Stories into Paper: The Paper-Cuttings of Hans Christian Andersen
Autumn 2011 , Play
Rhythm of the Home1 CommentThe Storyteller Series: Many of our favorite authors not only bring to life stories which hold our attention, they also were and are actual people who hold a variety of talents, passions, and interests. These have become part of the woven cloth of the storytellers themselves. This series sheds a light on the writers and their passions giving us a glimpse and experience into their daily lives.
Once, not so very long ago, a man of middle age could be seen walking down the streets of Copenhagen Denmark with a bag flung over his shoulder. Where was he going? To visit the King, of course! He had been invited, like many times before, to entertain and delight the King and his guests with his wonderful stories of words and paper.
Who could this man be? It was none other than Hans Christian Andersen, creator of fairy tales extraordinaire.
In fact, in many ways Hans Christian Andersen’s own life was very much like the fairy tales he told.
Just like some of the characters from his fairy tales, the storyteller was born to very poor parents in Odense, Denmark. His father worked as a shoemaker and his mother a washerwoman. His father entertained him with old Danish legends before his untimely death when Hans was 11.
The people of his small town did not know what to make of this tall, awkward boy. He was know for reciting long passages from plays, doing clumsy dances and singing ridiculous songs just make the townsfolk laugh.
Hans Christian Andersen’s birth house — Odense, Denmark.
His mother wanted him to become a tailor but Hans would have none of it. “I’m going to be famous,” he said.
Though he was famous to the people of his small town, to become truly famous he would need to leave Odense and go to Copenhagen. So that is precisely what he did.
At the age of 14 he moved to the capital city of Copenhagen, hoping beyond all reason to be an actor in the Royal Theater. Many wealthy people tried to help him succeed with no avail. His dancing master gave up, as well as his singing coach. Directors of the Royal Theater did their best to support his scriptwriting efforts but nothing worked. Finally it was decided that he should go to school.
Hans Christian Andersen’s apartment building on the right.
He was much older than the other students and was made fun of by his teacher. He was so depressed that when the people paying for his education found out, they brought him back to Copenhagen to study with a private tutor.
After his schooling, Andersen spent many years traveling and writing poems, books, and plays. It was not until he was 30 that he wrote any fairy tales. His first small book of tales became an instant success and from then on his fame grew all over Europe and eventually throughout the world.
Hans Christian Anderson put many pieces of his own life into his fairy tales. His own mother was forced to go begging as a small girl. This led him to write The Little Match Girl, a story spinning compassion for the unfortunate ones of our world.
His very own personal experiences were shared in his tale of The Ugly Duckling, which illustrates that the qualities that make one feel different and lonely are also the very same qualities that make us shine in the right circumstances.
Hans Christian Andersen’s Paper Craft
Do you know what Hans Christian Andersen liked as much as his fairy tales?
Paper! He was an addict of paper. He wrote on it, he drew on it and he cut it. Just like a sculptor carves the figure out of stone, Hans Christian Andersen cut his stories out of paper. In fact, he was a very popular paper cutter.
Source: Odense Museum
In order to amuse his friends and their children, Hans made his very famous paper cuts. Wherever he went he carried his bag filled with paper and a monstrous pair of scissors which he used to cut out the most elegant figures.
Source: Odense Museum
While there isn’t a direct connection between his paper cuts and his fairy tales, he accompanied his paper cutting with a fantastic tale, and ended the tale by unfolding the paper to amazed listeners.
Source: Odense Museum
Not only were the paper cuts beautiful, but they also held the secret to the story, meant to challenge the mind. Often there was a hidden meaning in the paper cuttings, just as there was a secret meaning held in his fairy tales. On the outside it was amusing and impressive and deep inside the meaning could amaze.
Source: Odense Museum
Hans Christian Andersen went on to become a most beloved and cherished national and world treasure. After travelling in Europe over several years, he returned back to Copenhagen as a national hero. The people of Copenhagen crowded the square to get a glimpse of the famous storyteller on the balcony. To welcome him home, every house in Copenhagen lit candles in their windows to celebrate the legacy of their beloved storyteller.
It is tradition to read Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales by candlelight, thereby giving them the name Candlelight Stories.
Source: Odense Museum
Some Fun Facts
:: Hans Christian Andersen was born in April 2, 1805 in Odense, Denmark.
:: He is the author of The Little Mermaid, The Princess and the Pea, The Snow Queen, The Fir Tree, The Little Match Girl, The Emperor’s New Clothes and Thumbelina.
:: He wrote around 169 fairy tales in all.
:: He died August 4th 1875 in Copenhagen, Denmark
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Valarie Budayr is the author of the book The Fox Diaries: The Year the Foxes came to our Garden. She is a mom to her three creative children, writer, photographer, gardener, crafter and an avid book lover. You can find Valarie on her blogs A Place Like This and Jump Into A Book.
