ABSTRACT
While not a part of his proper authorship, From the Papers of One Still Living represents one of Søren Kierkegaard’s earliest attempts at publishing.1 In this work, the “One Still Living” critiques the novel Only a Fiddler by the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen. In what follows, we will briefly examine Kierkegaard’s use of the pseudonym “One Still Living.” Second, we will look at the relationship between the two authors in question, Kierkegaard and Andersen, and their interactions prior to Kierkegaard’s pseudonymous review of Andersen’s work. Third, I will define the idea of a life-view and its importance in Kierkegaard’s critique of Andersen’s work as well as explaining the nihilistic mentality Kierkegaard was seeking to refute. Finally, I wish to consider what role and influence, if any, Kierkegaard’s May 19, 1838 spiritual experience may have had upon his review of Andersen’s novel and his emphasis upon a life-view.
