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

1843

Journey in Europe
Sees Riborg Voigt Again

1843: Journey in Europe


2 January

Returns to Copenhagen.

24 January

Receives a gold medal from the King of Sweden (order of merit with portrait of Carl XIV).

January-February: (presumably)

Release of Eines Dichters Bazar (A Poet's Bazaar), translated by W.C. Christiani for the publisher Edvard Kummer in Leipzig. Concerning this release, HCA says in a letter to Lorck dated 9th April 1847: "as Christianis is, not a single page is acceptable".
The book is also published by Vieweg und Sohn in Braunschweig (translated by N.C.L. Abrahams, professor of German at the University of Copenhagen). Vieweg und Sohn include the book in a new project; within the framework of a new series, titled "Bibliotek ausguwählter Romane des Auslandes", they commence an edition of HCA's Sämmtliche Werke (Collected Works), which is later renamed Sämmtlichen Schriften (Collected Writings). The project is terminated in 1846 - although two editions are released - and includes only A Poet's Bazaar, The Improvisatore and Only a Fiddler!

30 January

Departure from Copenhagen. The trip is via Årøsund and Itzehoe to Breitenburg.

2nd - 19th February

Staying with Rantzau at Breiternburg:

"My accommodation here is excellent, I have a comfortable lounge containing some marvellous copperplate engravings, a couple of armchairs, a sofa and a fine tiled stove, a cosy bedroom with carpeting and good service. At 9 I drink my coffee here in my room, at 12 we have lunch together, dinner is at 4.30 and tea at 8. After this, Mr Timmermann reads aloud from Fjelding's Thom-Jones; Each morning I walk for an hour in the garden and along the Støren, the water is very high at the moment, covering all the meadows"
(letter, 4th February to Edvard Collin).

20 February

Departs for Hamburg, where he stays with Count Julius Holck. During his stay here he contacts Otto Spekter the black and white artist, and discusses with him the idea of an illustrated version of the fairy-tales.

25 February

Departure for Hamburg via Bremen and Münster to Düsseldorf. Continues from here to Cologne. Departs Cologne headed for Aachen. From Aachen to Liege and from here by train to Brussels (arrival 3rd March).

7 March

Departure from Brussels by train to Mons. From here, on to Paris by Coach.

8th March - 8th April

Staying in Paris. Amongst the Danes present here, he associates with e.g. Frederik Læssøe (Captain, fell at Isted), Orla Lehman and A.F. Krieger, both politicians. HCA and Lehman agree to see more of each other at home in Copenhagen than they had previously. Also associates with Marmier, Alexandre Dumas senior and visits Heinrich Heine (26th March, 6th April and 5th May). Heine has read The Improvisatore and describes HCA as "ein wahrer Dichter" (a true writer).
Together with Dumas, HCA visits the actress Rachel, back stage, and later sees her acting. Attends an evening party held by her on 27th April. Visits Victor Hugo (10th April and 30th April) who he finds has aged greatly since he last visited him 10 years earlier. Visits Kalkbrenner, a pianist, and David, a sculptor (twice; on the 2nd visit David gives him some copperplate engravings portraying some of his works). Also visit the writers Alfred de Vigny (twice) and Lamartine. Purchases music in Paris to bring home to the Music Society.

20 April

Agnete og Havmanden (Agnes and The Merman) is performed at the Royal Theatre and is not well received by the audience. HCA reads about this on the 24th and receives a letter about it on the 26th, which results in feelings of great bitterness towards Denmark. The play is performed twice only.

8 May

Departure from Paris to Strasbourg, on from here on 11th May along the Rhine to Mannheim. Then travels from here by train to Heidelberg (11th May). In Heidelberg, he receives no less than two newly released German editions of The Bazaar from the publishers Vieweg and Christianis. The trip then goes back to Mannheim again on the following day. Travels from Mannheim along the Rhine to Mainz and from there by train to Frankfurt.

13 May

Arrives in Frankfurt. Here he meets Fr. baron Von Pechlin, the Danish Ambassador to the Federal Assembly in Frankfurt and titular Privy Councillor, who was also a lyrical poet.

16 May

Departs from Frankfurt, travelling via Mainz, Wiesbaden, Binge and St. Goar (where HCA on 18th May visits the poet Ferdinand Freiligrath (a radical lyrical poet of "The young Germany") who is very enthusiastic about HCA's three novels, as well as "The Little Mermaid". He also mentions that "in Germany, he is considered the most esteemed writer" (the diary). The trip continues through Koblenz, Bonn (where he visits the poet Ernst Moritz Arndt on 19th May and on the same occasion meets Emanuel Geibel, the lyrical poet), Cologne, Düsseldorf, Münster, Oldenburg and Hamburg (where HCA visits the poet K. Fr. Th. Lobedanz on 30th May). Continues on 2nd June via Itzehoe to Breitenburg.

