ABSTRACT
Andersen's cosmopolitan view of society led him to envision the future as moving toward a global civilization, where human rights and democracy compensated for national selfishness and the irrationality of power. He dreamed of a new world order founded on the leadership of the best men and women, a nobility of talent centered on the arts. But as this chapter will show, it was the music and reputation of Richard Wagner that had the most profound impact on Andersen. In his final years, Andersen embraced Wagner as the herald of a new age, a model for both poets and musicians. Andersen's wish to bring about a fusion of the arts was first prominently displayed in two essays from the early 1850s, 'Poesiens Californien' and 'Om Aartusinder'. In both works, the future of the arts plays a prominent role, albeit in markedly different ways.
