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The tale of an ugly duckling Hans Christian Andersen was born 200 years ago: his life, says Anne Chisholm, was like one of his own fairy-tales

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From: The Sunday Telegraph London
Date: 20050529
Author:Anne Chisholm

WHEN HE WROTE The Ugly Duckling, the great 19th-century Danish story-teller Hans Christian Andersen was writing from experience. His own life began in painful obscurity; when he tried to make his way out, his awkwardness and odd appearance led him to make a fool of himself. But in the end, his great talent brought him fame and fortune. No wonder he called one of his autobiographies The Fairy- Tale of My Life.

Andersen was born 200 years ago this year and to celebrate the bicentenary this very long and very dense biography by a Danish literary critic has been published in English. The author's ...

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