Memory of the World; 2012 - unesdoc - Unesco

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Manuscripts and
correspondence of
Hans Christian Andersen
Inscribed 1997
What are they
Manuscripts, printed works, illustrations, papercuts and
letters from and to Hans Christian Andersen comprise
the most significant collection of his writings in
the world.
Why were they inscribed
Hans Christian Andersen’s reputation as a story teller
remains unrivalled and this collection contains the
essential sources for researching and editing critical
editions of his work.
Where are they
Royal Library, Copenhagen, Denmark
Hans Christian Andersen (1805–75) was born in humble
circumstances in Odense. He trained first as a singer and
actor, but success then came to him as a writer and his
worldwide fame rests upon his fairy tales, many of which
he developed out of Danish folk tales. However, the range
of his work was far wider, for he wrote novels, plays and,
reflecting one of his enthusiasms, travel books. He was also
engrossed by music, theatre and the visual arts, showing
particular talent for pencil and pen-and-ink drawings and
for his speciality, complex papercuts. He had learnt the
skill from his father and used it to great effect, frequently
entertaining children with his creations (around 1000
have survived and there are many examples in the Royal
Library collection). The Hans Christian Andersen collection
is based around three major acquisitions of the Library.
The Collin manuscript collection was donated in 1905. In
1954 the Holger Laage Petersen collection was donated.
This contains 4500 volumes of Hans Christian Andersen’s
printed works and works about him, some of his
manuscripts and items connected with the writer. In 1969
A watercolour by the Danish painter Otto Svend for
The Wild Swans by Hans Christian Andersen.
Svend won the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration,
the most prestigious prize for children’s book illustrators, in 1978. �
340 Manuscripts and correspondence of Hans Christian Andersen