My Fairy-Tale Life, by Hans Christian Andersen

For Hans Christian Andersen, fame and fortune started with leaving his village home at the age of 14, with only a basic education, determined to make a career in theatre in Copenhagen. Armed with an iron determination and the ability to charm all he met, Andersen strove to become a writer despite setbacks that ought to have deterred him. His autobiography reads like one of his own fairytales, complete with the hero’s struggles in early life, and a bitter-sweet love that never quite comes to fruition. Andersen wrote the book at the height of his fame, but modestly declares that his success would not have happened had it not been God’s will: “nobody does it on their own”. Apart from divine assistance, Andersen had earthly sponsorship from some of northern Europe’s royalty and befriended many established artists of the time. Some of the best passages in this weighty book are about his extensive travels, but it is Andersen’s lifelong sense of self-awareness that is most striking.