H. C. Andersen's

fourth double crush

(part 4)

The double crush on Edvard Collin and his sister Louise.

Andersen and Edvard Collin (continued)

With regard to our subject, it can be immediately stated that for the year 1837 there are only three - say and write three - letters from Andersen to Edvard Collin, but no letters from this to Andersen. What the explanation for this is, or might be, one finds no explanation for in the above-mentioned letters, which will be quoted later below, nor in the diary for 1837, as little as in the Almanac. But perhaps the explanation is found indirectly in an admittedly ultra-brief letter from Jonas Collin to Andersen. The epistle, as noted from the fall of 1837, is dated October 29, 1837, and reads as follows:

    Dear Andersen

     Come over to us this morning beautifully whenever you want; and receive a friendly and honest handshake. / Your Fatherly Devotee / Collin (167)

Edvard Collins characteristic of Andersen

If you have to believe the words of dear Jonas Collins, and you have to say that, Andersen had for once been so offended and maybe angry with the Collin family, but especially on Edvard Collin, that he stayed away for a while at least from the "home" in Bredgade, where he mainly met with the family members. In connection with the above epistle from Jonas Collin, the following can be stated by Edvard Collin, who, however, was written many years later, namely around the late 1880s, when he, as well-credited and managing director of the Sparekassen for Copenhagen and the surrounding area, was about to prepare the book “HC Andersen and the Collin House ”(1882), hereafter referred to as A&C:

     "I will call Andersen's basic mood S a d n e s s. Below I refer to everything that has been found in him by vanity, impatience, suspicion, irritability and the like.

[...]

     Among his loose records I have found a note on which he has written (circa 1848): “I have often heard say of Englishmen that they have the spleen; I know only of this disease that it is a peculiarity, but a sadness in which they often rob themselves of life; I suffer from something quite like this.

Alongside or out of this sadness, the v u l n e r a b I l I t y (irritability, sensibility), which unfortunately became his faithful companion of his life, evolved from the time he began to take part in our domestic lives. As far as I can recall those times in my memory, it was the order of the day that he felt hurt by - well, I don't know what. He then suddenly left the room, but soon after came back again, after wiping the tears from his eyes. Sometimes it was possible to demonstrate the possibility of a reason, e.g. a misunderstood word, a special attention to a stranger present, and above all, the interruption of one of his countless readings as the girl ran through the room to open when it rang.

     In order to fully understand how extreme this irritability might lead him, it is necessary to highlight some features of him as a participant housing house v. I am thereby forced to give an insight into the privacy of the "Home of Home", which he so often speaks of when he "flew home on a pen and a piece of paper."

     After school, he came to school in my parents' house. He was treated as the son of the house; and from that time on, throughout his life, outside of daily petty events, nothing happened in this family life without him taking part in it. I cannot say that he was very fit to take part in the cheerfulness of our youth; for he was never young or rather youthful. We have all often felt that he suffered under this pressure.” (168)

As far as Edvard Collin, who necessarily had to conceive H.C. Andersen, on the basis of his prerequisites, who was the cheerful and kind, but also dutiful and successful official and businessman, raised in a wealthy civil servant family, with a capable and kind father who held a high position in the community, namely as financial adviser to King Frederik VI, and also for a number of years as CFO of Det kgl. Theater. In addition, a loving mother and 4 siblings, a sister and three brothers, as well as two half-siblings, two girls from the mother's first marriage. Edvard Collin also had the good fortune to be married to a very beautiful, gifted, loving and faithful woman, with whom he had 3 children, two girls and a boy, of whom the youngest girl, Ingeborg Mimi, called "Vulle", died as a 6-year-old, to great grief for the parents and the family - and for the H. C. Andersen, who was very fond of the little girl. However, the other two children lived for the oldest child, daughter Louise Collin, born in 1839, until 1920, and for the second child, the boy Jonas Collin the Younger, born in 1840, he lived as a well-known zoologist until 1905.

It should be added here that not everyone in Edvard Collin's own family shared his view of Andersen. It was especially about County Countess Jonna Stampe, born Drewsen, who, as the oldest child of Ingeborg Drewsen, b. Collin, had known Andersen since her birth in 1827. Based on his reading of the uncle's manuscript for the book “H.C. Andersen and the Collin House, ”Jonna Stampe felt prompted to make the following urgent words towards the end of his comment in a letter of March 1878, not long before her own death due to illness:

     […] But so great is my interest in what you publish that I have dared to dictate this. For I thought that it would do well for Andersen's memory to give him an understanding that he must miss in his time, but which no one could give him better than someone who has come to know him as close as you - that concession namely, that Andersen's first contemporaries were too narrow to fully understand him, and that his irritability was not only in a morbid state of mind, but was also justified by the circumstances. It was this tone of sympathy that I missed in that one little paragraph and which has led me to express my view. […] (169)

Perhaps characteristic of Edvard Collin, who, despite his poetic and interesting book, does not really seem to have understood the natural and real greatness of his late poet. He was therefore unable, with his best will, to share his sister's criticism of his own view, which he expresses indirectly in the following reply to her in a letter of March 9, 1878, in which he initially thanks for her comments, which, as he says , has only brought him joy, despite containing significant objections to his portrayal and characteristic of their mutual friend as a human being and writer, and he continues:

     [...] according to your kindness to Andersen and your view of his weaknesses you had to write thus. It was in his female life while he was alive that so much was choked for his "sick heart"; the same now wanted his memory to be cherished as well. But my relationship with him was never that cherished, and just as little can my relationship with his memory be. But I am obliged to peace about it; should it be attacked in anything substantial, I must not remain silent. […] (170)

On the basis of the exchange of letters between Edvard Collin and Andersen, one must concede that his relationship with Andersen was never "cherished" if one is to understand "emotional empathy and understanding" by this word. Andersen's "sick heart" Collin had neither sympathy nor understanding of what might not be blamed for him, as it was a constant source of reluctance and annoyance that the poet friend - at least in his letters - unceremoniously declared his passionate love. This kind of sympathy between men lay Edvard Collin's normal psychological and sexual orientation distant. Therefore, he necessarily had to reject Andersen's approaches. Conversely, it is characteristic of women of Jonna Stampe's format that they have an emotional empathy and understanding of just a natural like H.C. Otherwise, something that was reinforced by his authorship, the adventures in particular, which express themselves, and which are most directed at the emotions, at least on one of the interpretation plans that the adventures can be experienced and understood.

For the first three months of 1837, Andersen was sick with the flu and recovered only slowly, so that was the only reason he did not get on the streets. According to Andersen's letter of 9 March 1837 to pen pal Jette Hanck in Odense, old Collin had visited him for the first time in his life that day, still living in Nyhavn 20, and his paternal friend had been able to tell new things about big and small. But Andersen does not mention Edvard Collin in one letter, nor in his letter of April 4th so. to the Odense friend. About the Collin family there are only the following:

     […] My birthday was all Collins in Helsingør, where the priest Boye's daughter was just confirmed, I did not dare to go there and thus had it very lonely, at dinner near, which I spent with Mrs. Læssøe: […] (171)

Here it is that one of Andersen's three letters to Edvard Collin comes in 1837, as it is dated Copenhagen on March 25, 1837. The letter is quite brief and deals with one of Andersen's new adventures:

     Dear friend!

     The fairy tale "The Emperor's New Clothes" ends with the following sentence: "That suit I really need to wear, etc.," I wanted this completely obliterated and the following put in place, as it gives it all a more satirical look.

     "But he's not wearing anything," said a small child.

     "Lord God, hear the voice of the innocent," said the father; and one whispered to the other what the child said.

     "But he's not wearing anything!" Finally shouted the whole people. It crept into the emperor, for he thought they were right, but he thought, "Now I must endure the procession!" - And the chamberlains went and carried on the tow, which was not at all, / Your devotees / H.C. Andersen. (172)

Besides his more personal and private activities, such as visiting the Collin family, other friends and acquaintances, as well as writing a myriad of letters, and every weekday, incidentally, was occupied with dinner dining alternately with various of his closest friends, Andersen received strangely also time to look after his writing business. He was as good as ever about some poet, yes, sometimes he worked on several works at a time. As a rule, he wrote on the basis of inspiration, but at the same time there was talk of hard work in getting the ideas expressed in the best and most expressive way. Andersen therefore often worked diligently and carefully with the linguistic expression. But he could occasionally get sloppy with the language when he was in a hurry, but he got that in return for the hat pile of, among others, the writer and theater censor Christian Molbech.

Andersen's first Sweden trip

This year Andersen traveled to Sweden for the first time. The journey began on June 20 and went via Helsingør to Helsingborg and, after overnight stays in both places, from there to different cities, such as Halmstad, Gothenburg, Stockholm and Uppsala, all places with stays and overnight stays, and then return to Stockholm, Gothenburg , Halmstad, Helsingborg, Helsingør and back to Copenhagen, where he arrived on July 19.

