Hans Christian Andersen was born on April 2, 1805, in Denmark.  Although he was a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is most well known for his 168 fairy tales.  His fairy tales have been translated into more than 125 languages and are a large part of the West's culture.  The tales have inspired numerous ballets, films, plays, and other stories in literature.

Stories

Some of Andersen's most famous fairy tales include:

• The Princess and the Pea
• Thumbelina
• The Little Mermaid
• The Emperor's New Clothes
• The Snow Queen
• The Ugly Duckling

Themes

Common themes that appear throughout his fairy tales include:

• Society and class
• Love
• Art and culture
• Memory and the past
• Foreignness and "the other"
• Appearances
• Visions of Denmark
• Religion
• Sin