A fairy tale about a lonely candle that wants to be lighted had been languishing in a box in Denmark's National Archives for many years. In October it was discovered by a retired historian, who now believes it is one of the first fairy tales ever written by Hans Christian Andersen.
The historian, Esben Brage, said on Thursday that he had unearthed the six-page manuscript at the bottom of a box while searching through the archives of some families from Andersen's hometown, Odense, in central Denmark.
“I was ecstatic,'' Mr. Brage told The Associated Press. “I immediately contacted the curator to tell him about my discovery. I never imagined this.''
The six-page manuscript, called “Tallow Candle,†is dedicated to a vicar's widow named Bunkeflod who lived across the st reet from Andersen's home. Ejnar Stig Askgaard, a Hans Christian Andersen expert, said the work was probably one of Andersen's earliest.
“I often get calls about stuff thought to have been off Andersen's hand,†he said. “Most of the time it is not. This time I was thrilled. This is a very early attempt at prose by Andersen, who was then 18.'' Mr. Askgaard explained that Andersen knew Mrs. Bunkeflod and visited her regularly, reading to her and borrowing books from her.
Andersen wrote nearly 160 fairy tales before his death in 1875, including classics like “The Ugly Duckling†and “The Little Mermaid'' that have been translated into more than 100 languages.
