The public image of Hans Christian Andersen still prevalent is one fed by the lies and myths he created. For instance, most of the photographs and portraits of Andersen reveal a man at ease with himself, a gentle, composed man often telling stories benevolently to children. He is always well dressed and appears in poses of perfect propriety. He is tall, gaunt, and not particularly handsome. Like the photographers and painters, most biographers have contributed to the deception of the public by emphasizing the quaint and gentle composure of the imaginative writer. They have associated him with the ugly duckling and sketched his life as the poor, gifted son of a cobbler who transformed himself into a successful, 'beautiful' writer through his magical, innate talents: Hans Christian Andersen as fairy tale. His name has become virtually synonymous with the genre."
Born in Odense, Denmark
Andersen was born in the spring of 1805 in the Danish town of Odense. His parents were "an oddly-matched pair," declared Erik Haugaard in Writers for Children, "his father some seven years younger than his mother.
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