How was Hans Christian Andersen's bicentennial anniversary April 2nd 2005 going to be celebrated? You may read about several plans here.

Denmark

Hoest & Son Publishers, Copenhagen, published A major study of Hans Christian Andersen's stories and fairy tales by Johan de Mylius on 23 April 2004: Forvandlingens pris - H.C. Andersen og hans eventyr (The Price of Transformation - Hans Christian Andersen and his Fairy Tales). 384 pages, Dkr. 299.

No other thorough literary analysis of Andersen's tales has been published for nearly 30 years, and the "authority" in this field dates back to 1927 (Paul V. Rubow's book on Andersen, which only deals with genre, style, language and ideas, not interpretation).

The book presents a coherent and innovative view of Andersen and his stories, analyzing appr. 40 stories in thematically arranged groups of texts. Also poems, novels, travel books, autobiographies and other materials are included in the interpretation of Andersen and his position within literary history and as an author also present in our time.

Click here to read a more thorough introduction to the coming book.

The actor Jens Okking has as a contribution to the 2005-celebrations recorded his readings of all Andersen's fairy tales and stories on CD. In all there will be appr. 40 CDs in six boxes, the first of which was published in November 2002. Jens Okking, who read Andersen on the occasion of the opening af the Hans Christian Andersen-Center in 1988, has recorded all the tales before, on tape. But the CD-project is a brand new recording.

The actor Christian Steffensen is still working hard to find funds for his CD-project: The idea is to have 156 tales read on CDs by 156 actors. This project would at the same time be a documentation of Danish actors today.

Odense

is planning a celebration on April 2nd. and throughout the rest of the year 2005.

HCA 2005 events in Odense: see www.hca.odense.dk (pages are in Danish).

Within the frames of its cultural department, Odense has established a secretariat directed by Lars Seeberg and located at Jomfruklostret, Albanigade. The task of this secretariat is the planning and implementation of a local and national festival on the occasion of Andersen's 200th anniversary.

In 2000 Odense initiated a prestigious international Hans Christian Andersen award. The climax of these awards will be the one in 2005.

The Hans Christian Andersen Center at the University of Southern Denmark is arranging a 4th international Hans Christian Andersen conference to take place at the beginning of August 2005.

In 2005, Odense will have planted a forest near the city and name it "The Hans Christian Andersen Forest". The first oak tree was planted on 18 November 2002. The ground-plan of the forest including its recreational areas is Andersen's paper cut "Sunhead", which is on the front door of the Hans Christian Andersen Museum. This is due to an inspiration from the abandoned Tivoli-project for a Hans Christian Andersen amusement park on the outskirts of Odense, also based on an Andersen paper cut (although not the same one).

Copenhagen

In co-operation with the publishing house of Gyldendal, The Society for Danish Language and Literature are issuing The Complete Works of Hans Christian Andersen in 18 volumes, largely based on the already existing DSL critical editions; however, the commentary will be re-edited and the new text will be proofread against the first editions. The title of the new edition will be ANDERSEN.

The editors are: Laurids Kristian Fahl, MA, Esther Kielberg, MA, Klaus P. Mortensen, MA, and Jesper Gehlert Nielsen, MA.

Contents (with titles in translation):

In 2005 Borgen Publishers and DSL will have finished publishing Hans Christian Andersen's novels and travel books in their series DANISH CLASSICS. These annotated editions will be available in one cassette for 2005.

The publishing houses of Aschehoug and Carlsen have plans for Andersen editions up to 2005.

The Royal Theatre and Radio Denmark are busy planning Andersen initiatives for 2005.

With a provisional grant from the Danish Ministry of Culture and the secretariat of Hans Christian Andersen 2005, the Society for the Publication of Danish Music, whose offices are at 18 Gråbrødrestræde, 1st floor, DK-1156 Copenhagen K, are busy planning and implementing a project with new music by Danish composers for tales by Hans Christian Andersen, music, which is to be performed at concerts (among them family concerts) in 2005 by orchestras around the world. See more about this project at www.symphonicfairytales.dk Open this link in the window 'new'

The Society for the Publication of Danish Music (office at Gråbrødrestræde 18, 1. fl. DK-1156 Copenhagen K.) has received a preliminary grant from the Ministry of Cultural Affairs for the planning of a project developing new music, written by Danish composers and inspired by Andersen's fairy tales, music, that will be played by international orchestras in their home countries (f.i. at family concerts) in 2005.

A new Hans Christian Andersen theme park will open its doors to the public on April 2nd. This theme park will be placed in Høje Taastrup near Copenhagen. The plans for the park can be studied at www.hcandersenworld.com Open this link in the window 'new'

In cooperation with Hans Christian Andersen Tours and with the actor Christian Steffensen as a guide Weco-Travels, Copenhagen, will arrange two trips abroad each year from 2002 to 2005 in the footsteps of Hans Christian Andersen.

Zealand

In West and Southwest Zealand they are planning cultural initiatives concerning Hans Christian Andersen (Slagelse, Sorø and the manor houses around Skælskør).

The B. S. Ingemann Society is planning a jubilee concert for 2 April 2005. The programme includes a new festival cantata with words by the Chairman of the Society, Dr. Niels Kofoed, and music by the composer Max Sydendal. In addition a revival of Weyse's opera Festen paa Kenilworth (The Feast at Kenilworth) is planned. Hans Christian Andersen wrote the libretto for this opera, which was performed six times at the Royal Theatre, Copenhagen, in 1836 but has never been performed since, despite the magnificence of the music.
Knud Vad, the celebrated organist and music teacher from Sorø, has undertaken the task of conducting the opera and adapting Weyse's original score.

