Cover of Snow Queen

Snow Queen

by Unknown Author

48 pages1995RED FOX BOOKS (RAND)ISBN 9780099486411

About this book

Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen is indeed an amazing tale, the story of the magical adventures of two children, Kai and Gerda. It all begins with the shattering of a demon mirror. A splinter from it lands in Kai's eye and holds the secret of the Snow Queen's power, enabling her to spirit Kai away to her ice palace at the top of the world. There, deep in her thrall, he soon forgets his beloved playmate, Gerda. But Gerda does not forget. Carrying a single rosebud as a reminder of their lost happy days together, she sets out fo find him. Her journey is filled with dangers and delights, with friends who help and foes who hinder her quest. Richard Hess's lush, luminously lovely paintings of witches and goblins, clever crows and hungry wolves, homey flower gardens and frightening, frigid landscapes transform this favorite fairy tale into a breathtakingly beautiful book, destined to become a new and treasured children's classic. - Jacket flap.

Publication Details

Publisher
RED FOX BOOKS (RAND)
Published
1995
Pages
48
ISBN
9780099486411
Language
en

About Unknown Author

Hans Christian Andersen was born in Odense, Denmark, to a father who claimed to be related to nobility. After school, he worked as a weaver's apprentice and as a tailor's assistant. At 14, he moved to Copenhagen to be an actor, and was accepted into the Royal Danish Theatre. His career ended when his voice changed, and he decided to become a writer. He published his first story, The Ghost at Palnatoke's Grave, in 1822. An acquaintance paid all expenses to send him to grammar school in Slagelse. He also attended school at Elsinore until 1827. He later admitted that his school years were the darkest and bitterest of his life. After school, Andersen resumed writing. In 1829, he started to see his first successes, publishing a short story, "A Journey on Foot from Holmen's Canal to the East Point of Amager", and a collection of poems. In 1833 he received a traveling grant from the King and set out to travel through Europe. He published his first novel, The Improvisatore, in 1835. He also published the first set of Fairy Tales, following up with more stories in 1836 and 1837. Although they were not initially successful, they have become his best-known works. He wrote a well-received poem, Jeg er en Skandinav, which celebrated Scandinavism, in 1839. In 1857, following a visit to Charles Dickens in England, Andersen met Danish actor Lauritz Eckardt and Danish ballet dancer Harald Scharff in Paris. In 1860, he met them again in Bavaria, and the three of them spent a week in Munich together. Anderson fell in love with Scharff, and started corresponding with him when Scharff and Eckardt left Munich. They were united when Andersen returned to Copenhagen in 1862. Their affair lasted for over a year before it was ended by Scharff, and Andersen did not have another serious relationship. In 1872, Andersen was injured in a fall, and he died of his injuries in 1875.

Track your reading journey with BookOwl