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

1863

The Debt to The Collin Family

Until 14th January

In Bordeaux, where they are looked after by a resident Danish wine-merchant, N.J. Jurgensen. Hears Gounod's opera Faust twice while here, but prefers Goethe's drama. It was "the scent of the flower but not the flower itself", (the diary, 7th). All the same, he does hear the opera later on several occasions, also in Copenhagen.

14 January

Departure from Bordeaux. Via AngoulÍme, Poitiers, Tours, Blois and Orlèans to Paris.

21st January - 20th March

In Paris. Here, the Danish attachè Harald Moltke-Huitfeldt is able to organise a month of free entry to the opera for HCA (the French are a little surprised that he is more interested in the opera than the theatre).
Meets Marmier, but otherwise tries to avoid his company. Also meets P.L. Møller at Consul-General Albert Delongs'. Møller is surprised to see HCA looking so young and unchanged, whilst HCA himself feels very troubled by old age and illness.
Spends quite a bit of time with Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson and reads his piece Sigurd Slembe. Also hears Bjørnson's plans for his next piece, Maria Stuart.

Meets the writer Henrik Scharling and reads his Nøddebo Præstegaard.(Nøddebo Vicarage)..

Pays a visit to La Morgue and sees corpses which have been pulled out of the river Seine.
Is given a free pass to Thèatre Francais and the Opèra comique. Runs into Kertbeny once again and overcomes his previous animosity towards him. Receives (6th March) a letter concerning the death of Major Serre.
Runs into Clara Schumann and her daughter. Argues with Clara Schumann about Gade and Hartmann (she refers to Gade as the master and Hartmann as a dilettante). Is invited by her to attend her concert. HCA also pays a visit to the publisher and book-seller E. Dentu and complains about the poor quality of the French translation of his fairy-tales.

9 February

Release of the first booklet of H.C. Andersens Eventyr og Historier. Med Illustrationer efter Originaltegninger af V.Pedersen. Andet Bind. Med 121 Illustrationer (Hans Christian Andersen's Tales and Stories. With Illustrations based on Original Drawings by V. Pedersen. Volume Two. Including 121 Illustrations). The two final booklets were released 10th and 30th March. This edition consisting of two volumes and the three called Nye Eventyr og Historier (New Tales and Stories) from 1870-1874 together form the complete edition of HCA's fairy-tales within his own life-time.

11 March 1863

The Scandinavians host a party at the Palais Royal for HCA. Bjørnson makes a speech in his honour and praises his folk-based wit and satire. As a decoration to be hung at the far end of the ball-room, the Swedish painter J.A. Malmström produces a large water-colour depicting HCA surrounded by the figures from his fairy-tales (the sketch for the decoration is still intact).

1863: The Debt to The Collin Family


20 March

Departure from Paris. Via Aachen to Düsseldorf (here from 21st - 25th). On via Hannover, then Hamburg. After Hamburg, at Neumünster, HCA and Jonas Collin go their separate ways, as Jonas travels via Kiel directly to Copenhagen. HCA continues on through Flensburg, Haderslev, Assens to Odense.
In Odense, HCA goes to the theatre: "there I sat, a stranger amongst strangers in my childhood town", (the diary, 29th); leaves after the 3rd act and is told later that apparently the crowd had called out three cheers for him at the end of the play. On the next day, the 30th, he goes with Bishop Engelstoft to see his parents' house, then goes to see the grave of his father and looks in at the cathedral: "Nothing had changed since my childhood", (the diary, same day). On via Korsør to Copenhagen.

31 March

Arrives in Copenhagen. The journey with Jonas Collin jnr. (who was HCA's guest) may be estimated to have cost HCA approx. 2,774 rdl. (HCA himself calculates the total cost at 3,400 rdl., while Edvard Collin considers the amount to be 2,374 rdl. In 1993 terms, the 2,744 rdl. is at least the equivalent of 280,000 Dkr., of which close to half must have been spent on Jonas). In spite of the expenses, HCA's assets have increased by 1,269 rdl. during the trip.
As a result of the growing tension between the travelling companions, HCA comments in his diary (25th March), after arriving home, with regards to the money he has spent on Jonas:

"It is debt repaid, received in under oppressive circumstances, repaid to a presumptuous conceited cashier".

The very bitter, at times even hateful, feelings towards Jonas during the final part of the journey and after the arrival home are toned down by and by, but flare up again at a later point.

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