China

Professor and translator Lin Hua, Beijing - an award winner with for his new translation of Andersen's complete fairy tales and stories - is planning a volume with tranlations of Andersen texts, a.o. 20 poems.

Japan

As a preparation for celebrating Andersen's 200. anniversary an exhibition called "The World of Original Drawings for Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales" opened at the Daimaru Museum, Tokyo, on March 15. 2001. From there the exhibition will pass on to 4 other Japanese Museums.
Responsible for this project is Medialynx Japan Co. Ltd. and its managing director Tamo Hozumi. Their plans for further Andersen-activities up to 2005 can be studied at www.medialynx.co.jp/mediahpe/index.htm Open this link in the window 'new'

Taiwan

The same exhibition that Medialynx, Japan, has shown at Japanese museums in 2001 as a preparation for 2005 ("The World of Original Drawings for Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales") has been shown in Taiwan in the cities of Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung during the first 7 months of 2002. In connection with the exhibition a seminar will be held with participants from Japan, Korea, China, the USA and presumably also Denmark. Manager for Taiwan is the director of Children Publications Co., Ltd., Mr. Robert Lin, Taipei.

Korea

The same Andersen-exhibition (see: "Japan") is on tour in Korea from March untill June 2003.

Russia

The municipality of Moscow has decided to place a statue of Hans Christian Andersen on one of the capital's squares in hnour of Andersen's 200.th anniversary 2005. A committee shall make proposals concerning other activities on this occasion.s

Austria

Wien Museum (Wien Museum Karlsplatz, A-1040 Wien, Karlsplatz, www.wienmuseum.at Open this link in the window 'new') are displaying the exhibition "H.C. Andersen in Wien" from 9th March till 30th April 2005.

Anlässlich des 200. Geburtstages von Hans Christian Andersen am 2. April 2005 zeigt das Wien Museum Karlsplatz im Atrium die Ausstellung "Hans Christian Andersen in Wien" mit zwei Schwerpunkten: Von den Stadtmuseen von Odense (Andersens Geburtsort) zusammengestellte Bildtafeln präsentieren sein Leben und Werk und illustrieren das heterogene Spektrum seiner Aktivitäten – hier treffen wir nicht nur den Märchenerzähler, sondern auch den Zeichner und Künstler Hans Christian Andersen.

Eine ergänzende, vom Wien Museum konzipierte Spezialausstellung legt den Schwerpunkt auf die Aufenthalte Andersens in Wien: anhand seiner witzigen und kritischen Beobachtungen werden Fenster auf die historische, architektonische und kulturelle Entwicklung der Stadt über Jahrzehnte hinweg aus der Perspektive eines Nicht-Wieners geöffnet.

Vienna: occasioned by the coming bicentennial anniversary of Hans Christian Andersen the school Volksschule Landsteinergasse in Vienna's 16th district is renamed Hans Christian Andersen-Schule on April 2nd 2004.
Link: Hans Christian Andersen schools Open this link in the window 'new'

The Danish-Austrian TV-producer, Freddy V. Iversen, a resident of Vienna, produces a TV-program to be broadcastet in Austrian, maybe also in Danish, television, 2005 about Hans Christian Andersen in Vienna. Andersen visited Vienna 6 times, the first time in 1834, the last time in 1872. Johan de Mylius, of The Hans Christian Andersen-Center at University of Southern Denmark, acts as a consultant for this program.

France

Professor Marc Auchet (The Sorbonne University at Paris) is known in Denmark for his Kaj Munk studies - and has previously translated a small selection of Andersen's fairy tales ("Contes", Le Livre de Poche, 1987). March Auchet will in May 2003 publish an Andersen anthology of more than 400 pages at the Le Livre de Poche Publishers. The publication will be accentuated by an evening with Andersen reading at the Embassy in Paris.

Marc Auchet's next project will be a complete collection of Andersen's fairy tales and stories in a series, by the publisher called the "Pochothèque". The Hans Christian Andersen Center at University of Southern Denmark has been engaged to arrange a re-examination of special translation problems in the project. This big translation is to be published only few years after Marc Auchet's predecessor as professor at Sorbonne, Mr. Régis Boyer, presented his outstanding and large-scale Andersen-selection (also including all fairy tales and stories in his own new translation) from the Gallimard publishers (Andersen Œuvres I, 1992, II 1995, the series Bibliothè de la Pléiade).
The March Auchet edition is planned for autumn 2004.

Finally, Marc Auchet has edited a special issue of Études Germaniques on Hans Christian Andersen. This special issue (vol. 58, 2003, 4) will be a homage volume for professor Régis Boyer. Among the contributors is the Director of the Hans Christian Andersen Center, Johan de Mylius, who has written an article on Andersen's artistic aesthetics in the 1830ies: "»L'écrivain ne cède pas la place au peintre«. La premiere esthétique de H. C. Andersen", pp. 533-554.

This page will be updated continuously when further information is available. Information about scheduled Hans Christian Andersen-activities on the occasion of the poet's 200.th anniversary can be mailed to Johan de Mylius at jdm@litcul.sdu.dk.