ABSTRACT
For many people, young and old, who have grown up viewing the classic RKO film Hans Christian Andersen, produced in 1952 and starring the inimitable Danny Kaye, it is difficult to know who Hans Christian Andersen actually is and what really is significant about his tales. Like Andersen’s own autobiography, The Fairy Tale of My Life, which he wrote to conceal many uncomfortable facets of his life, there is very little truth in this charming film, which distorts not only his life but also the meaning of many of the tales. Yet, the powerful impact of Hans Christian Andersen is such that people continue to believe Andersen was a happy-go-lucky cobbler, unlucky in love, who sought to entertain children with his delightful storytelling. The problem with this rosy image of a highly neurotic man, who was afraid to love and had only occasional contact with children, is that it belies the profound and disturbing contribution that Andersen made to the fairy-tale tradition throughout the world.
