The Original Ugly Duckling Has His Day
NEW YORK, Feb. 3, 2005 — -- Once upon a time, an ugly duckling was born to a very humble home. He was tall and gawky, with a big nose and simply enormous feet. Although he did win fame and fortune, he never felt truly appreciated in his homeland. Now, two centuries later, he's finally getting the swan treatment -- and then some.
Over the next several months, celebrations and cultural events will be held around the globe to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth on April 2, 1805, of Hans Christian Andersen. The Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Foundation is promoting theatrical productions, musical concerts, and television and film events in honor of the author of "The Little Mermaid," "The Ugly Duckling," "The Little Match Girl," "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Emperor's New Clothes," and more than 200 other fairy tales.
Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik and his Australian-born wife, Crown Princess Mary, helped launch the U.S. celebrations Tuesday at the New York Public Library.
Andersen's fairy tales are staples of children's literature, and the bicentennial events are aimed at promoting literacy as well as boosting tourism to his native land. The organizers also hope it will spur adults to take a second look both at the stories and their author. The idea, HCA 2005 Secretary-General Lars Seeberg told a news conference, is "to celebrate Andersen, to show a more complex and nuanced picture of Andersen, to depict Andersen as a writer for all ages."
The stories of Hans Christian Andersen have been told and retold so many times and in so many different mediums that it's easy to forget just how groundbreaking they were in the 19th century.
"What is interesting about Andersen is that he addresses both children and adults at the same time," said Anne-Marie Mai, professor of literature at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense -- Andersen's hometown.
Before Andersen, there really wasn't any literature written for children, or written in a child's voice, Mai said.