On the same day he left for Sweden, Andersen again wrote a shorter letter to Edvard Collin, who still served as a kind of voluntary and practical secretary for his poet friend. The letter, which is without a headline, contains only some practical errands that Andersen would like his friend to provide:

     From Reitzel you get a 12 Improvisers, one of these, in my account, let you bind beautifully, in one volume, a copy and give it to Moltke, he got nothing when the first edition came. Tell him I'm in Sweden, so can't hand him over. Of the copies, you are so good to send one to Mrs. Bügel, with the address: "Widow Mrs. Bügel", it can be delivered to the concierge in her yard in Tværgade. Give your brother Theodor, one copy and tell me to write his name in it when I come back. He is the only family that no Improvisator got at first edition. Give Theodor Boye something to eat. So it is

            Moltke,

            Mrs. Bügel,

            Theodor Collin

            Theodor Boye

       and Emil Hornemann,

 so 5 copies, the rest you save for me until I get home. If Reitzel did not send them when they were notified in the newspaper, you would then have your message remind him. / Their faithful / H.C. Andersen. (173)

But after his return, Andersen must have resumed his visits to the Collin family in Bredgade, at least occasionally. But he probably stayed for a short time at home in Copenhagen before making his annual domestic trip, which again went to Sorø, Odense and Lykkesholm. From Odense he sent a long letter to his friend in Copenhagen, who, however, did not appear to have answered it in writing. The letter is dated Odense on August 11, 1837:

Dear friend!

     It's some time since we wrote each other to; I start now; do answers come? however, I must always remember you are a young businessman who has the character enough to follow the voice of duty, even where it is on the contrary. In Sorø I found great kindness. Ingemann's and Hauchs heard my new novel and they were both very much in it. Hauch put it above all that I had ever achieved, yes to top it all in recent times, predicted that this would be my good fortune, that in Germany I was given a firm name and that in Denmark I had to win the mightier, so that my future was assured. About he spoke, like those who are quite interested in Hertz on the occasion of Svend Dyring. I have seen a large, noble circle deeply grasped at the reading and have really been hailed. You and some of you are smiling now; Do it in the name of God! I know, though, that they all love my personality, yes, at home, I am like a brother; once in a while they will also have to acknowledge my poet's worth, which I know stands deep, in your family and in some others, under Hertz's and Heiberg's. - I always have high hopes, I know that many ailments and small sorrows await me, also well needed - - but, I think I still come to the South and in many years, I will also be found worthy of a salary, which Hertz has got it and - - yes, it is big thoughts, but you can probably feel how people have chattered to me and put me mad in the head, I will probably also be recognized by them at home for a poet, as big as their store poems e. However, I feel that just as you can talk angry, I can write myself angry, and I will not at all, no one, however, I like Eduard, who is so different from me who even once have - - however, it was far from this direction I want to steer. I have a great "instinct" to be fierce today. [...] My happiness is in the hand of the greatest patron, he who makes kings and sells them, the good old God, who must arrange everything for me. I long for them at home, especially for the sisters, man Andersen can never, even in the other world, wish for lovers souls who appreciate and love him. - […] Listen, now my good friend, write a gallop letter the next post day, because in the week you get this you must send me a letter, if I should get it, you only write to "Lykkesholm per Odense". Tell me if Gottlieb is in Stockholm. Tell me how your own little wife lives? Yes You are a happy man who has wife and "Maybe children!" - I and other poor peers have no hope other than that in the other world we become a species of Sultan, who then gets female possessions in superfluity. […] The races are coming, they have a lot of interest, they will persuade me to stay here and take part in this party, but I long for loved ones at home, I long to begin printing the novel and I would like to add a few more times in the salty lake, here I must go in Odense Å and it is nonsense. Tell your father that in everything in Zealand I distributed the plans for the abandoned children of deleted parents, only one I have yet to recover from these. - From the maid. Hanck I have in commission for you to ask if you want to delete her from the list of members of the Music Society. Since she has not won and has otherwise no enjoyment of the company from which she is away, she will go out. Greet Emil, - the excellent man, I love him so much, he probably knows I have an uncommon trust in him. Bishop Faber I visit tonight, he has a beautiful daughter, if she was very rich I fell in love with her. Greet your parents and siblings. Don't forget Thyberg’s and Reimer, if I was as beautiful as he, I would soon have a manor and with it - of course, a bunch of virtues. This is a damn long letter, but when I'm with you, even just in my mind, I gossip like an old lady; goodbye / Your very amiable friend and De's brother / H.C. Andersen. (174)

It is clear from the letters reproduced that it tormented Andersen that his dear Eduard and his family did not appreciate him as highly as a poet, as Edvard and they did with Hertz, Heiberg and Oehlenschläger. These three courageous and respectable poets also had the Collin family socializing, which they were proud of and felt honored by. In addition, it was poets who were all somewhat older and more distinguished than the 'upstart' Andersen, who imagined that he was in fact a bigger poet than at least Heiberg and Hertz, yes, in fact he later dared in his own silent minds assert their poet's worth over the greatest poet of the Danish romantic culture: Adam Oehlenschläger. After all, Edvard Collin and his family did not know very well that posterity should give Andersen justice in his self-perception as a poet, and most Danes, of course, did not know then, as they could see long Andersen daily with their own eyes in flesh and blood and on his large shoe numbers stroll up and down Nyhavn, on his way out to visit or home to his modest residence, or when he was walking around the streets of Copenhagen. Apart from his height and his very characteristic features, he looked like almost every other person you could meet on the street. He, like everyone else who lived in the apartment, had to go up and down the stairs of the property, just as he had to go down the courtyard to the "Dasset", in order to "deal with his distress", as it was called when would name things by their proper name. Ordinary, regular people - men at least - usually used the phrase "to go on the spot!", A Latin-derived word that meant "place," more precisely, "a certain or particular place."

However, there is not surprisingly, and as mentioned, no correspondence between Andersen and Edvard Collin from the year 1837 is preserved, than the three letters quoted above by Andersen to his friend. But thus no letters from this to Andersen, and perhaps even more strikingly only a single letter from Jonas Collin for the whole year 1837, namely the letter quoted at the beginning of this section of October 29, 1837. But since no diary entries from all the year 1837 and only a few notes in the calendar for 1837, namely only notes on the Swedish cities he visited on his first Sweden trip, and what value Swedish money had in relation to Danish. But since none of the books mentioned mention or mention Edvard and Jonas Collin, we can not know by that way what was the basis of the undeniably very special situation. And indeed not in Andersen's exchange of letters with his other correspondents, which is to say preferably Jette Hanck, Jette Wulff, Mrs Læssøe and others, with which he in turn led a relatively diligent exchange of letters.

But it was, as mentioned during his summer trip to Sweden in 1837, that 32-year-old Andersen temporarily gained other interests in the erotic field, coming out to experience yet another double crush, which, however, did not become nearly as passionate and intense in nature. , as his double crush in Christian and Riborg Voigt and later in Edvard and Louise Collin.

Only one - poor poet!

On November 22, 1837, Andersen's third - or if "Hiking" is included, then the fourth - major novel, "Only a Fiddler". This is all more or less evident from Andersen's letter of November 25, 1837 to Henriette Hanck, in which he writes, among other things:

     […] You want me to forge with this novel, and forge while the iron is - lukewarm, something must now be arranged says my good friend Ørsted; However, Collin shakes his head, I hope nothing at all and is perfectly sure that everything Rantzau-Breitenburg has said - was compliments, he seems, like all such people, the Count I have portrayed in the novel. Now suppose I brought it to what Professor Høyen and Hertz have, 400 Rdlr. annual; yes it was an excellent luck! and yet - it is not enough to be quite happy about, I must have 1000 yearly before I dare fall in love and 1500 before I dare marry, and before this half impossible happens, the young girl is gone, hijacked by another and I am an old, dry pepper; these are sad prospects. The fact that I am writing this here comes from the fact that Louise Collin has teased me right now with one of Copenhagen's so-called beauties, which the young gentlemen swarm to, and which I must also fall in love with because I had her at the table and very entertained; Thus, I have come to talk about my poor prospects and determination to never fall in love, and since the conversation is now so close to me, it has invariably put this period into the letter. No, I never get rich, never satisfied and never - fall in love! […] (175)

In his letters to his friends, Andersen occasionally boasts that if he had just been rich, a suitable girl would have to reciprocate his feelings so that he could allow him to fall in love and get married, which he naturally meant not too seriously, because he knew well with himself that the reason why the girls or the young women did not fall in love with him was linked to his psycho-sexual constitution. According to him, the latter was characterized by his "half femininity", and sexually normal girls or women are not sexually attracted to other girls or women. Similarly, but conversely, sexually normal boys or men are not attracted to other boys or men either. Only girls and women with a waking masculine sexual pole fall in love with girls and women, and only boys and men with a waking feminine sexual pole fall in love with boys and men. It was, therefore, in fact the circumstances mentioned here that were the real reason or reason why Andersen occasionally fell in love, or fell in love twice, but never married, and not his alleged poverty. After all, he had only been very poor in his first three years in Copenhagen 1819-22, but here in 1837 the revenues of his literary and dramatic works had gradually begun to rise. The interest in his "Fairy Tale for Children", which usually began to come out at Christmas time, was sold at least to an extent, so that publisher and publisher C.A. Reitzel continued with the release for many years to come. The sale of the booklets of the fairy tales and later the books, of course, was not a gold mine, but a good supplement to Andersen's other income. He also regularly published poetry collections, novels and travel descriptions and had plays on Det kgl. Theater. On top of that, Edvard and Jonas Collin succeeded in putting the poet friend on what was later called the Finance Act, so that he received a pretty decent amount annually for the rest of his life, but in itself not enough to live and travel for. (176)

