Hans Christian Andersen (1805 – 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales.
Andersen's fairy tales, consisting of 156 stories across nine volumes, have been translated into over than 125 languages. His most famous fairy tales include The Little Mermaid, The Princess and the Pea, The Shepherdess and the Chimneysweep, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Little Match Girl, and The Nightingale as depicted on the 1980 stamp issues from Monaco. Other tories include The Ugly Duckling, The snow Queen, Thumbelina and The Emperor's New Clothes. Many of Andersen's stories have inspired ballets, plays, and animated and live-action films.
