The world of Hans Christian Andersen is seen through the eyes of children. There is the every-day wonder of an ugly duckling being transformed into a swan; the puffed-up Emperor being fooled by his own importance; the tender tragedy of a little match girl; the upright honesty of John rewarded by his travelling companion. By bringing true feelings to these stories, Andersen's tales have become part of universal folk lore.
Music: Tchaikovsky, Delibes, Rimsky-Korsakov, Adam, Weber, Gounod
April 1, 2001
Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales, edited and illus. by Lisbeth Zwerger, trans. by Anthea Bell, originally published in 1991, includes three additional stories, and its new design matches Zwerger's Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz. The 11 tales include the familiar ("The Little Match Girl") and the lesser-known ("The Sandman"). Zwerger's signature watercolors come alive in full-page illustrations elegantly and simply framed in a band of white. From grief-stricken Thumbeline leaning over the dead swallow to the self-deluded, nearly naked emperor admiring himself vainly in the mirror, the artwork conveys a range of emotions.
