His tales are among the best known in Western literature, and through saccharine film portrayals of Andersen himself, we imagine we know the man as well. Now, in this illuminating book, we discover how wrong that assumption is. In fact, Andersen lived a painfully difficult life, and his story is often a sad and even terrifying one: sexually confused and frustrated, a brilliant and powerful writer, his success was never enough to satisfy him.

Drawing upon a wealth of original sources in Danish and German, Jackie Wullschlager traces the course of Andersen's life -- from the provincial town where he was born in 1805, to the scenes of his triumphs as the most famous writer in mid-19th century Europe. She delineates the complex psychological underpinnings of his tales and brilliantly evokes his world -- Golden Age Copenhagen, the princely courts of Germany, the country villas of the Danish aristocracy, the inspiring warmth of Italy. Hans Christian Andersen is brought unforgettably to life in all his cross-grained charm and awkwardness, his desperation for love, his ambition, and his achievement.