On December 11, 1837, probably a new and decisive moment of destiny for the love-driven Andersen, for this date he notes in the diary, among other things:

     Today Sophie got engaged. Last dinner I went there with Marmier, he said: “They love her, I know! I look good! free to her! ”I thought a lot all evening about how wrong it was when I'm poor. Last Saturday I was there, she was so gracious and yet in the evening I felt that I could probably live alone! Last night at Collins they teased me that my piece for the Association was equivocal! that Lorck was corrupted on my lap, mixing in the joke a brood that came because I had not been eager to deny the light rumors going on about his brother-in-law Boye. Lind stayed on and then pointed to the flatness he has said in the party court about Jomf. Grahn; I was annoyed, he took it offensively, becoming a break. I went. When I was abroad it was alone not to hurt Collins, for them it is here at home, I have never followed my passion, and yet it is not appreciated, excitedly I left, felt a change in my being; I want to be like other men I thought, nor for Sophie will I swear, I will never get engaged and it was an accident if it happened! God suffered everything for the best. […] Now towards evening I had just promised --- s to read my biography and student piece, I went there, but only the piece I could read; it was to me the biography that I could not now reveal to them. They were both so happy. I took her hand the first time. Twice I pressed it and I was in a great mood, I thought so, because I did not suffer and was infinitely calm - Now I am home, I am alone - alone! as I always have to be! By this Christmas, I would have told her what could never have been good for her! Now I never get married, no young girl grows more for me, day by day I become more peppery! o I was still yesterday between the young - tonight I am old! God bless you dear, beloved Sophie, never know how happy I could have been and be with you! - (177)

The above quote shows how difficult Andersen could sometimes be in recognizing, resigning and maintaining what he knew well, namely that he was unsuitable as a husband in his psycho-sexual constitution. For just as his mind fluctuated between life optimism and life pessimism, so did his erotic attraction between women and men. Such a sexual disposition hardly existed in many women, especially young romantic women, who would be able to accept a boyfriend or husband. Which Andersen, of course, was quite aware of. But outwardly, he would like to blame his peers for his low financial income and status. But that he was also a man of flesh and blood with a sexual drive like most men, drove him in from time to time to visit brothels when traveling abroad, and especially when staying in Paris or Rome. Therefore, when Andersen writes the slightly cryptic phrase: "When I was abroad it was only not to hurt Collins, for them it is here at home that I have never followed my passion", in my opinion it can be interpreted in that way, that the Collins - probably only understood as the men, not talking about such issues with the women? - believed that Andersen probably sought out prostitutes while traveling abroad. But the Collins apparently did not believe that it was true that he also sought out prostitutes at home, which is more precisely the case in Copenhagen. The Collins in question apparently did not know Andersen's acquaintance with the doctor Franz Brun, who had even introduced the poet to a local prostitute and on a few occasions had also accompanied Andersen to the "donna", possibly identical to a "donna" ”who lived in St. Kannikestræde. (This is clear from Andersen's Almanac for 1838 - records for 1839 are missing - and especially for 1840. - See also the article 3.22. H.C.ANDERSEN - and his sexual orientation. An attempt at an objective assessment.)

The little "Vulle"

Andersen's diary notes for the year 1838 are not preserved, but through his concise almanac records from the same year, one can follow what happened to and with him this year. Both Edvard and Jonas Collin, as well as other members of the Collin family, including Louise Lind, b. Collin, have been mentioned several times. The first time Jonas Collin is mentioned in the almanac for 1838, is January 6, which reads briefly: "Collin’s birthday." Edvard Collin is first mentioned on April 16, but only with the laconic note: "Dinner party at Eduard". But it does mean that the two friends at least socialize with each other. Louise Lind is not mentioned at all in the 1838 almanac, but in turn it does other members of the Collin family, including not least Theodor Collin, of which on January 20 it reads: "Theodor pretty confidential". It turns out that Andersen had become more interested in Edvard Collin's younger brother, the then 23-year-old Theodor Collin (1815-1902), who was a stud med. at the time, i.e. read to doctor. Theodor Collin, who, by the way, remained unmarried just as Andersen, - along with Wilken Hornemann - became his close friend and later doctor for the rest of Andersen's life.

It is also clear from Andersen's exchange of letters with other correspondents that he continued his regular visit with the Collin family. This is seen, among other things, by a letter from Andersen to Odense friend Jette Hanck. His letter to her is dated Copenhagen on April 3, 1838, from which the following relevant place can be quoted:

     [,,,] Thank you Father for Gray Brothers Church (around the board). Greet him and the dear mother, all the sisters and aunt with "the good will". - If she pleases me soon, then I am a good forgiving temper and she should get a long epistle. Now I must say stop! Collins is waiting for me with the food. Tomorrow I'm going to sponsor Eduard's little daughter Mimi, it's a lovely kid. Greet everyone who cares about my greetings. / Thanks for all the good! / The brother. (178)

The little "Vulle", who became Andersen's pet husband, is also mentioned in his letter of 15 May 1838 to Jette Hanck:

     […] Have you seen in the Maigaven the little poem for Eduard's daughter. In the same book, by Hertz is a poem for Eduard's wedding and an insignificant little poem about a ring. Collins soon moves into their new farm they bought in Amalie Street, where they get a large, consistent apartment. […] (179)

An important event occurred in Andersen's life on May 19, 1838, as his book "Three Poems" was published on this date. The book contained the fairy tale "Galoshes of Fortune", the verse drama "A real Soldier" and the poem "It has been done by the zombie". However, the fairy tale "Galoshes of Fortune" was by far the most significant of the three poems. But otherwise Andersen had gradually become a regular supplier of "Adventure, told for Children", which is usually released around Christmas time each year. The income from this source became a good and necessary supplement to his often strained economy.

However, the exchange of letters continued occasionally with Jonas Collin in 1838, but this year Andersen also began to exchange letters with Theodor Collin and other members of the Collin family. Andersen's first letter to Theodor Collin is dated Nysø at Præstø on July 3, 1838, from which the following must be cited, which is of interest in this connection:

    My dear friend!

    See, this is the first time I write an epistle to you, the first time we come in "correspondence", as you call it! You must have my first letter, I hereby indicate to you how dear you have become to me, how glad I am to be your friend! The journey down here was a torment, the thickest dust in the nauseating heat we had to die, there was no wind. From Køge I got a beautiful lady for a neighbor, only 16 or 17 years old, she swam to the poet H.C. Andersen allowed it, and the man Andersen liked it, I was as eloquent as the heath allowed, but the girl child was a little insignificant, the spirit I had to shoot a white stick after, it was the form alone I hailed. To everything I said, she exclaimed: it's amazingly nice. […] At 8 o'clock I came to Nysø and the trolley drove me straight to the farm. I received the most cordial reception and the most beautifully located room in the courtyard. I look over the moat and garden all over the fjord, Præstø and the sea. I visited the bath house immediately, but the water was as boiled as the sandy bottom is so low. Today I was earlier out there, I was driven, because it is far out in the fjord, now I was peeing in my sea solitude until I saw the wagon come with Miss Wulff and Schwartzen, then I had to hurry up and had my need to get in the clothes to the reached the bath house where I helped them off the trolley and then drove over the wave myself. - Here is a lot of music especially from Marschner's and Bellini's compositions, say hello and Louise it, as well as my voice being highly praised and I let myself hear tomorrow at a big concert, (NB, which we give for ourselves here at home, each evening.) […] Now be gracious to write me a little epistle, You will thereby make me a great joy, Your sisters have never written me, and state the reason that I show the other letters, but there you do me wrong, where the letters should not be seen by others, or where I do not like them, I do not; They may think that I am a very sensible person, but gentlemen's letters are quite different from the ladies. It is the same dear friend what you tell me, only that I see some friendly runes from you. - Now greet them all, they will probably be surprised that you get the first letter, but it is not at all strange, "young people" always stick together, you can say. Would that have already forgotten me? she is also a woman carpenter and a very young woman carpenter. For Tuesday next week I'm probably still here on Nysø. / friendliest / H.C. Andersen.

