During his lifetime, Hans Christian Andersen was well known in both Europe and the United States for his novels, fairy tales, and stories, as well as for his literary travel books and autobiography. Some of his poems and plays were also translated into German and English. In Russia, readers were familiar with his tales and one of his novels. Today he is known the world over for his fairy tales, which are particularly popular in China and Japan, but few readers outside of Europe know his other works.

Andersen was recognized by his contemporaries as an author of adult fiction, with an adult sensibility inherent in his fairy tales and stories. This recognition was especially evident in both Germany and France. Today Andersen's works have been translated into more than 150 languages, but his worldwide acclaim is based largely on the mistaken perception that he is primarily a children's...