From the Hans Christian Andersen biography "The Life of Hans Christian Andersen. Day By Day", written by DPhil Johan de Mylius:

1837

Kun en Spillemand (Only a Fiddler)

4 July

Sails from Stockholm to Uppsala. Returns to Stockholm on 7th July.

7-8th July

HCA is with Frederika Bremer and the poet K.A. Nicander in Stockholm.

9 July

Returns home from Stockholm.

13 July

Visits the poet Esaias Tegnér on the way home, in Göteborg.

1837: Kun en Spillemand (Only a Fiddler)


18 July

On the way home across Sealand, HCA travels via Gurre and Fredensborg and visits Frederiksborg Castle. He is accompanied by his patroness, the old, eccentric widow, Mrs Bügel, who at this time provides HCA with necessities, in a more than motherly fashion.

28th July - 24th August

Summer journey to Sorø, Odense and Lykkesholm Estate. In Sorø he reads Only a Fiddler aloud for Ingemann and Hauch.

"Hauch considers it to be the most outstanding of all my work, in fact above anything from recent time, he predicted that this would cement my good fortune, that I would achieve fame in Germany and that I would win the support of the mightiest in Denmark, so my future might be secured,"
(letter to Edvard Collin, dated 11th August).

In Odense, HCA is celebrated at a dinner held by the brother of Signe Læssøe, a Joseph Abrahamson, who is General Commissioner of War (he had moved to Odense in 1835, when promoted to this rank. Signe Læssøe and he were the children of the poet and officer W.H.F. Abrahamson, who wrote the poem "My Son, Would You Conquer The World, Then Bow!"). HCA says of the dinner to Edvard:

"There was a fine dinner and 8 different wines; the whole event was arranged just for me and toasts were made to the Romans and to me. Just as well that I have only written 3 novels; had there been more to toast, then I would surely have ended up under the table"

Must have visited Glorup Estate whilst on an outing from Lykkesholm Estate, as he (cf. the diary, 10th August, 1856) has written his name and the year 1837 on the old port at entrance to the deer park at Glorup. And indeed, this park does feature as scenery in Only a Fiddler.

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