I had no idea what masterful treasures this massive volume held, but I'm grateful that I picked a copy of this up years ago and only regret that I didn't crack it open sooner. Although many—probably most—of the tales found here will hit the mark with children and younger readers, there is a great deal in Andersen's stories to both entertain and challenge adult readers. He was, like his contemporary Dostoyevsky, a harbinger of literary trends that would find full flower in the 20th century. As unlikely as it sounds, we can draw a line from Andersen to Beckett and even to David Lynch. Andersen's conversational voice, stream-of-consciousness style, his use of absurdity and surrealism, and the manner in which he weaves symbolism and metaphors deeply into his language are all decades ahead of their time and unambiguously point the way toward the literature that we're more familiar with today. The fact that he loosened these bounds by writing ostensibly for children was a masterstroke of stealth that may have helped accelerate the evolution of modern storytelling techniques.

It would be impossible to sift through all 156 stories in a review this brief, but a couple of thoughts spring to mind that may encourage skeptical adults to explore Andersen's oeuvre. First, he lived at a time when vast changes were taking place, especially with regard to technology. Thus, many of his stories blend archaic superstitions with elements of modern science and technology, but always with a self-aware recognition of this dichotomy. In other words, some of his stories convey an almost visceral sense of what it was like to see the world changing so rapidly as modern transportation and communication technologies shrank the once-vast world down by an order of magnitude.

Second, Anderson's avuncular, conversational tone makes these stories exceptionally fun to read aloud. As true for adults as for children, I often read his shorter works aloud at bedtime to my wife's delight. Andersen places himself in his stories, not obtrusively but invitingly. The reader comes to love the tales but also to love Andersen equally.

Many of these stories concern themselves with loss and the deprivations of old age, poor luck, and catastrophes beyond our control. The lowly are raised up, the mighty are brought low, and sometimes that cycle is completed, for better or for worse. Allegorical anthropomorphism is ubiquitous throughout Andersen's stories, and not every ending is happy. Although never quite as nakedly brutal as the Grimm brothers, Andersen does not sugar-coat everything for his young audience. In fact, it is the breadth of writing here that is arguably the most impressive feature of these collected tales. Like a well-balanced meal, the author offers us sweet and savory, salty, sour, and sometimes bitter dishes, all prepared with the hand of a master chef. Erik Christian Haugaard's expertise as a translator greatly enhances the effect of Andersen's presence within the storytelling. If you're looking for an unexpected pleasure that you can graze on or devour from cover to cover, this volume is well worth seeking out.

One thing I’ve learned is that collections of Fairy Tales are awfully repetitive and boring. It was a slog trying to read through all these stories in one go. I was able to enjoy the more familiar stories - The Little Mermaid, The Tinderbox, The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina… because I could envision the stories better as I had already read them in comic form earlier. Also it was fun seeing how different the original and the modified popular versions were, such as  The Little Mermaid. They are so much more fun when read in a child-friendly format one at a time (I would recommend the Classics Illustrated Junior series).

favorites!
1. snowman
2. darning needle
3. emperor’s clothes
4. steadfast tin soldier
5. butterfly