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The Complete Works of Hans Christian Andersen will be published in Danish for the first time in 100 years. The first three volumes of "ANDERSEN, The Complete Works of Hans Christian Andersen - Eventyr og Historier I-III" (Fairytales and Stories I-III) - are to be issued on 28 October.

The complete works are co-published by the Danish Language and Literature Society and the Gyldendal Publishing House with the support of the Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Foundation.

9000 pages
ANDERSEN, the Complete Works of Hans Christian Andersen, to be fully published by the autumn of 2006, will be the most comprehensive publication in Danish of his works since the 33-volume Samlede Skrifter published between 1854 and 1879.

ANDERSEN, The Complete Works of Hans Christian Andersen, features 18 volumes or 9000 pages of everything that Hans Christian Andersen ever published or staged in Danish, and in addition two important autobiographies, "Levnedsbog" and "Mit eget Eventyr uden Digtning", that have not previously been included in editions of his complete works.

Wider awareness
ANDERSEN, The Complete Works of Hans Christian Andersen, has been made possible with financial support by the Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Foundation. The foundation considers this publication to be a flagship in its efforts to promote wider awareness of the man and storyteller Hans Christian Andersen in celebration of the 2005 bicentennial of his birth.

"I extend a warm thanks to the partners behind this major enterprise - to the Gyldendal Publishing House and the Danish Language and Literature Society. We take great pride and pleasure in having contributed to giving new generations the opportunity to experience the complete works of Hans Christian Andersen - fully commented, featuring contemporary typeface and illustrated with fabulous imagery by the author himself," says Secretary General of the Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Foundation.

For the first time ever, the complete works of Andersen will be fully illustrated with artwork by the multitalented artist, in many cases published for the first time. More than 900 paper cuts, drawings and collages will illustrate the stories. An image frieze created by Andersen will tie the 18 volumes together and comment on each story. The dust covers feature Andersen's paper cuts while end sheets and book cassettes feature graphic interpretations of the poet's handwriting.

Mixed genres
ANDERSEN, The Complete Works of Hans Christian Andersen, features famous as well as unknown works by the storyteller. The works will be categorised according to main genre: Fairytales, stories, novels, poems and mixed genre, plays, travel books and autobiographies. Each genre will be represented chronologically, allowing readers to appreciate the full scope of Andersen's authorship year-by-year, genre-by-genre.

"At Gyldendal we take pleasure and pride in the publishing of ANDERSEN. The three first volumes with fairytales and stories are the first tangible results of our collaboration with the Danish Language and Literature Society. All our expectations have been rewarded, and this publication promises to be unique. It represents the core of Andersen?s oeuvre - the subject of celebration in the years to come. This publication will be around for many, many years. We take great pleasure in publishing such a skilfully edited and graphically attractive work," says Publisher and Literature Director of Gyldendal, Johannes Riis.

Fully commented
"ANDERSEN, The Complete Works of Hans Christian Andersen", has been compiled according to modern principles of textual criticism with due respect to the author's orthography. The stories are fully commented and introductions are given to each main genre to facilitate reader comprehension and make the world of Andersen accessible to both scholarly scrutiny and entertaining reading. 

"We are pleased to have been rewarded with the great task of co-publishing ANDERSEN, The Complete Works of Hans Christian Andersen. This is in every respect a great challenge requiring both reflection and elbow grease - but it is also a great privilege. Andersen's authorship is in every aspect enchanted and full of surprises. He was unpredictable, and his life and authorship cannot be reduced to set formulas," says Professor and Project Manager at the Danish Language and Literature Society, Klaus P. Mortensen.

Special relationship
The launch of the first three volumes of ANDERSEN, The Complete Works of Hans Christian Andersen, will be celebrated with a reading at Hofteateret in Copenhagen on 27 October 2003 performed by two Danish actresses and Andersen interpreters, Ghita Nørby and Bodil Udsen.

Hans Christian Andersen retained a special relationship with Hofteateret where he was admitted as a dance school student in 1820 when seeking a career as a ballet dancer. Hofteateret had been home to the Royal Danish Ballet Dance School since 1773. The Ballet Master at the time was Antonie Bournonville (father to August Bournonville). Andersen was tutored by Solo Dancer Carl Dahlén.
 
The Theatre Museum at Hofteateret exhibits unique material on and by Hans Christian Andersen. Here you can see the original manuscript for Ole Lukoie, handwritten promptbooks for his plays, books with dedications to actors, letters from Hans Christian Andersen's own hand as well as theatre posters and stage images from the performance of Andersen's plays.

Facts on "ANDERSEN, H.C. Andersens samlede værker":

The first three volumes of the Danish edition of "ANDERSEN, The Complete Works of Hans Christian Andersen", will be published on 28 October 2003, and the last volumes will be published during the autumn of 2006. The volumes are categorised according to main genres and will available in six cassette packs:

1. Fairytales and Stories I-III
2. Novels I-III
3. Poems I-II and Mixed Genre
4. Plays I-IV
5. Travel Books I-II
6. Autobiographies I-III

"ANDERSEN, The Complete works of Hans Christian Andersen", will feature 18 volumes or 9000 pages of everything Andersen either published or staged in Danish. The publication is based on first editions and in rare cases original manuscripts. Additionally, "ANDERSEN" features approx. 900 paper cuts, drawings and collages, which in many cases have not previously been published.

Publisher: Gyldendal
Project Manager: Klaus P. Mortensen.
Editors: Laurids Kristian Fahl, Esther Kielberg, Klaus P. Mortensen and Jesper Gehlert Nielsen.
External Consultant: Finn Gredal Jensen
Graphic Design: Grete Hvam

Subscription price: DKK 5,995.00 

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