     E. S. Since the others at home never write to me because they fear I will proclaim their epistles, so don't let them read my letters to you. Greet them otherwise, as lovely as you are! A special greeting to your mother, you must certainly deliver it, the greetings to the others, you will probably forget. (180)

However, Theodor Collin does not appear to have answered Andersen's letter, at least not in writing, just as he does not appear to have answered Andersen's other letters to him either. But in return, it was his father, Jonas Collin, who continued the exchange of letters with Andersen most frequently in the following years. The first - and by far only - letter to Andersen from his paternal friend in 1838 is without a headline and dated Copenhagen on July 10, 1838. The letter indirectly proves to be a response on behalf of the son Theodor Collin. The letter from which the following relevant places are quoted here reads as follows:

They are extremely happy with a good day! but I am not at all scarce, even though I have words to write briefly. Firstly: Greetings from both sisters, from Ingeborg, whom I visited this morning, while her water drink, at Taarbæk, where I received your letter (not to be seen by more than the particular ones), and from Louise, who recently after my return read it and asked you greetings with that supplement: Mother longs terribly for Andersen.

    [...]

     Have they received a letter that I had enclosed? It happened, in one case, to my dismay, not to leave on the first day of mail.

July 11.

     At this moment (Thursday morning at 10 am) Ingeborg arrives here in rainy weather, but dries as she drives in a closed carriage. She says: “I really had intended to write to Andersen, but I have left it, for the sole reason that he should not lose his good thoughts on me; but salute him a thousand times "-" I would have written too, "cries Louise," but has held me back for the same reason; but when I get a letter from him now, I have to think "-" not to answer "Ingeborg falls into her speech.

     Poor Andersen, You are shown no letter; - "Oh," I hear you say to yourself, with a complacent sensation, "Poor one is not why!" Let go!

     And thus God commanded! Greet Hornemanns. / Yours / Collin. (181)

"Good character in a novel"

Andersen is not seen to have answered the letter from Jonas Collin, at least not in writing. In the fall of 1838, Andersen also had major problems, partly because he also blurred with his other "close Copenhagen family", namely the Wulff family at the Marine Academy in Bredgade. However, this controversy, which is resolved to the satisfaction and joy of everyone involved, does not belong in this context and therefore should not be told here. But helping to tune Andersen's mood during this period also hears that the later then famous philosopher, the then unknown stud. Theology. Søren Kierkegaard had published a book entitled "Of a Still Life's Papers, published against his Willie", in which he made a number of essentially positive criticisms of Andersen's novel "Only a Fiddler" talks about Andersen's 1st potency as a human being, and his 2nd potency as a writer and poet. Below, Kierkegaard is given the opportunity to give the following characteristics of Andersen:

     […] The reason why I did not state and could not possibly speak more fully about Andersen's first potency was because I came to it from his second; whereas as soon as I start with Andersen as a lyricist, however, I have to say in many ways that he could become a very good figure in a novel, because the poet would then see with his mind that in his somnambular state, in many ways he gave him unconscious poetic . The first potency of Anders must rather be compared to the flowers in which he and she sit on the same stem, which, as a review stage, is extremely necessary, but not suitable for productions in the novel and short stories, which require a deeper unity and consequently also requires a stronger cleavage. (182)

However, it was hardly Kierkegaard's interesting and really true finding of Andersen's sexual constitution as a mixture of he and she that upset the delicate and approaching poet. He knew himself quite well for his "half femininity" and "half masculinity", the one he many years later especially so wonderfully expressed in and with the adventure “The Wind Mill” ("Veirmøllen") (1865). The reason or reason for his immediate, upset mind was at least as much a reply letter as Andersen had received from Commander Wulff on Thursday, September 6th. He notes the following in the calendar for this date:

     An upsetting letter from Wulff and immediately thereafter Kierkegaard's criticism. Eduard gave me a cooling powder. Walked like in a doze. Dinner at Mrs. Bügel's. Letter to Christian. (183)

As can be seen indirectly from the calendar quoted above, Andersen was still visiting Edvard Collin, who, along with his wife, Jette Collin, b. Thyberg, probably lived in her family's property in Dronningens Tværgade. According to Andersen's letter of April 27, 1838 to Jette Hanck, he was a regular dinner guest with the Collin family every Tuesday of the year, when he was not aware of traveling. But he must have visited the friend that Thursday, probably in the hope of gaining some compassion and understanding. When I say "out of date", it means that, as far as I have been able to ascertain, there is no direct evidence that Edvard Collin ever visited or visited Andersen at his residence.

New controversies

But the same day, September 6, which Andersen had received and read the commander's letter, he wrote a longer letter to his good and close friend, the commander's youngest son Christian Wulff, with whom he had otherwise been "Du’s". It should perhaps be added here that P.F. Wulff was a widower at the time, as his wife, Henriette Wulff, b. Weinholdt, died on September 5, 1836. But for the sake of understanding the controversy that arose between Andersen and Commander Wulff, and for what happened next, this letter must therefore be reproduced here in its entirety:

Dear friend!

     Your father has never been good to me; it is you and Jette who have held me to your home, it is you who I have longed for, you by whom I have forgotten many bitterness. After a letter I received from your father tomorrow, I can never go back to a house where I have felt at home for eighteen years. You have to believe your father more than me, you have to follow his views, we get to see each other less and how easily the friendship is not extinguished; in this moment I feel the loss in all its bitterness, I have a fever in my blood! it's like I buried my best friends. The story is literally this: I came to the theater last night and asked your father if he had heard anything from you: "yes," he said, "something very bad!" I was startled when I thought of an accident on the lake . "No, it is worse!" He replied, "you have spoken evil in the city of the poor children and there are people whom you expected were your friends!" Then he turned my back; that these words mattered to me, I had to understand immediately; I watched as he went out and followed in the middle act, but as he entered the door, he turned around so I couldn't talk to him and hear an explanation. So I went home, wrote a letter asking your father to tell me what he had heard so that I could defend myself; since I had no idea that I could rebuke you and Jette, I had to know what it was. Tomorrow I received a letter telling me by my father that I told a ridiculous anecdote about Jette, you have been nothing; where and how the anecdote is, I am not told and it is inconceivable to me that I may have said something that may have offended her, or must do so. From Nysø the story must originate, it must be that she would drive and I was afraid to topple, which I may, I do not know, in jokes may have told one of my closest. That I mention Nysø lies in what is more in the letter, and which I will state verbatim so that you can see how this is written. - "They have publicly sought to honor Hauch by dedicating to him a book - the disgrace remembrance erected for his wife, the one who put it to account for God and him!" - Here only one case can be imagined. You know, or your sister knows, how Mrs. Stampe painted the story of the journey to Mon; she got me then when we were in our usual circle to improvise and say in verse what she said to all people in prose. It was most unthinkable, this must be what your father calls "the memory of a disgrace"; Whether or not it ever bothered me shows that when the company was bigger and Mrs. Stampe asked me for the same theme's treatment, I firmly denied it. Now consider it all and remember that your father ends his letter with: "Besides, I ask you to release me for further oral or written statement". That is, I do not want you inside my door.

     What I'm suffering at this moment, I don't want him or anyone to try! Thank you for your friendship my fraternal friend, thank you dear sister! In another world, humans will not make each other life painful and heavy. If you write to me, it will surprise and delight me; but I'm not expecting any letter, I'm not expecting any friends at all. Let your sister know what it says. Greet Kochs. / Your always devoted H.C. Andersen. (184)

The approaching Andersen must have felt terrible about himself and his own feelings and thoughts, which have been constantly revolving around the controversy with Commander Wulff, especially because he apparently did not know what more specifically was the cause of the commander's anger. He did not hide that from his friends either, for in the almanac for Saturday, September 8, 1838, he notes:

Thunder in the night. Letter from Castelli. Dinner at Mrs. Bügel's. Collins lovely, took me to Taarbæk to spread. (185)

Probably hoping to get away from the dull affair, Andersen took him to Taarbæk, where they visited the Drewsen family, who were staying there at that time. Andersen returned home the following day, Sunday night. On September 16, he notes in the almanac, among others, the following:

     […] Bid from Collin that Thorvaldsen was at Helsingør, the whole city moving, but the flow is 6 miles per hour. (186)

By this time, Andersen had begun to work on his new dramatic play, "The Mulatto", which he had begun to think of on April 20, 1838, and began writing on the 28th c., And which he wrote on in the fall. and clean writing at the end of the year. The piece was filed with Det kgl. Theater March 15, 1839 and, despite the total rejection of censor Molbech, was accepted April 4, so for construction on December 3, 1839, but due to the death of King Frederick VI that day, the premiere was postponed to 3. February 1840, and the piece was published in book form on February 5, so. - "The Mulatto" became a great theatrical success for Andersen, who of course rejoiced that censor Molbech had made as much mistake of the play as was the case. Until March 11, 1848, the play had been performed a total of 21 times, and in 1868 it was premiered at the Casino Theater, where until 1875 it received 10 performances.

Reconciliation

On September 19, 1838, Andersen noted in the calendar that Collins had moved. Namely, from the Bredgade 4 property to the current No. 9 property Amaliegade, and on September 24, he notes in the almanac that it is Little Vulle’s one year birthday and that occasion he honored her with a glass beaker. One must assume that Andersen visited his little god-child and his parents that day.

