Tales Rooted in Real Life

From StarMag, 16th January, 2005

Review by DAPHNE LEE

HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN FAIRY TALES

Translated by Tiina Nunnally

Edited and introduced by Jackie Wullschlager

Publisher: Penguin, 437 pages

THIS new collection of fairytales by Hans Christian Andersen was published late last year, in time for Christmas as well as the Danish writer’s 200th anniversary (in April this year). It’s a very handsome edition with rich red covers, gold-edged pages and a silky bookmark, and will make a beautiful gift for anyone, of any age.

In addition to the 30 stories (familiar and obscure) compiled here, there is also a chronology of Andersen’s life, an introduction by his most recent biographer, suggested further reading, a translator’s note, a note on the illustrations, and notes on the stories themselves. Therefore, you not only have a cache of wonderful stories, but a wealth of background information to enhance your pleasure of them.

For example, the brief synopsis of Andersen’s life included in the introduction offers the reader a revealing glimpse of a man who triumphed over the disadvantages of his working class background, yet was never able to totally shake off the stigma of his vulgar birth and upbringing. It affected all aspects of his life, most significantly his sexuality, and his stories reflect his constant struggle to be accepted by others and himself.

Anyone acquainted with Andersen’s stories is aware that they are often about pain and suffering, with no reward or redemption. Unlike the Grimm Brothers, Andersen did not always provide a happy ending and his characters are frequently tragically overcome by both desire and impotence (the little mermaid; Kai in The Snow Queen), destroyed by their own folly (the fir tree, Karen in The Red Shoes), or are tragic victims of social circumstance (the little match girl, the scholar in The Shadow). Even for those who are blessed with a rosy future (the ugly duckling, Elisa in The Wild Swans), great personal misery must first be endured.

Some might thus prefer Disney’s schmaltzy version of The Little Mermaid to Andersen’s heartbreaking original; might even consider the latter too dark and cruel for the consumption of little ones – sensitive souls will certainly have a good cry over the mermaid dancing despite feeling as though her feet are being pierced by hundreds of sharp knives.

In fact, Tiina Nunnally writes, in the translator’s Note, that the earliest translators of Andersen’s tales censored aspects that they deemed inappropriate for children. English versions were actually often translated, not from the original Danish, but from German translations that were themselves inaccurate.

As I don’t read Danish, I can’t tell how close Nunnally’s English rendering is to Andersen’s style and language, but experts have declared her work a great success. According to Jackie Wullschlager, a respected authority on Andersen, “(Nunnally’s) feel for Andersen’s slightly eccentric yet beautifully fluent and easy use of language makes this translation at once accurate, loyal to the original, and a joy to read.”

For instance, Nunnally is the first translator to use the preposition on, in The Princess on the Pea, which is more precise than The Princess and the Pea, and conveys more effectively the absurdity of the story.

I think she has indeed done Andersen justice because I can’t remember being as captivated by previous translations and adaptations of his tales. The writing is simple and graceful, crisp and lively, at times with an undertone of cheekiness, irony, sarcasm or menace.

Savour this book. Read one story per day, to yourself or a child. Read it aloud to enjoy fully the sound and effect of the words that paint vivid pictures full of colour, shadows and light.

If you’re a squeamish parent who trembles at the thought of exposing her children to descriptions of grief, violence and pain, rest assured that Andersen doesn’t always end his tales on an unhappy note. To be sure, in his world, the road to happily-ever-after is invariably strewn with thorns. But I believe that this roots the stories in real life and makes their magic even more a thing of wonder.