The 2005 bicentenary of Hans Christian Andersen's birth is an opportunity to re-evaluate the achievement of one of the great figures of the fairy tale and storytelling tradition, a beloved writer famous for
The Snow Queenand
The Little Mermaid,
The Ugly Ducklingand
The Red Shoesand many other now classic tales. Jack Zipes broadens our understanding of Andersen by exploring the relation of the Danish writer's work to the development of literature and of the fairy tale in particular. Based on thirty-five years of researching and writing on Andersen, this new book is a welcome reconsideration of Andersen's place and of his reception in English-speaking countries and on film.
This work is recommended for larger academic libraries and those with Germanic or Scandinavian studies departments. -Martha Stephenson, University of Wisconsin Library, Library Journal Reviews
Fans of Andersen and any who would study his works would do well to include Jack Zipes Hans Christian Andersen: The Misunderstood Storyteller. -Scandinavian Studies
[T]he book is useful to anyone who wants to understand the dynamics and interconnections of fairy tales and literature. -Maria Kaliambou, University of Lille 3, France
Jack Zipesis Professor of German at the University of Minnesota. An acclaimed translator and scholar of children's literature and culture, his most recent books include
Beautiful Angiola and
The Robber with the Witch'sHead,both published by Routledge.