Hans Christian Andersen was born on 2 April 1805 in Odense, Denmark, the son of a shoemaker and a washerwoman. He grew up in poverty and lost his father at an early age. At the age of 14, he moved to Copenhagen to become an actor, but initially failed and began to write poems and stories. Thanks to the support of King Frederick VI, he received a more extensive education in 1829. In 1835, Andersen published his first collection of fairy tales, which made him famous. He wrote a total of 156 fairy tales, including classics such as The Ugly Duckling and The Princess and the Pea. He also wrote novels, poems, plays and travelogues. Despite his literary success, he remained a loner throughout his life. Andersen died in Copenhagen on 4 August 1875.