As for the controversy between Andersen and Commander Wulff, it turned out that Christian Wulff had allegedly discussed the situation with his sister Jette, after which they both replied to the friend in their own letter, but were sent in the same envelope. Andersen received the letters on 25 September and answered them promptly in a joint letter to Jette and Christian, who then stayed on the estate Nysø near Præstø. In his reply letter, which is mostly addressed to Jette Wulff, and may well be described as a kind of 'reconciliation letter', Andersen writes, among other things:

At this very moment, I received your and Christian's letters, thank you for writing them, as I knew they would be; almost I had given up getting these, for, I think, I sent my letter to Kiel on Sept. 7, and now we are writing the 25th. Collins, in the meantime, has proved so lovable to me; the old wife cried, Louise and Ingeborg wished you had been home so much that they had gone out to you so that I could do better. O I have been ill, it is still something, but it is evenly settled over time. I feel as if at two friends' funeral and a little innocent, whatever the reason. There should never be any thought of bitterness against your father, though he denied me what no criminal was denied, knowing why he was suffering. I have met your father and the impression was almost a faint; I feel so attacked by approaching him who has hurt me more deeply than any other human being that you will not care less about me if at least for the first time I do not reach out to you when I know hit him. He has acted as a father and by his nature, I intend him for his love for his children, for the very good I have seen with him now for eighteen years, I shall never hold as harsh judgment upon him as he over me. I do not know whether he has told Oehlenschläger’s about the improvisation on Nysø, but I have fear of it, and have also lost a tried-and-true friend, my dear Hauch, since no explanation can be given in such a delicate nature. O where I long for you and Christian, my warmest, most loving thanks for every word in the letters.

     [...]

     Greet dear Holger, his letter pleased me very much, only it had been a little longer. Bring her grace, Mrs. Baroness, my most reverent compliment and thank her for the greeting she sent me in the letter to Hornemanns. Say some kind words to the baron and everyone in your area, but above all, press the brother lovingly in his hand. / until we see your faithful H.C. Andersen. (187)

But just as important is Andersen's note in the almanac for September 27, 1838:

     Visit by Commander Wulff, it was all nothing, Jette's childhood and his foolishness. […] (188)

In other words, it was evidently a considerable concession on the part of Commander Wulff, having probably realized that his eldest daughter had acted childishly, and that by taking her complaint seriously he had even cared for Andersen. But it had apparently been a great comfort to Andersen that the Collin family - Andersen does not mention Edvard Collin specifically - had supported and encouraged him, indeed, even Ingeborg Drewsen, b. Collin, would probably encourage him, receiving the first letter from her ever on September 7, the day after he received the letter from Commander Wulff that upset him so badly because he felt unfairly treated. Mrs. Ingeborg's letter is not preserved, but it must be allowed to assume that she showed him understanding in her letter, despite the fact that she was in fact a good friend of Jette Wulff, who in her own way had obviously been the real cause of the controversy between Andersen and the commander. However, something changed and remained, for the exchange of letters between Andersen and Jette Wulff became another, the miss being for a long period lasting from the last months of 1838, throughout 1839, and until September 11, 1840, except for a single letter. from her, dated the latter date, did not answer Andersen's relatively many letters to her. During that period, Jette Wulff spent much of the time with Baroness Stampe on Nysø near Præstø.

New letter friends

The exchange of letters with Edvard Collin had, as mentioned, also changed character from August 1836, since only Andersen wrote letters to the friend, but which he did not reply, at least not in writing. From the year 1838, no letters from either party were preserved, and for 1839 no letters were preserved until the month of March, and then only an exchange of letters between him and Jette Collin, who had now evidently assumed correspondence with the poet friend. That situation lasted until November 1840, when Andersen resumed writing letters to Edvard Collin. This year Andersen also receives a very short letter from both Edvard Collin, from old Mrs. Collin and - to his great surprise also from Louise Collin, and also from Ingeborg Drewsen and her daughter, Jonna Drewsen, as well as from Theodor Collin and Wilkens Lind .

Andersen had, moreover, throughout this period had great problems with his libido, which he usually quieted by masturbation, but in the long run it did not feel satisfying and worthwhile to practice his sexual drive in that way. Three of his good friends, Wilken Hornemann, Theodor Collin and Franz Brun, all three of whom were doctors, each advised him to drain his passionate problems by visiting a prostitute woman in Copenhagen who recommended gentlemen and which they probably knew from their own experience. But except to mention here that Andersen in the almanac for September 30, 1838 writes, among other things: "My friend X has his Donna in the Store Kannikestræde, the visits are between 2 and 3", where "X" is probably identical to Franz Brun and "Donna", an Italian term for "woman" or "lady", should of course be understood as a prostitute woman, I must refer to the section 3.22. H. C. ANDERSEN - and his sexual orientation.

But Andersen's correspondence with other friends continued, albeit at varying intervals. In a letter to Odense friend Jette Hanck, dated October 1838, Andersen writes, among other things, the following, which also relates to Edvard Collin:

     […] I live and breathe this time only in a southern world; I'm in the middle of the drama The Mulatto and this will show people whether I'm a dramatic poet or not! watch out, God will, it does just as much epoch in my poet life as the Improvisator did. Now they completely deny me talent as a dramatic poet and when the Mulatt is finished, then - Oh, those people! - however possible it also sticks to me to tear it all down, I will force them here at home to acknowledge God's own gift [here is missing some words] all is the best I have in [here also lack words]; Eduard Collin, [words are missing] and Mrs. Læssøe are delighted and Lieutenant Læssøe himself is beginning to waver in my doubts about my talent in this direction. But what does all that say. The piece will not look like any other piece at all, should it join anything, it will be shown as part of the episodic in the Alps and Fata Morgana. If I am finally to be put in a school and not have to be one myself, I would probably count on a medley of Victor Hugo and Casimir Delavigne. [...] The verses are so full that you do not understand my constant. For April, I hope to bring it to the theater, make it lucky, then I'll travel to Paris next fall and winter. Those are my beautiful bubbles? and in these the entire boulevard, theaters and galleries dance. Reasonably, the bubble bursts! We got Thomson’s Avis in the Student Union, it amused me to see it there, it was like an old friend from the country, I had almost spilled a cup of coffee on the newspaper, because I thought I should treat it. - […] (189)

In his letter quoted above, Andersen also told of the landscape painter Fritz Petzholdt, who after a long stay in Italy, had traveled from there to Petras in Greece, where he had stayed in a hotel. He apparently suffered from brain inflammation and had been partially disturbed, which had allegedly caused him to commit suicide during his stay in Petras, cutting his throat to himself. Andersen, however, believed that Petzholdt had been murdered, possibly by the hotel host or one of his henchmen. Andersen reasoned that the hotel host provided proof that Petzholdt had willed his entire fortune of 80,000 Rdlr. to the host. However, on August 23, 1838, Petzholdt had sent a letter home to her brother-in-law, Gottlieb Collin, who was married to the painter's one sister, Augusta (Gusta) Petzholdt, who, however, has yet to know anything about her brother's tragic death. One would wait to tell her and her sister about this until one was told what had happened to their brother.

On November 1, 1838, Andersen noted the following in his calendar:

     Very healthy. Decided to move. Grief over that. Letter from Jette + (190)

On November 4, 1838, Andersen wrote and sent again a letter to Jette Hanck, who, however, had failed to reply to his above letter. From the latter letter the following must be quoted.

    […] From Greece it has been reported that the painter Petzholdt, Augusta Collins brother, has been murdered, his head must have been cut by him; Yesterday they first told the sisters that the rumor was that he was dead, though not how you have been with all magazine publishers to ask them not to talk about the whole matter even before a letter from one of the consuls comes. It has greatly disturbed the Collin family. I have resigned from my hostess, she was despairing about it, everything I wanted, but you did not look well, I move to December 1 and get two rooms in the Hotel du Nord, one for the courtyard and one for the street just next to the theater, I can't get any closer. […] (191)

The 5th s. m. the calendar says:

     Brought from Jette Wulff Portuguese jam to Louise. Given that Jette Collin is fruitful. Read for Mrs. Bügel 2nd act by The Mulatto. (192)

As the quote indicates indirectly, it was generally good relations between Jette Wulff and the poet friend, after which was fairly normalized again. The following day, on November 6, he notes the following in the calendar:

Read the 1st act by the Mulatto for Eduard. Visited Gusta Petzholdt, who cried +. (193)

On November 24, 1838, Andersen wrote and sent the following very brief, factual letter to his paternal friend and counselor, Jonas Collin:

     In mid-January, I hope my dramatic work The M u l a t t o is finished; whether or not, as I imagine, this piece should make as much epoch in my poet life as the Improvisator has it will now appear, but I dare think it is a work neither the Executive nor the audience can reject. So I have a kind of prospect of having a 6-700 Rdlr at the beginning of next year and can thus easily determine my only money debt, the one for you, but before this work is out of hand I have to show you a few more times and Thus, when today or tomorrow we are seen asking you for 15 Rdlr, which you do not deny me.

     When the play is complete, I will ask for your advice on how to get the Executive Board to judge it on some days, I think I could ask to read it for them.

     If you - I mean Confer. Collin, - wants to hear something beforehand, then you flatter the author, who naturally wants you to know it and have an interest in it.