2nd to 13th June

At Breitenburg. From here he travels on to Kiel and then to Copenhagen, aboard the steamship Christian VIII.

1843: Sees Riborg Voigt Again


15 June

Arrives home in Copenhagen.

23 June

Leaves for Sorø to see the Ingemanns. Also visits the Hauchs. Continues on 27th to Korsør and from here on 28th to Odense and Langesø. Stays at Langesø Estate from 28th June until 7th July, including outings to Middelfart, Hindsgavl and Odense. On 7th July, drives to Hvidkilde Estate via Odense and from here on 8th to Holstenhus Estate, where he sees Riborg Voigt on the 9th, at a celebration for the estate employees, accompanied by her husband and children. Continues to Fåborg (the Voigts') and from here to Glorup Estate, where he stays from 10th-31st July. Outings are made from Glorup to Holstenhus, to the Voigts' in Fåborg and to Hvidkilde. Leaves Glorup on 31st, travelling via Ringsted to Bregentved (arrival on 1st August). From here he continues on 14th August, passing through Køge to reach Copenhagen.

15 August

Attends the opening of Tivoli Gardens. Greatly inspired by the Chinese buildings etc., HCA returns home after another visit to Tivoli on 11th October and writes "Nattergalen" (The Nightingale) (in just two days).

16 August

Because of a suggestion that HCA should accompany Thorvaldsens daughter, Elisa Paulsen (who had become a widow) and grandchild (9 year old Alberto) on a journey back to Italy, and further more in a “teacher role” for the boy, HCA this day writes to Jonas Collin, incensed by the humiliating situation that he feels in in relation to his home country and the status he has in Germany: “For the Germans I am the most known and most recognized poet of the people of Denmark, what status I really deserve is not to be decided here [He puts in this remark to avoid an objection from Jonas Collin and the Collin family, since they would never recognize such an estimation of him], but it would look kind of poor to the Germans, me trudging through there country as a little boys teacher [...] i feel an ill-will towards my home country, an ill-will that is almost as great as the one shown to me here as a poet. - I can talk honest to you, I think that Denmark, as it is disclosed in Copenhagen - the heart of the country, is a land where the people are small “corsair children” [here referring to M.A. Goldschmidts satiric opposition magazine The Corsair], they only live to find pettiness and failures at any prominent personality. -”

24 August

Goes to Bregentved. Returns on 27th August.

9th-20th August

Jenny Lind, the famed Swedish singer, is in Copenhagen. HCA spends time with her almost every day, both privately and at her performances. He is very infatuated in her.

11 November

Release of Nye Eventyr. 1. Samling. (New Tales, 1st Installment) This includes: "Engelen" (The Angel), "Nattergalen" (The Nightingale), "Kjærestefolkene" (The Sweethearts), "Den grimme Ælling" (The Ugly Duckling). The first edition, consisting of 850 copies, was immediately sold out. The second edition, also 850 copies, came out in December of the same year. A third edition was printed in 1847. HCA comments on the booklet of fairy-tales in a letter dated 10th December 1843:

"These fairy-tales have met with great approval. None of my other books have been such a source of joy. All the magazines praise them, everyone reads them, and not borrowed from the neighbour's neighbour, but bought! I am now being recognised as the leading writer of fairy-tales - in short, on this occasion I have every reason to be content with my readers! This is most pleasing. It is good to have a little fame in store for wear and tear, for the time will surely come when I am once again adrift on stormy seas. Then at least I will have a piece of wood to keep me afloat". The same subject is taken up once more in a letter to the same person on 18th December: "The book is selling like hotcakes!, all magazines praise it and everyone is reading it! None of my other books seem to be as treasured as these fairy-tales!"

17 November

Departs for Nysø (arrival on 18th), where Thorvaldsen is. Goes on trips to Jungshoved and Lindersvold. At this time, HCA becomes more and more absorbed in his relationship with Baron Henrik Stampe, a law student and son of the occupier of Nysø Estate. HCA had "inherited" him, so to speak, from Jette Wulff, while she was travelling to Portugal to visit the O'Neill brothers.

5 December

Returns to Copenhagen.

11 December

HCA and Henrik Stampe agree to address each other informally, i.e. to discard the formal 2nd person pronoun "De", in favour of the informal "du".

20 December

20th December:
Nye Eventyr (New Tales) is sold out.

21 December

Takes the day-coach to Køge. Is collected from here and brought to Bregentved. Returns to Copenhagen on 30th .

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