Snow Queen. Best Tales and Stories

The book presents the most famous fairy tales of the great Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen, which are still read by both adults and children: «The Little Mermaid», «The Snow Queen», «The Ugly Duckling», «Thumbelina», «The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep», and others. The story of the life of the famous storyteller is akin to the extraordinary plots of his works. He was born in a small town on the island of Funen into a poor shoemaker's family. He grew up as a reserved and dreamy child, and his favorite toys were wooden dolls, for which he sewed costumes and played out funny and sad stories; Andersen dreamed of becoming an actor. He lost his father at an early age, endured need and humiliation, but firmly believed that an extraordinary fate was destined for him. At the age of fourteen, Andersen decided to go to Copenhagen — to become famous! — and returned to his homeland only fifty years later as a world-famous storyteller. Andersen himself considered himself a «serious» writer and preferred to call his fairy tales stories and tales. And indeed, the storyteller Andersen always remained true to the truth of life; his seemingly childlike and naive fairy tales are characterized not only by fascination but also by philosophical allegory, poetic beauty, and depth.