     One more question I have, should tomorrow I write to Adler about the librarian post of the prince. Yes, it is no use! / Their filial devotee / H.C. Andersen. (194)

At that time Andersen had become very busy, yes, excited and almost in love with the Norwegian solo violinist Ole Bull, who gave concerts at Det kgl. Theater in Copenhagen. On that occasion, he became a good friend with the five-year-older violin player, who told him about his life and struggle to be recognized as genius, a struggle that Andersen seemed to resemble his own destiny. This caused Andersen to identify himself with the otherwise infectious violin virtuoso Bull. He therefore told of this in his following letter to Jette Hanck, dated Saturday, November 24, 1838, and of which the following must be quoted, having some relation to the Collin family:

[…] Last night gave Bull his last concert; When I got there I heard that he was lying in bed, and Dr. Jacobson had banned him from playing. One was in great turmoil, finally he came, he wanted to play. All of these students were ruthless against him; there was proper Danish lukewarmness; he stepped in, looked like a corpse, the living eye that had smiled at me the day before was, as if broken, his knees wobbled, and I suffered with him. Louise Collin was about to cry and yet he played so beautifully - yes, as if it was his swan song. […] Today is Mrs. Collins birthday, I had written a song for her and one for one of the family who has become a priest, at the same time a few words about Petzholdt, about whom it is now shown that he has cut his throat over; I believe, on the other hand, after the letters that he was killed by his host in Patras; God knows right. […] They ask in your letter to my little goddaughter. The wool, as we call her, after a dog, Mimi, which she named will not quite fall, as it has a sad memory. So Vulle! she is gorgeous! a lovely child and the only thing that can make her cry is to show her my portrait (Küchler's oil painting); she can say A! and that means Andersen. She knows a lot of arts and I visit her every day, in just a second. She knows the animal language better than we do, she says to the cow, bu! For the horse, bitch! etc. Vulle sends her fine acquaintance and greetings. […] On Saturday I move. You will send your next letter (and aunt's) to the Hotel du Nord at Kongens Nytorv, where I have located my residence; in a hotel I imagine that there is a movement that can imagine with me, now you are traveling; one must look to fool oneself as best as one can. Greet Jane and Caroline! say some of Thomsen's kind words and certainly bring another Ole Bull to me when he comes; write about him; / with fraternal devotion / H.C. Andersen. (195)

Andersen changes address

It can be seen from the two most recent quotes above that Andersen always had his regular time with the Collin family, yes, even made small daily visits, to greet little Vulle. For old Mr and Mrs Collins, they now lived in Amaliegade No. 9, while Edvard and Jette Collin probably lived in her parents' property in Queen's Cross Street since their wedding in 1836. Andersen, who allegedly also wanted to move from the apartment in Nyhavn where he had lived for the past four years, notes the following in the almanac for December 1, 1838:

     Moving in at number 25 in Hotel du Nord, I feel very comfortable here. (Pulse). (196)

As mentioned earlier, Andersen had become increasingly dissatisfied with living with the skipper of the ship in Nyhavn, which is why he had moved to the more prestigious address in Hotel du Nord on Kongens Nytorv. Here he had two rooms, a living room facing the Kongens Nytorv, with a view of the Det kgl. Theater, and on the other side of the hallway a bedroom, at its disposal. He was reportedly very pleased, both with his rooms and the service, which he tells in a letter of December 10th. to Jette Hanck. In this he also mentions that he is with Thorvaldsen with different families a couple of times a week: "tomorrow we will be together again at a roasted venison at Collins". (197)

Around December 22, 1838, Andersen probably sent a letter to her dear letter-friend in Odense, who was probably the one of his girlfriends who at the time best understood him and his writing, both of which she greatly appreciated, though she occasionally could be positively critical. But among other things, Andersen writes in the letter:

     […] There was a moment in my life that I dare not even speak for you, a struggle I went through shortly before my trip to Italy, from that time I have not been healthy! my nervous system was shaken and had to. But we will never talk about it, there are pains so sacred that we do not even dare to touch these with our best friends. Over all my poems radiate a shine of it! in Mulatt himself, after years, still pronounce himself alive. However, this may be necessary to be a poet. What would I not sacrifice why the world just mentioned me, I deserved to be mentioned! understand me right: this is not the empty name I long for, no, I want to say what I feel in a few sacred moments myself, what no one, no one has said, even the greatest! there lies like a sacred, sunken treasure in my breast, in the midnight hour of the spirit it can be raised, but I have not yet succeeded and I can despair at the idea that it will never happen. Today I spoke with the agency Adler also he brought me greetings from Germany, told me how big an audience I had there; but what does it help, here at home, the very closest about me are cold, participatory, Hertz and Heiberg you hardly believe me to loose the shoe straps on. O I am becoming too vain at this misconception. I feel God in me! - If these letters were once printed, which I do not want to believe, then I stand for the world as a terribly vain person - oh you too will be mistaken for me, you do not know how much I must suffer, how unfair even my girlfriend is against me! - They mean it so well, but like Meisling, they bring me up completely wrong, even to their shame, sometime in another world they will, as he has already done, say: I was wrong and that makes me sad. - Too much I talk about myself! yes i also have my bad mistakes. […] When you come over here, in the spring, you will one day, with Mrs. Læssøe, come to visit me, it may well be appropriate; Ingeborg and Louise Collin have already done so; They have to see I can probably make a coffee table; I have a black servant who will present you the cup. A view of Holmen's Canal, the theater and the square is my view and what is even better, up over a wrought iron chimney I see the sea, the dear, swelling sea! […] (198)

Andersen had on several occasions over the years been an amateur actor on the Student scene. On Christmas Eve, 1838, he starred in a crime scene in which he had the role of 2nd assessor. On Christmas Eve, he had dinner with the Collin family, leaving only half an hour after midnight. He also had dinner at Collins Christmas Day, and on Christmas Day, he spent part of the evening at the same venue, just as he celebrated New Year's Eve at Collins.

The year 1839 - and Jette Hanck

We have hereby reached the year 1839, a year from which, for Andersen, there are no almanac records and only a partially kept diary extending only from the period 15 June to 20 December. But fortunately Andersen continued his exchange of letters with, among others, Jette Hanck, and the first letter he wrote to her this year is dated Copenhagen: Friday evening, January 4, 1839, from which the following relevant paragraphs can be quoted:

[…] Mrs. Drewsen, who is still unable to recover from the smallpox she had 1½ years ago, has inflammation of the trachea, fearing man and New Year's Day, when she stepped out of the carriage slipped and fell at their gate, so her knee is been badly beaten and she is in severe torment, the poor, dear wife! All the children have whooping cough, and Spanish flies are included, it is a heavy start to the year. - Would like to be more gracious day by day, she can now nod by herself when I say Aers. […] - They can't believe how nice and good I feel in the hotel. Conference counselor Collin and all the ladies were with me the other day for tea; Louise was in charge of the sideboard. […] (199)

Jette Hanck, who daily worked as a teacher for several children of wealthy Odense families, was both a gifted and wise, diligent and committed letter writer when it came to answering the friend's letters, Andersen's above-quoted letter replied in a shorter letter of January 7, 1839, but followed it later in the month by a longer letter with the date of January 23, which continues on 26, 28 and 29 cm, from which the following must be quoted:

     […] Mrs. Drewsen is healthy again? I can imagine that sickness and sorrow in this family must work on you, as what is happening in my family circle affects me, it is your home that, even though the very own in the hotel must be left behind, in the home of the home has The loving hearts who understand and treasure you. […] - It has pleased me to imagine the small tea company you had in your new home, after the basic drawing in one of your previous letters, I have vividly imagined how everything must have looked in your living room that night, I think the host has been quite entertaining and quite childish happy. […] Last night I was also going to line up with Schønheyder’s in the company of Schønheyder’s and when I heard the mail coming I took the time and hesitated to go even though Caroline quarreled over my slowness, I thought every time I heard the street door go downstairs: “it is the letter carrier"; finally he came it was a long Norwegian letter to Thea, I got nothing yet. Could I imagine that some utterance in my last little letter had offended your vanity, and that you, as you once told me that you used as a cure for your friend Collin, would punish me with indifference and therefore did not write, - so I would not care the least; but the fact that I have been so surrounded by illness, even being so weak, makes me fear for your health and it gives me an anxiety that I cannot cope with, […] - I have read Orla Lehmann's at this moment outcome against old Collin, it pains me to see an older and so deserved man who confr. Collin thus addressed or rather referred to by a younger, it is also uncomfortable for his family; but Lehmann, like Faber's enemies, has many opponents here. […] - It pleases me that you have so much pleasure from your little goddaughter, greet her as last, let her repeat her Aer for you every day, yes let her just love you, that thought will please / your sister Jette. (200)

Andersen answered Jette Hanck’s above quoted letter in a slightly longer letter of February 1, 1839, in which he writes, among other things:

