No true artist is really ever
content in the age in which they live. Artists naturally resist
time, space and matter. Given that, living in Europe during the
1800s must have been tedious for a man of Hans Christian
Andersen's (b. 1805, d. 1875), passion and vision. In Andersen's
case, writing became his way of transcending matter, of becoming
timeless and immortal.
Author Jackie Wullschlager writes a thoroughly researched
biography of the quirky genius. While I loved this book, I gave
it three stars because I completely disagree with her premise
that Andersen was a "victim" of classism and elitism and that
his work was inspired in opposition to this.
Andersen pushed gender, sexual, social and artistic boundries so
effortlessly that I have to believe it was instinctive not
contrived. Isn't it every artists' lament that they are
misunderstood? And isn't it every biographer's urge to explain
it for them? All artists share the very same yearnings,
complications, misunderstandings, restlessness and even
nuttiness that Andersen did.
Quite simply there is no answer as to what informs any of their
work. It just is. Mortals like us have to accept their magic
gracefully. I certainly wish Wullschlager had.
Good biography of a flawed subject
Although this is a highly readable, extremely informative
biography, the death of my Hollywood-derived impressions of Hans
Christian Anderson, as personified by Danny Kaye, was a tortured
one.
As Wullschlager clearly illustrates, Anderson was not a very
likeable character. Easily wounded and quick to take offense
(even where it was unwarranted), strangely self-assured to the
point of embarrassing those around him with his pomposity and
silliness (if not himself), he seems to have been almost
incapable of giving the same friendship that he demanded of
others. Even so, Wullschlager succeeds in making him
sympathetic. Rather than try to make excuses for his behavior,
she just lays out the facts and presents him as he was. She is
particularly effective when she associates events in Anderson's
life with the fairy tales and repeating literary themes they
inspired.
That Anderson was able to transform his inner demons into
timeless, allegorical tales that are both touching and uplifting
is remarkable. That he was able to do so after having overcome
seemingly insurmountable hurdles in his background and early
education marks him for the genius he was-warts and all.
This is a very good biography of an unusual, but brilliant,
story-teller.
J. Wullschlager's Hans Christian Andersen - our dear friend
A well-researched critical, yet sympathetic biography of the
complex brilliance which was Hans Christian Andersen.
When you reach the pages describing his death, you feel like you
have lost a dear friend. HCA was known for his children's
fiction, but in fact, many of his works are for adults. This
biography is particularly interesting as it gives some insight
into his little known adult works, together with his character,
and places his work in the cultural context in Europe in which
it found itself.
