Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen by Hans Christian Andersen

It’s easy to imagine the experiences that might have led Andersen to describe the tribulations of the little swan, who, according to another duck, was “too big and strange, and therefore he needs a good whacking.” When he eventually wrote “ The Ugly Duckling” in 1843, Zipes says, it was clear to everyone in Denmark’s small literary circles that it was a work of autobiography. ĭespite setbacks-his first poetry and novels were, in Zipes’ words, “not very good, and in fact terrible”-Andersen persisted in seeking recognition for his work. “For a long time he was notorious for being a preposterous young man who came from a dirt poor family,” says Jack Zipes, literature professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota and author of Hans Christian Andersen: The Misunderstood Storyteller.

He persistently pursued theater directors and potential benefactors, eventually winning help from a wealthy family to continue his education and learn to function in sophisticated circles. He was born in 1805 to a mother who worked as a washerwoman in Odense. Kengo Kuma and Associates, Cornelius Vöge, MASU planningĪndersen’s own story has a fairy-tale arc. Renderings of the museum, designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, reveal that it is full of curves. “Everything you thought you knew can be experienced anew.” “It’s kind of like a universe where nothing is quite as it seems,” Lübker says.

A long ramp leads underground only to reveal an unexpected garden. Labyrinthine hedges almost merge with sinuous wooden pavilions, blurring the line between nature and architecture.

Renderings of the museum, which includes 60,000 square feet of building space plus 75,000 square feet of gardens, all designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, reveal that it is full of curves. The museum’s creative director, Henrik Lübker, says the museum in Odense is designed not to showcase Andersen’s life and his classic stories like “ The Little Mermaid” and “ The Emperor’s New Clothes ,” but to echo the sensibility of a fairy tale writer who rarely offered his audience simple lessons. Andersen's House, scheduled to open this summer in Denmark, is an exception to the rule. Most museums dedicated to a specific historical figure aim to teach visitors about that person.

Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen by Hans Christian Andersen