Beloved Danish author (1805–1875) best known for such classic fairy tales as The Ugly Duckling, The Red Shoes, and The Emperor’s New Clothes. AQS signed "H. C. Andersen," on an off-white 6.5 x 4.75 sheet, dated September 17, 1847. From Leipzig, Andersen writes (translated): "Don't fear the powerful winds, the strong streams—Before Socrates went to heaven, he had to swallow the poison!" Affixed to a slightly larger off-white card and in fine condition, with some minor wrinkling from mounting.
Andersen references the death of Socrates, who drank a cup of poison hemlock after being convicted of impiety and sentenced to death. The author had recently returned from a trip to Britain, where he enjoyed literary acclaim and popularity among high society, and he wrote these encouraging lines in his post-trip exaltation. Interesting words of wisdom from a sparkling literary light of the nineteenth century.
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