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

1848

First fairy-tales in French
Outbreak of the three year war
The Two Baronesses published in English

1848: First fairy-tales in French


In this year

Release of Contes choisis d'Andersen, précédés d'un fragment [chap. 1-3] du Conte de ma vie par le même (Selected Tales by Andersen, preceded by a fragment from The Fairy Tale of My Life by the same author) released in Berlin, with 6 woodcuts. An edition is also released in Paris. There is a 2nd edition of the same book in 1859 in Leipzig.

In this year

Release in Paris of Contes pour les enfants (Tales for Children), translated by V. Caralp, illustrated by Derancourt.

In this year

Translations of HCA fairy-tales start to appear in Russian magazines.

20 January

Christian VIII dies, Frederik VII is the new king. HCA is deeply affected by the death of the king.

17 February

HCA is, along with Oehlenschläger's son William, decorated as a knight of The Swedish Order of The North Star. He receives it on 25th February,

"The evening the king was buried [...] it is worn with a black band, and this was most important to me on this particular day; the colour will remind me of the grief associated with this day"
(draft for a letter dated 16th march to the hereditary Grand Duke of Weimar).

Oehlenschläger embraces HCA in congratulation and gives him his own miniature copy of the Knights' Cross of North Star (Oehlenschläger himself is a commander of The North Star at this time). HCA lost this miniature cross in 1862 in Malaga, along with all his other miniature orders. HCA also receives in this year the cross "Vom weissen Falken" (of the white falcon), 1st grade, from the hereditary Grand Duke of Weimar.

22nd - 24th February

Outbreak of revolution in Paris. The turbulence reaches Vienna on 13th March, and Germany is also marked by revolutionary conditions.

1848: Outbreak of the three year war


4 March

Nye Eventyr. Andet Bind. Anden Samling. (New Tales. Volume Two. Second Installment) ("Det gamle Huus" (The Old House), "Vanddraaben" (The Drop of Water), "Den lille Pige med Svovlstikkerne" (The Little Match Girl), "Den lykkelige Familie" (The Happy Family), "Historien om en Moder" (The Story of a Mother), "Flipperne" (The Shirt Collar)).

10 March

First meeting at Casino, after news of the revolution in Paris reaches Denmark, two weeks after the event took place, and after news of the revolutionary conditions in Germany and of the mass public meeting in Rendsborg. The next day there is a meeting at the Hippodrome in Nørregade.

20 March

The second big meeting at Casino which lead to a mass procession to Christiansborg Castle on the next day. HCA was one of those chosen by the Committee for Order to guide the people through the streets of Copenhagen during the processions and prevent them from behaving rashly.

23 March

The war concerning the matter of Slesvig-Holsten breaks out when Frederik VII refuses to accept demands placed by the deputation from Slesvig-Holsten. On the next day, the Prince of Nør takes the Rendsborg garrison by surprise, and the other garrisons in the duchies also end up in the hands of the rebels.

31 March

HCA's "Slagsang for de Danske" (Battle song for the Danes) is printed in the newspaper Fædrelandet (The Fatherland).

9 April

Major-general Hans Hedemann and his troops overthrow the rebels at Bov.

13 April

On the suggestion of "one of our skilful civil servants" (cf. Mit Livs Eventyr (The Fairy Tale of My Life)), HCA writes a letter to William Jerdan, publisher of The Library Gazette in London. The letter, which is published here as well as in several other international newspapers. The letter defends Denmark's cause and urges that peace and understanding between countries is the solution for Europe.

21 April

HCA's "Den Frivillige" (The Volunteer) is printed in Fædrelandet (The Fatherland) (this piece was also published as an occasional verse). HCA's prose texts (open letters) and poems concerning the war are also printed in Germany.

11 May

Departure by train to Roskilde and from here in the usual manner on to Glorup Estate (arrival on 12th). For a time, Swedish officers and soldiers are housed at Glorup and HCA is thus able to witness the mobilization and target training. He also learns that the painter J. Th. Lundbye has been killed by an accidental shot. Hears officers and enlisted men relate details from the war. Works on his novel. Goes on outings to Ørbæklunde, Ravnholt, Lykkesholm and Hesselagergaard Estates. Hears the cannonade from Als, also at night. Goes to Nyborg to greet the Swedish officers. Goes on outings to Svendborg and Frørup.

