Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen's tales move here from stark moral parable to tender fable, tracing how fear, vanity, love, and memory shape human lives. In "A Story," a pastor's sermon on eternal punishment is challenged by the visible mercy of the world, and even beyond death his wife urges him to seek one truly damned soul, only for his vision to reveal guilt, remorse, and the lingering spark of God in the wicked. From that severe revelation, the collection shifts to quieter laments: an old woman by an almshouse window, a child's life imagined from a city wall, and "The Angel," where a dying child learns that a humble flower loved by a poor boy may be more precious than grander blooms. The volume then darkens in "Anne Lisbeth," a tale of maternal neglect, social pride, and a son driven into hardship and the sea, before turning to dream, guilt, and judgment. Finally, Andersen's animal fables explore beauty and belonging: roses and sparrows debate appearance and worth, a gilded sparrow loses her identity, a rosebush survives a fire, and sparrows among pigeons expose vanity, conformity, and the longing for home. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.