This Day in History: Danish author Hans Christian Andersen was born on this day in 1805. You may know him for writing "The Emperor's New Clothes," "The Little Mermaid," "The Princess and the Pea," "The Snow Queen," "The Ugly Duckling," "The Little Match Girl," and "Thumbelina." Like many other writers HCA was an odd sort. He was probably celibate his entire life, though he paid a prostitute just to talk. He was afraid of dogs. He didn’t eat pork because he thought eating pigs would make him sick. He travelled with a long rope in case he needed to escape a fire. He also had a fear of being buried alive, so before bed each night, he propped up a note that read, “I only appear to be dead.” His original "Little Mermaid" was a bit grimmer than the popular Disney version. A mermaid who falls in love with the Prince is offered the chance to take on a human form, though she'll live in perpetual agony with her tongue cut out. The mermaid also wants immortality, which can only be attained if the prince falls in love with her and they marry. The prince marries another however and the mermaid contemplates murdering him.
See also The Grimmest & Gloomiest Fairy Tales - 50 Books on CDrom
Charles Dickens and Hans Christian Andersen
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