The Malaysian Insider :: Books
The Malaysian Insider :: Books |
| Hans Christian Andersen’s first fairy tale found Posted: 15 Dec 2012 05:09 AM PST  Sculpture of Hans Christian Andersen in Malaga, Spain. — AFP pic Entitled "The Tallow Candle", the tale tells the story of a candle that has difficulty finding its place in the world until a tinder box discovers its worth and lights its wick. National Archive director Mads Peter Christensen told the Politiken newspaper late Wednesday staff had been contacted by the researcher who disclosed the discovery. Lacking the polished standards of Andersen's later fairy tales, it is believed to have been written when he was a schoolboy. "This is a sensational discovery," Ejnar Stig Askgaard of the Odense City Museum and one of Denmark's leading Hans Christian Andersen experts told Politiken. "Partly because it must be seen as Andersen's first fairy tale, and partly because it shows that he was interested in the fairy tale as a young man, before his authorship began," he said. Askgaard's conclusions were confirmed by two other leading Andersen experts: research librarian Bruno Svindborg of the Royal Library and professor Johan de Mylius of the Andersen Centre and the University of Southern Denmark. Askgaard said it was a thrill to be "able to work with his first attempt at a fairy tale. It was a great experience to read it for the first time." The manuscript found was written in ink on yellowing pages. The copy was made by the family of a "Madam Bunkeflod", to whom the piece was dedicated. The original manuscript has not been found. A vicar's widow, Madam Bunkeflod was a confidante of the budding author in his childhood. The copied manuscript was sent by the Bunkeflod family to another family close to Andersen, the Plum family, in whose archives the story was found. "To Madam Bunkeflod from her devoted H.C. Andersen," the primary dedication reads, with a secondary one reading: "To P Plum from his friend Bunkeflod." Hans Christian Andersen lived from 1805 until 1875. His poetry, travel articles and fairy tales have been translated into 125 languages. Some of his most famous works include "The Ugly Duckling", "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina", and "The Steadfast Tin Soldier." In Asia, Andersen's stories are particularly popular in China and Japan. — AFP-Relaxnews |
| ‘Fifty Shades Freed’ most popular book on Amazon in 2012 Posted: 15 Dec 2012 01:50 AM PST  NEW YORK, Dec 15 — E.L. James' erotic romance novel "Fifty Shades Freed: Book Three of the Fifty Shades Trilogy" was the best-selling book on Amazon this year, followed by the thriller "Gone Girl," the online retailer said on Friday. "This was truly the year of the billionaire bad boy in romance," said Sara Nelson, editorial director of books and Kindle at Amazon.com. "While E.L. James published the first two books in her Fifty Shades trilogy in 2011, so they aren't eligible for our 2012 list, the series really took off this year and propelled the third installment and the omnibus edition onto our Top 10 list," she added in a statement. Sylvia Day's "Bared to You: A Crossfire Novel" came in at No.4 and "No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden" by Mark Owen was fifth. Day had two novels in Amazon's Top 10: "Reflected in You: A Crossfire Novel" captured the seventh spot, just ahead of John Grisham's "The Racketeer" and William Landay's "Defending Jacob: A Novel." "The Marriage Bargain (Marriage to a Billionaire)" by Jennifer Probst was No. 6 and David Baldacci's "The Innocent" rounded out the Top 10. — Reuters |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Books To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan