckling” really ugly? If so, what made him ugly? Did he stop being ugly at the end of the story?

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Was the “ugly duckling” really ugly? If so, what made him ugly? Did he stop being ugly at the end of the story?

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Would the “ugly duckling” still be ugly if someone thought he was beautiful?

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Would the “ugly duckling” still be ugly if someone thought he was beautiful?

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If the ugly duckling believed he was beautiful, would that make him more likely to be seen as beautiful?

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If the ugly duckling believed he was beautiful, would that make him more likely to be seen as beautiful?

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How do we decide what is beautiful and what is not?

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How do we decide what is beautiful and what is not?

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“The Ugly Duckling” is a fairy tale with the moral lesson for people to accept themselves for who they truly are.

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An adoptive mother
She loves all of her family including Ugly, but gets cross when they are naughty.  She loved the ugly duckling no matter what. She was caring and loving towards him and always defended him.

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Bright yellow and a bit mischievous, they don’t want to play with Ugly because he looks different to them.