H.C. Andersen centret

1828

1828: The O'Neill Brothers

In this year: (presumably)

The then 10 year old Fritz Jürgensen - of the Jürgensen watchmaker family - does the earliest known drawing of HCA. Fritz was later trained as a watchmaker but gave up the profession. Is known for his drawings and mildly satirical texts. In the 1830's, Fritz Jürgensen makes a caricature of HCA in one of his "Gysse" drawings (though not with a text) in which the writer with his nicely curling hair is depicted outside a hairdressing salon in the street called Østergade.

January

Publication of Scandinavisk Nytaarsgave for Aaret 1828 (Scandinavian Gift for the New Year 1828) containing three poems by HCA; a Swedish translation (by Ludolph Schley) of "Det døende Barn" (The Dying Child), "Sjælen" (The Soul) (reprinted in another version in A.P. Liunges monthly magazine Hertha, the issue from December 1828, released April 1829) and "Poetisk Spiseseddel" (Poetic Menu) (included in Fodreise (A Walking Tour). For author specification, HCA here uses the signature H--, instead of his name.

22 April

HCA moves to Store Kongensgade 33, house no. 9, 3rd floor. Frequently socialises with Carl Bagger, who had moved to Copenhagen in the spring. Each Sunday, HCA, Carl Bagger and Fritz Petit meet for sessions in their literary club, the "Serapion" (inspired by E.T.A. Hoffmann's Die Serapionsbrüder published 1819-21 with a supplementary volume 1825). (Incidentally, Carl Bagger would later translate some of HCA's fairy-tales and Fodreisen (A Walking Tour) into German and write a biography of HCA)

1828: Certificate of Education/Graduation

August

Gets acquainted with the O'Neill brothers, who he visits during his trip to Portugal in 1866:

"By the way, as luck would have it, a cruel arrow has struck me right in the heart. The little Portuguese is to blame, and I have fallen dreadfully in love with his eyes and the rest of his little person. [It must be the 8 year-old Carlos O'Neill]. The eldest seems a little too serious and silent, but of late I like him far more, as he so kindly approached me and showed me some Italian and Portuguese opera texts; otherwise we did not talk much, for a number of reasons"
(letter to Henriette Wulff dated 14th August).

22 October

HCA sits the "studentereksamen" (equivalent of General Certificate of Education (England) or High School Graduation (USA)) at the University of Copenhagen (the exam was held in "the large auditorium" in Eilers Kollegium (college) in the street known as St. Kannikestræde). The head of faculty who received him was the poet Adam Oehlenschläger - a very influential figure in Danish literary romanticism and a role model for HCA. At the matriculation, HCA chose Oehlenschläger to be his private tutor at the university.

23 October

HCA gives an oath of allegiance to the 2nd company of the King's Guards.

November

The grant from the fund ad usus publicos, to pay for HCA's schooling etc, is extended by yet another year.

14 November

Chapters from Fodreise (A Walking Tour) are printed in Heiberg's paper "Kjøbenhavns Flyvende Post" (Copenhagen's Flying Post) (HCA was thus admitted to the leading literary circles and ensured favourable publicity for his coming book).