This was a frustrating read.

There is no doubting Hans Christian Andersen's literary legacy, but this book is not a part of it. Written when he was forty, and finishing abruptly after an abortive attempt to tour Spain - Andersen was warned by a doctor that he might not survive the journey - it covers little more than half of the writer's life.

The first section, which deals with the writer's childhood, is fascinating and generally draws a portrait of the writer that cannot be found elsewhere with the same immediacy. The final section, after it is revealed that Andersen is sitting in Rome, penning his autobiography, contains more vim and vigour than the middle fifty percent of the book.

And it is in that middle section that the problems arise. Andersen treats us to a gloss of his life, but seems more concerned with remembering the famous people he had met and befriended - and with settling old scores with his critics - than revealing anything of value. He talks about Jenny Lind, the singer, but does not mention that he had fallen in love with her. Indeed, he proposed to her - in a letter handed to her as she was departing by train; she turned him down.

More crucially, we learn nothing about the genesis of the stories for which Andersen is remembered. What did he do to write? Did he wander the streets, waiting for the story to form in his mind? Or did he stare aghast at the blank page and curse himself for not being able to produce? We shall not learn the answers in this book. ( )

As I taught a unit to third graders on folklore I decided to read Hans Christian Andersen's autobiography. I had read a children's version of his life in a reader at one time and wondered how much of it was true that he was a bit of an ugly duckling himself.
While he didn't often fit in well in his younger life he did travel extensively throughout Europe during his adulthood and much of his book explains that. He did have many friends but there did seem to be a sense of loneliness about him. It was fascinating to learn more about Europe at the time as he give insights into the cities he visits and the well-to-do people whose circles he traveled in. Interesting title - fairy tale of my life. ( )