     […] Your dear poor father hurts me very much! what to think of to get him a good bite of Ydun's apple. What could we do to encourage him. I feel instantly as well that I wish him my being. Yes, I feel that at present I am what you call "on wave", injury, then it goes down again. Never have I received so much "attention", I would call it, as now at home, whether it comes from over-recognition abroad I do not know. Ingeborg and Louise say that I dress for the zest of an old man, but I'm not old to have turned 26, it is something! - […] Mrs Drewsen is still lying, there is absolutely no progress. Little Vulle has whooping cough and sends to her friend in Fyn many greetings I have taught her to say: Mulatto, today I let her practice the two words: Aunt - Ane. This last statement is the point of her greeting to you. […] Now I have finished the fourth act of the Mulatto. There should be no trace of Andersen in this piece. The hero is so alive, handsome, and warm that I think I have given him everything the Fiddler and the Improvisator lacked. Mrs Læssøe, who warmly welcomes you, says that the mulatto is so fiery that one is about to become sweaty by approaching him, Louise and Ingeborg, calling it "nasty creole". - I think the warm sky in nature and blood is portrayed. Where I long to get it on stage.! In Germany, it will probably be my first dramatic debut, and Raven, which now publishes the Music Society, the second. I am pleased with a letter soon, I am so glad that the sisters are hurting if they drive with their sleds. Greet them all. / Your fraternal / H.C. Andersen. (201)

Jette Hanck, who had enough to look after in the day, especially caring for her parents who were both sick, did not have time to answer Andersen's above-quoted letter until February 17, but in return she did so in a long letter. From here, the following should be quoted:

     […] - Mrs. Drewsen, though, is now recovering? Poor wife who has suffered for so long! Is little Vulle's whooping cough now over, thank her for her greeting and reciprocate it! That you have taught her to say: Aunt Ane has pleased and moved me, as long as the sweet little child's lips have not forgotten to pronounce this name, as long as Andersen will remember the sister with brotherly goodness, although she has only little in common with the heroine of her book. - [...] After all, it is an excellent praise for the Mulatto that there are no traces of Andersen in the piece, which I would otherwise have liked to cling to the people who say that the Improvisator is missing something he is and becomes my hero, on the other hand, I do not at all think I will like the mulatto, what Mrs. Læssøe dare not come near without being burnt, what Louise Collin calls disgusting creole, it certainly will not please me, we now see, o, where I long for to see it listed! […] Everyone here at home sends their best regards. And now dear my dear brother and do not forget / Your sister Jette. (202)

Andersen answered the above-quoted letter in a letter of February 22, 1839, continued on the 25th, stating, among other things, that "little Vulle has got a sister and the mother is well." The child was baptized Louise after his aunt , and the mother was, after all, Vulle's mother, Jette Collin, b. Thyberg. But the letter also contains some remarks about the little 2-year-old Vulle, who was probably not so happy to get competition from a little sister. Andersen writes about this:

     [...] Vulle sends you greetings, she is at this time the troll she says: "The child" and then she stomps in the floor of agony. The child has flowers on her upper bed, she, on the other hand, one whose pillow and it seems scars have caused hate. Mrs Drewsen can now get off on a crutch hump, yesterday she drove for the first time in the theater. […] (203)

The "Mulatto" - the outcast!

Much to the surprise of the interested reader, a letter suddenly appears from Andersen to his friend Edvard Collin, who, meanwhile, has become the happy and proud father of two children, both girls. The letter is dated Easter morning! March 31, 1839, and reads in all its self-conscious, despairing and briefness as follows:

     Dear friend!

     Renzo's Wedding was rejected, A Desolation, which Heiberg himself declared the translation better than the original also rejected, now Mulatt comes with the same fate. It is left to Holstein's judgment to overthrow my entire dramatic, and perhaps the future's, work. I can not write in magazines, "everyone says my work is something excellent and yet I am broken by a tyrant!", But it must be said! - If you are my friend, as I believe, then I urge you to simply tell the actual, or, as a voice in the audience, invite me to say what I know about the fate of the piece. It is no flying idea of mine, I have struggled enough with myself before I stated it to you here. My piece has to be played or I've played my part! I can and will not suffer this injustice. My friends have to take care of me or abandon me! / H.C. Andersen (204)

Andersen's resentment that the "Mulatto" had initially been rejected by censor Molbech was not only about his honor as a poet and playwright, but also about his livelihood in the form of ready money, which he, of course, like everyone else, also needed for. But one has to believe Andersen's letter of 3-4. April 1839 to Jette Hanck, a great resurrection arose in the poet's circle of friends and acquaintances as it left the "Mulatto" rejected. Andersen certainly did not put his light under a bushel, but why did he really have to when it later turned out that he was one of the greatest in world literature, which he himself had believed and believed all along. He expresses this unmistakably with the following words in the above letter:

[...] Injuries arouse my whole self-consciousness, but I must become a poet, Denmark must feel honored by, I have God for me, they must incline themselves, as sun and moon as it may in Joseph's dream. […] (205)

At that time there was a plan for a new, magnificent work of poetry with him, a "world drama": "The Myth of Ahasverus", which he did not currently feel mature enough to write, but maybe in 3-4 years. Andersen occasionally worked on the verse drama for a number of years before it was finally completed and published in book form in December 1847, but it did not come to fruition and was then only printed in Collected Works. Following in his letter of 3-4. April 1839, inter alia, having told Jette Hanck about his poet plans, he ends his letter as follows:

     […] Little Vulle, or rather Ingeborg Mimi, which is the baptismal name, sends you many greetings; Mrs. Collin has charged me when you come to town, either to take you to her and Vulle or the morning you and Mrs. Læssøe visited me when invited to the chocolate daughter. She looks forward to making your acquaintance. Her portrait is also at the exhibition and draws attention to the beauty; yes there you should see an Annunziata. I am constantly moving, strolling all morning, going out to dinner and to the theater in the evening, leading a pretty princely life; the last year has been the most independent thing in my life. - Write to me soon, Your letters are very pleased with me; I write almost to no one and so rarely receive letters, you are the only one who keeps me in breath as far as the letter style is concerned. Now, loving greetings to parents and siblings, Line Faaborg, aunt and all my girlfriends; don't forget Schleppegrell. / The brothers.

     E. S. Today Saturday I hear the Mulatto is supposed to be erected. (206)

On April 26, Andersen again writes a letter to the friend of Odense, and from the beginning of this letter it is understood that Andersen does not know when Jette Hanck and his companion will come to Copenhagen. He would like to see and greet her and partly to show her around Copenhagen, and during her visit to the capital invite and accompany her in Det kgl. Theater, preferably for the construction of one of his own plays. But also in this letter Andersen mentions the little Vulle:

     […] - With the little Vulle-Collin I stand on a tense foot, she will be interesting in recent times by showing me the cold, always say "nothing!" - when I come why I have thrown all my love over the younger sister: little Mumme! which is very annoying for Vulle! - […] - Bring the Thomsen’s a friendly greeting from me, I read his newspaper in the Student Union, Hempel on the other hand at Collins. What else has the poor Theodor done since you think he would say in the theater what you please write; Theodor is just most gracious to ladies, and a beautiful, elegant man, first edition from the Creator's and tailor's hand. Jette Wulff is at this time on Nysø, which she flies out every moment, her brother Christian is on the guard ship at Helsingør. - This epistle, I suppose, will have an oral "Good day!" For, if it comes into your hands and you do not, what I rather would wish be over the lake. Now live well! / Their fraternally devoted / H.C. Andersen. (207)

The reply from Jette Hanck on the above quoted letter from Andersen, apparently did not reach him until on May 1 so. arrived in Copenhagen on a supposedly shorter stay. To this, Andersen writes in a letter to her, dated June 8, 1839:

     At this moment, Friday morning and not, as you please write, Thursday, I receive your dear letter! but the blame is my porters. The waiter comes at this moment and says, "Here's a letter that came yesterday!" Why didn't I get it when it came? I ask; yes man does not answer; now I open the epistle and see that it should all be with me on Tuesday. I made noises, but now no one knew when the post had brought it. However, I immediately grab the pen to thank you for writing me so soon. […] - It was then that you were in Copenhagen for a short time, it annoyed me more than you think you don't know me, came more into the theater than to the Black Domino, that there was not a night yet! - They didn't honor me with a visit either; I often thought about it when I was with you, whether or not I should say that you had to look up to me with Mrs. Læssøe, but always told you that your time was so busy and that you did not like to go the long road to Mrs. Læssøe. Now, you would see Vulle, and though she would not kiss you, she is, however, in a very proper place in your esteem. On Thursday The Invisible on Sprogøe should be listed, think of me and that at 9 o'clock, it will be reasonably drawn out, for there is some kind of reason why it happens; there are too many who look at me with evil eyes, you wish I had been forgotten and gone, the last hope I happen in not so many years! Basically, not all of us are big, each sitting in one weight bowl and the whole world in the other, and then you act when you are exceptionally upright. - -

     […] On Sunday, it was decided that Mrs. Drewsen and Louise Collin should go to the baths in Ems, the only one who, according to the doctor's appearance, can provide Mrs. Drewsen with her health; they were very much looking forward to the trip, but Monday morning was the joy that went wild in the Student Strait, where police assassin v. Osten was so badly injured that he must be in hospital for more than a year, now all his cases have gone over to Drewsen, and he cannot possibly be allowed to travel with his wife and without him the journey does not happen. […] (208)

