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

1868

A Journey to Switzerland

2 April

On his birthday he receives, amongst other things, an oil-painting from Elisabeth Jerichau- Baumann. It features a mermaid lifting herself out of the water.

20 April

Sees Georg Brandes at a dinner at the Collins'.

21st - 26th April

Is in Odense, where he reads aloud at a benefit held for The Frederik VII Foundation for poor craftsmen and their widows. HCA thereby obliges a request made during an earlier visit to Odense on 6th September 1866, when a shoe-maker named Gredsted had approached him on behalf of this foundation.
The readings on 23rd and 24th take place at Larsen's Hotel and a total of 220 rdl. is raised.. The tickets cost 3 mark, and there are thus 220 paying guests on both evenings.
HCA mentions the first evening in his diary on 23rd:

"two farmers had walked [approx.18 km] to hear me. They had read The Improvisatore and now had to walk the same distance back again. I sent both of them my card, as I did not see them".

On 24th, in recognition of HCA, the theatre performs his play Den ny Barselstue (The New Lying-in Room) . On 25th he visits The Frederik VII foundation (charitable institution) and notes in the diary:

"The royal standard had been hoisted; I saw the living quarters, ordinarily two rooms for each; it was cosy and very clean. Living there would not be bad. They all thanked me so sincerely and I spoke to one woman who had suffered from arthritis for 15 years. One old man named Larsen, about eighty, told me his wife [Frederika, nee Pommer] had carried me at my christening [...] The different rooms were named after the benefactors. Gredsted said that my name would now also be added. I promised to read again in the future, to raise more money".

1868: A Journey to Switzerland


26 April

Departs from Odense, travelling via Fredericia, Hamburg, Minden, across the Dutch border to Arnhem and on to Amsterdam.

30th April - 7th May

Staying in Amsterdam with Georg Brandt. Visits Director of Public Prosecutions Jacob van Lennep, who is also a poet. Spends time with the translator ten Kate, who reads aloud for HCA his versified translation of "Verdens deiligste Rose" (The World's Loveliest Rose), as well as the prose translation of "Pigen som traadte på Brødet" (The Girl Who Trod on the Loaf).

7 May

On to Belgium: Antwerpen and Gent.

11th - 19th May

In Paris, where Einar Drewsen welcomes him. Sees Fröhlich, who is not pleased with the reception of his illustrations for HCA's fairy-tales. Works on "Dryaden" (The Wood Nymph).
Accompanies Einar Drewsen to a brothel,

"where I, however, merely sat and talked to Fernanda, the little Turkish girl, while E amused himself. She was the prettiest, really. We spoke about Constantinople, her home town, and about the illumination there on Mohamed's birthday. She was very eager "pour fair l'amour", but I said I was there just to talk, nothing else. Come soon she said, but not tomorrow as that is my day off. Poor woman".
(the diary, 17th).

19 May

Departure from Paris, headed for Switzerland; travels via Dijon, Neuchâtel and Lausanne to Genève, where he is greeted by Alfred, son of Jules Jürgensen, and lodged at Jürgensen's country home overlooking Lake Genfer.

19 May

The play Mulatten (The Mulatto) is transferred to the Casino theatre, where it is performed 10 times during the remainder of HCA's life.

23rd May - 1st June

Staying with Jules Jürgensen. Trip to Nyon.

1 June

Takes the steam-ship l'Aigle to Ouchy.

3 June

Travels by bus to Bern, where he visits the vicar Carl Baggesen, son of Jens Baggesen. Continues via Basel to Baden-Baden in Germany. From here, on to Darmstadt (for the first time) and Ems.

7th - 13th June

In Ems (where music by the Danish composer Lumbye is played at several public performances attended by HCA).

12 June 1868

Horace Scudder sends HCA a letter expressing his intention to publish "a complete and authorized edition of your works". When negotiating terms for this American launch, HCA makes the precondition that this intended "complete" edition contain Mit Livs Eventyr (The Fairy Tale of My Life) as an introduction. HCA does not want Scudder to make do with a reprint of The True Story of My Life (i.e. Mary Howitt's translation of the German autobiography from 1847). HCA promises Scudder to update the biography - i.e. to include events up until the honorary citizen celebration in 1867 - and immediately embarks upon this task. He is able to post the final section of the finished manuscript on 4th June 1869.

13 June

Departure from Ems, via Cologne and Hannover to Hamburg (is here from 15th - 17th June and receives a visit from Otto Speckter, who is to illustrate some of HCA's more recent fairy-tales and stories for an English edition).

17th June - 2nd July

In Altona, staying with the banker John Warburg, who he had met in September 1866 at the Melchior home.

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