Hans Christian Andersen’s Den Standhaftige Tinsoldat, or, as it is usually translated from Danish, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, was already a classic in the early 1900s, when Miriam and Danny Josefsohn acted out parts of the story in Blue Thread, parts that Miriam believed led to Danny’s death. The tale of the toy solider who loved a paper ballerina was first published as part of a short story collection in 1838.
Andersen (1805-1875) left his home in Odense, Denmark, at 14 to sing and act in Copenhagen. He soon switched to writing. By the time The Steadfast Tin Soldier was published, Andersen was already a successful author.
Patrick James Lynch, who lives in Dublin, Ireland, illustrated this version of the story. Check out his blog. Don’t you wish Hans Christian Andersen could have a blog as well? I wonder what he would say.
My name is Ruth. I write books and articles for children and young adults. Blue Thread is my eleventh book, and the first one in which I have knowingly stretched the truth.