20 June

Visits the manor-house Espe (at Boeslunde, Skælskør). HCA had been invited there by the former prime minister, Count Otto Moltke. Goes on an outing to Basnæs Estate from Espe.

22 June

Travels via Slagelse to Sorø, where he stays with the Ingemanns until 29th.

30 June

Is back in Copenhagen.

18 August

HCA writes in a letter for hereditary duke Carl Alexander of Sachsen-Weimar about his fairytales: ”Diese haben in letzter Zeit eine neue Art von Bearbeitung gefunden. Der Komponist von dem Volksgesang: ”Der tapfere Landsoldat” hat einige von meinen Mährchen in Tönen skizzirt, und sie werden jetzt von einen großen Orchester, in der Strauß-Lannerschen Art, in Tivoli aufgeführt; die Kompositionen sind: die Nachtigall, die rothen Schue, der standhafte Zinnsoldat, Holger Danske [...] Eins davon, die Nachtigall, habe ich gehört, die ist recht hübsch! Erst kommt die chinesische Musik, dann hört man die Nachtigall im Walde und beim Hofe singen, dann versucht der Kunst-Vogel derselben Thema im Drehorgelmanier, das Kunststück bricht in zwei; der Kaiser wird krank, sein guten und böse Thaten umschweben ihn; da kommt die lebendige Nachtigall zurück, singt, und der Kaiser geneset”.

The composer mentioned is Emil Hornemann (the elder). A piano edition of the first piece ”Nattergalen” is the only music that has been preserved. Possibly the only Hornemann allowed to be printed. It's named: Fairytales by H.C. Andersen musically outlined for pianoforte It is his opus 12, published in 1848 at Hornemann and Erslews publishing house.

24th August - 30th September

At Glorup Estate once again. The Swedish soldiers lodged there are mentioned by HCA in a letter to Henriette Wulff dated 13th September:

"The enlisted men all greet me so mildly, with such familiarity, the priest, the colonel, all the officers join me for company; every evening the regimental band plays in Glorup Garden on a little island and the long avenues are filled with people from the surrounding area. On Sunday, a service was held out at Borggaarden, the regiment provided the music, playing a march composed by King Oscar; they stood in a square formation in the courtyard, in front of the steep stairs, with the stone banister draped in cloth, and there stood the priest wearing his hat. The soldiers sang psalms to the music, it was so moving that it brought tears to my eyes. The priest spoke of the spirit of peace which was descending and at that moment the sun shone on the shiny helmets quite by chance [...] Every evening the soldiers gather on the highway for prayers and our farmers, especially the elderly, join in, standing bare-headed with clasped hands. I feel strangely touched by this scene".

Also mentioned in this letter is an outing to Egeskov Castle:

"On the way there we met cheerful Swedish Soldiers everywhere, and within the fields they were helping our farmers with the raking and cutting. Back at Glorup, musicians would play for all the milkmaids and chambermaids. They would danse in the long corridor and chat in Swedish and Danish. How wonderful that the nations understand each other, I am not referring to language but rather to sentiment; all conflict is, after all, a distancing from God! Whenever will we all understand each other?"

1 September

Cease-fire in the war.

1848: The Two Baronesses published in English


24 September

The Swedish troops set off home, and HCA accompanies them to Nyborg. Here, the bookseller informs him that he does not have a single copy of HCA's books left, as a result of the Swedes having purchased of them. Concerning the Swedes, HCA tells Henriette Wulff in a letter dated 25th September that:

"Everyone in area misses them. Even the servants, who of course had twice the usual work-load due to this massive billeting, are sorry to see them go; a significant seed of Nordic unity has been sewn within the people. - That wretched Germany! Its' "great unity", which has no substance, destroys thousands of innocent people! - indeed, that country seems to have gone quite mad!"

28 September

Release of The Two Baronesses by Bentley of London, translated by Charles Beckwith Lohmeyer, although this name is not mentioned. In the dedication to the publisher Richard Bentley, HCA says of the novel, "this my new Romance, the first that I have myself sent into the world in the English language", which caused the critics to compliment HCA on his flawless English!
Around this time, foreign publishers who wish to protect their releases against pirate copies insist that novels be published in countries such as England and Germany, before they appear in their country of origin. This is why The Two Baronesses first appears in an English version. Had the book been released in Danish before this, anyone could have translated and published it.

1 October

Moves to Nyhavn 67, 2nd floor, lodging with Johs. Anholm, a ship master, and later (after 1860) with Anholm's widow.

25 November

Release of De to Baronesser (The Two Baronesses) in Danish. The book provides a general description of Denmark over a period of almost 100 years, from the oppression of the peasants to the enlightened and more humane conditions in the 1830's. The book reflects HCA's optimism regarding progress and his desire for a more flexible society marked by solidarity. The book is thus an emphatic memento from the period preceding the most significant political event of the time: the constitutional reform.

December

Release of Gesammelte Märchen (German: Collected Fairy-tales), including 112 illustrations from woodcuts based on Vilhelm Pedersen's original drawings owned by Lorck.
It was Lorck who had taken the initiative to produce this large edition with new illustrations. The drawings of Vilh. Pedersen were carved in wood at Ed. Kretzmar's workshop in Leipzig. For a later Danish version, Reitzel is obliged to pay Lorck for the use of the plates (blocks). During this process of publication, HCA mediates between Lorck on the one hand and Vilh. Pedersen and Reitzel on the other.
Vilh. Pedersen was sublieutenant in the Navy, but had, in 1843, at the suggestion of King Christian VIII, been granted a 4 year leave of absence for the purpose of artistic training. He became an apprentice to Marstrand and made his debut in 1847 at the spring exhibition at Charlottenborg, which HCA had been to see on 4th April. Pedersen produced 3 preliminary illustrations for "Svinedrengen" (The Swineherd), which HCA recommended to Lorck as "beautifully and brilliantly executed" (letter of 25th April, 1847). On behalf of Pedersen, HCA proposed that Lorck pay 300 rdl. for the drawings, providing Pedersen retained the right to publish them in Denmark also.

18 December

Performance at the Royal Theatre of: Kunstens Dannevirke. Forspil ved det kongelige Theaters hundredeaars Fest 1848 (The Art of Dannevirke. Prelude to the Centennial Celebration of the Royal Theatre 1848). Is performed 8 times. The title is suggestive of war-time artistic mobilisation.

Approx. 20th December

Meets Fredrika Bremer upon her arrival to Copenhagen on her first visit to Denmark.

23 December

By train and coach to Bregentved Estate for Christmas. Here there are two Christmas trees decorated with Danish flags - in the spirit of national mobilisation. - Reads part two of Adam Homo extensively. En Nat i Roskilde (A Night in Roskilde) is performed for the Christmas entertainment at Bregentved on 25th.

25 December

Casino reopens, now as Copenhagen's first private theatre. H.W. Lange, formerly director of Odense Theatre, had rented the building in Amaliegade and was the manager of the theatre. The fact that he was able to get started - unlike Overskou - had to do with his practical theatre management experience and the fact that he was well connected. From his time in Odense he knew Frederik VII and Louise Rasmussen (Countess Danner). He had the bandstand converted to a stage, thereby making it possible to produce what the issued license permitted, namely popular comedies, farces, musical comedies and pantomimes (preferential treatment of the Royal Theatre means that Lange is not permitted to stage actual serious drama). Heiberg and Hertz both dissociate themselves from the Casino theatre (Hertz via the polemic comedy Hundrede Aar (One Hundred Years), where he describes it as a theatre for "The people, peasants, citizens and coachmen").

31 December

Re-launching of the vaudeville: En Comedie i det Grønne (A Comedy Out in the Open Air), based on L.A. Dorvigny (see 18th October 1847). Is performed 27 times during HCA's life.

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