From the Hans Christian Andersen biography "The Life of Hans Christian Andersen. Day By Day", written by DPhil Johan de Mylius:

1839

Picture Book without Pictures

1839: Picture Book without Pictures


15 June

Den Usynlige paa Sprogø (The Invisible Man on Sprogø Island) is performed at the Royal Theatre. 22 performances in total during HCA's lifetime.

22 June

Trip to Skåne. Travels via Malmø to Hyby Estate, where he visits Baron Carl Gustaf Wrangel von Brehmer from 2rd to 29th, also going on outings to a number of other places: Participates on 23rd in Midsummer festivities at Heckeberga, then visits Baron Julius Coyet on the 24th , at Torup, where HCA meets the Countesses Lovisa and Matilda Bark and becomes a little enamoured. The 25th is spent with the uncle of Countess Bark, Count Corfitz Beck-Friis, at Börringe Estate, the 27th is spent in Lund, where HCA sees the cathedral and university and visits the young Count Bark. On 28th, he pays a visit to Count Tage Kjell Thott at Skabersjö.

1 July

Back home in Copenhagen.

9 July

Summer trip to Sorø and then on to Odense (13th), and the estates Lykkesholm and Glorup. HCA writes to Henriette Collin on 11th July about Sorø, the Academy: "Sorø seems to me very like a bottle, the gates being the opening of the bottleneck. One must get through that before descending to the bottom. Oh how confined and dreary it is here! The lake seems so sluggish and dormant, as though it too were bored with the surroundings. The swamp stinks, all the new gardens are built on quagmires and the trees appear to be rotting - the people, however, are most pleasant. I have only been here for two days, and every day I have taken part in great festivity. Yesterday I attended a dinner party at the Bible Association, where a toast was made to the bible, and we enjoyed excellent food and as you know, I am 'a man of good taste'.

1 August

Back home in Copenhagen.

1st - 29th August

Visit to Nysø, where Henriette Wulff is also present.

19 October

Release of Eventyr fortalte for Børn. Ny Samling. Andet Hefte (Tales, Told for Children. New Collection. Second booklet). Included are: "Paradisets Have" (The Garden of Paradise), "Den flyvende Koffert" (The Flying Trunk) and "Storkene" (The Storks). 2nd edition issued in 1847.

The end of this year

Publication of the first collection of HCA fairy-tales in German: Märchen und Erzählungen für Kinder von H.C. Andersen. Aus dem Dän. Übersetzt von Major von Jenssen, dated 1840. Published by Vieweg und Sohn in Braunschweig. Only a few - rather negative - reviews of the book are known to exist. When a second edition is released in 1840, the few registered reviews are more positive. The translated texts include: "Das Feuerzeug" (The Tinderbox), Der Reisegefährte", (The Travelling Companion) "Die Prinzessin auf Erbsen" (The Princess on the Pea), "Ellise", "Die Blumen der kleine Ida"(Little Ida's Flowers), "Der kleine Klaus und der grosse Klaus" (Little Claus and Big Claus), "Der böse Knabe" (The Angry Boy), "Des Kaisers neue Kleider" (TheEmperor's New Clothes), "Das kleine Meerweib" (The Little Mermaid) and the poem "Zombi hat's gemacht" (The Zombie Did It).

3 December

Scheduled first performance of Mulatten (The Mulatto), cancelled due to the death of King Frederik VI.

20 December

Billedbog uden Billeder (Picture Book without Pictures) is published (contains the first 20 evenings).

31 December

3rd edition of Fodreise (A Walking Tour) is released.

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