Andersen gained admission to the University of Copenhagen in 1828, and his literary career began soon afterwards. He hoped to achieve success with poems and plays, and underestimated the kind of stories which have made him famous. Though not particularly fond of children, he had a gift for entertaining them. This led a friend to suggest he write down the stories he invented.

1828年安徒生获准进入哥本哈根大学学习，随后他的文学创作生涯很快就开始了。他原本希望能在诗和戏剧的领域里获得成功，而低估了后来使他成名的那类故事。虽然他不是特别喜欢孩子，却有使孩童快乐的天分。这一点促使一位朋友建议他写下自己创造的故事。

(短文节选,本篇始于--关于安徒生)