Hans Christian Andersen was Danish. He was in Odense, Denmark, almost 200 ago on April 2, 1805. In fact, the year 2005 marked his 200th birthday! His was a shoemaker, and his mother was a washerwoman for rich in large homes. In his stories you will find many themes of the differences between the poor and the . You will also find the occasional shoemaker.
Even as a child he always loved the arts, and he left at age 14 to make his fortune. He was an artist, a and an actor, but he was not a success at first. He grew even poorer and almost died of . He received some money and could afford to continue his education thanks to the help of a patron of the arts, the director of the Royal Theatre. He went to university in the capital of Copenhagen and began writing.