Hans Christian Andersen: His Fairy Tale Life (review)

The 200th birthday of Hans Christian Andersen has been marked by several children's books, including Naomi Lewis' Tales of Hans Christian Andersen (BCCB 12/04) and Jane Yolen's The Perfect Wizard (BCCB 2/05). This Danish import freely depicts Andersen's eccentricities, portraying him as an odd, overly dependent but also gifted child and then man. His life unfolds through eleven brief chapters, beginning with Andersen's childhood of poverty, superstition, and close relationship with his mother, through his many artistic failures, to his ultimate success and fame as a writer. Irreverent in tone, the biography is full of colorful anecdotes that keep the narrative sometimes lively and sometimes unsettling (Andersen once had his pants pulled down by coworkers so they could see if he was a woman, he may have lived in a house with "women of easy virtue," and he regularly burst into tears upon the slightest provocation). Brøgger's illustrations in mixed media offer a stylish interpretation of the text, combining almost childlike sketches with dramatic coloring and sophisticated imagery and integrating Andersen's own drawings and paper cutouts (although exactly which pieces are his is not indicated). The art displays an astonishing range of emotions and styles—from a stark black-and-white scratchboard representation of Andersen's mother's death, to a frenetic and humorous dance scene backdropped by impressionistic muted color and edged in a collaged stage curtain. The absence of source notes and general explanation makes this best suited for readers who already know and love Andersen, or those studying him in the context of curriculum. This is, however, a distinctive and substantial work that could serve as a next step up from Yolen's younger biography; with its engaging look at the well-known figure's life further enhanced by stunning art, it is sure to please Andersen fans of all ages. A brief further reading list is included.