3. It was Andersen’s father himself who introduced a young Andersen to literature, reading Arabian Nights to him. At first, Andersen was not very proud of his fairy tale writing and he even considered giving them up at one point. Later, he believed that fairy tales would somehow become a “universal poetry” of sorts and he continued to write in the genre. His poetry and stories have been translated into more than 150 languages. They have inspired motion pictures, plays, ballets, and animated films.