Meanwhile, Andersen had written and sent a letter, to Jette Wulff, who then stayed at Nysø. From this letter, dated Copenhagen on May 1, 1839, the following brief passage must be quoted here:

     […] Thank you for your lovely little piece of sea, I often look at it a day; is there anything in that you let all the girls then turn my back, yes all the figures there, on one man near? From Ingeborg and Louise, I have to greet you. Ingeborg's throat goes bad, but she has a blessed mood. […] (209)

In the few quoted lines from the letter to Jette Wulff, Andersen indirectly touches on his big personal problem with love life. He associates from the girls in the painting, who all turn their backs on him, to the women in real life who, in transferred meaning, "also turned his back". So do the men in the painting, with the exception of a single man, whom Andersen probably imagined to be Edvard Collin, though this one in his way also rejected Andersen, when he occasionally became overly soft in his expressions and behavior. Then there were also problems between the two friends, which was probably due to Andersen and his difficult mind when it hit him. This is evident indirectly from the little epistle sent to him by Jonas Collin on May 9, 1839, which reads in short:

Dear Andersen

     why haven't we seen you for a few days? However, visit me, / Yours / Collin. / Chr. H. b. Day 1839 / Hanne Boye has come from Norway. (210)

I do not know any documentation of whether Andersen "got well again" and followed Jonas Collins' request, but something could indicate. On the one hand he managed to get the finances to arrange the new trip to Sweden, and on the other hand that he, from the beginning of the journey, resumed correspondence with Jette Collin in particular.

The travelling poet

In the summer of 1839, the always-traveling Andersen made an excursion to Sweden, where he had friends and acquaintances from his previous Sweden trip in 1837. It was during Sweden's 1839 journey that Andersen met with the young comedian Mathilda Barck and his brother, Count Nils Ludvig Barck, a meeting that on Andersen's side resulted in a temporary double crush on both. But Andersen continued to work diligently to realize his dream of a new Italian journey, which, however, he failed to achieve until about a year after this time. For the time being we will therefore concentrate here on the year 1839, to look at how Andersen's relationship was with the Collin family and more specifically with Edvard Collin and his youngest sister Louise. (211)

On June 22, 1839, Andersen embarked on his new Sweden voyage, which via Malmö went to the estate Hyby with free lord Carl Gustaf Wrangel von Brehmer. Already on the same day, Andersen wrote and sent a letter to Jette Collin, which he would not otherwise write letters to, and at least he had a good relationship with, even though she did not actually reply to his letters, at least not in this round. But that Andersen did not write and address letters to her husband, Edvard Collin, may be due to Andersen knowing that his friend was too busy with his profession to resume a time-consuming exchange of letters. Or maybe there was still "a cure for the thread" between the two. However, it was also only for this one letter that Andersen wrote to Jette Collin during his Sweden trip. Andersen's letter to Jette Collin is dated Hyby in Skåne on June 22, 1839, from which the following must be quoted:

"Here comes a letter from Skåne", a small epistle, but not as beautiful as it should be. The crossing was excellent, everyone was healthy, only Molbech, my friend and traveling companion, complained that he was not well. Bourneville’s sister-in-law and Bourneville’s children made the trip, the sun shining Molbech showed teeth, everything was very comfortable; Malmö looked pretty and I immediately found a friendly reception, a Count Thott led me up to the town hall where I saw a splendid hall with twenty-one chandeliers; the Swedes were dressed nicely, and one came on horseback and reminded me of my friend Theodor. After waiting 3 hours for "sjuts", there came a cart with two horses, for I had to stop, and in the evening hours I was shaken off on a road which had the effect that if milk flowed in my veins instead of blood, I would have turned to butter. No, you pity! where it was a drive especially with abdominal pain, this one seems to have been beaten to death! - At 11 o'clock last night I came to Hyby where Baron Wrangel received me with special hospitality and joy; I write this few words in the morning, where I have not yet been outside a door, for the rain is pouring down, I am awakened by a thunderstorm, which thunders the whole courtyard. My room is painted floor and the saliva tray is decorated with immortelles; outside the window is a garden and between the trees the farmer's church tower, high as myself and pointed, which - yes here you see the picture.

[Here Andersen has designed a church tower that protrudes between the tree tops]

     Other I do not see! Up day I want to finish my epistle, so there is little to tell; now I have a thousand kisses for my sweet Vulle, but she says "inte!" then Momma must have them all, the little Momma is very gracious! Let Mrs. Collin senior read this little epistle, for she has told me that Theodor will not let her read his letter. Tell her that I wish her a good mood and that she will soon hear happy news from the traveling children. Greet Mrs. Boye with daughter, as well as dear Augusta Collin. Now I will let the pen rest for a few hours, big may not be the point of this epistle, but it does show my good will and desire to write! / Their faithful friend / H.C. Andersen.

     E. S. Breakfast was hot and good. For dinner we should all be on the estate "Häckeberga" where there is a distinguished company. It's hurt that I can't be curled, it dresses me so well. The weather is bad! Greet your mama! / The poet. (212)

It would hardly be like Andersen to send a letter directly to Jette Collin, just as his letters to Louise Collin were communicated via either Sister Ingeborg or Brother Edvard. Therefore, Andersen's letter of June 22, 1839, which was supposedly completed the following day, had been sent as an enclosed letter in a letter to Theodor Collin, dated June 23, 1839. From this letter, however, only a few relevant passages must be quoted:

Dear friend!

     Today I already have to write if I want to have a letter to you, only today and on Friday the mail goes from Hyby, so I seize the apartment, although it is not great what I can have to tell you. - […] Baroness Wrangel asked me if your sister Ingeborg had traveled, I was surprised to hear her talk about the family at home, which I thought she did not know, but from Miss Boeck she was told about the whole Ems trip. - When I come home in eight days I do not want to write your sisters from here, but probably start the letter, which I can then bring to Copenhagen myself. It's stupid that I have to write today, I want to send a letter to the capital, I know as well as nothing about Sweden. Greet in the "Association" our mutual friends and think of me with the same devotion as I think of you. The following is a small letter to Jette Collin, you will let it go to her, but before that happens, you can let your mother read what I say to her in that way good day. Say to Lind: Thank you for the book sent and ask him in his next letter abroad, greet from me. -

     Amuse yourself now as best you can and think about a time will come, perhaps soon, once the exam tree has bloomed over the green board that you are flying to Paris! You have a lot of joy, a lot of happiness and I know you will grab it when it comes. Now I know nothing more, without wishing you were here so you could have your morning look, which you enjoy so much and which I believe has strengthened you a lot lately. Kiss all the ladies from Vesterport to the East - and say it from the poet H.C. Andersen, / Your faithful devotee / H.C.A. (213)

"Vulle and Mumme"

During his relatively short stay in Hyby from 23-26. June 1839, along with excursions to various other places in the area, succeeded, as previously mentioned, for Andersen to experience a new double love, which did not, however, have the same intense character as his previous double love in Riborg and Christian Voigt and in Louise and Edvard Collin respectively. . Andersen mentions his new romance in a letter to Jette Hanck, dated Hyby in Skåne on June 27, 1839, which, however, was first written and sent on July 1st. From this letter the following relevant passages must be quoted:

     Despite the fact that I hardly send my letter before I am again in Copenhagen, however, I will start here. They see from the headline that I am abroad. Last week I took a steamboat over here and find myself very close to our Swedish neighbors; […] At Torup I became acquainted with Count Barcks, where one of the comedians made a deep impression on the poet's heart. We met again on a visit to Borringe with Count Beck-Friis where I read the mulatto and was quite hailed, but I noticed also that the heart stood very well, as it soon poured into Mathilda Barck, soon to Louise Barck; the brother, the young count who is military, but and student, I visited today in Lund and we saw there the old cathedral, the crypt church is the most interesting part; here stood a Madonna in the hook over which the spider had spun its tissue. [...]

     Now I have also flown over our northern sea; this morning at 8am I walked on the ship bridge in Malmö, and at 10am, I was in a cab through Copenhagen's Amaliegade. […] I became really soft-hearted at this loving reception at Home. Collins had longed for me; I have letters from the departed, the last being from the Brehmen; Mrs Drewsen's chest does not withstand the journey. Louise has been delighted with Hamburg. - […] At the market you can almost expect me, your parents will have me for a few days then I am very grateful; If I come too soon, the accident is no greater than sleeping in the Post yard and is watching with you. […] (214)

After the trip to Malmö and the surrounding area, Andersen was back in Copenhagen, but already on July 13, he went on his annual domestic summer holiday, which this time was relatively short, only approx. 14 days, and went to Sorø, from there to Odense and on to Lykkesholm and Glorup. He was back in Copenhagen on August 1st. But during his stay in Sorø with his good friends, Lucie and B.S. Ingemann, he wrote a letter to Jette Collin, dated Sorø on 11-12. July, citing the following:

     Sorø seems to me like a bottle, the gate is the opening of the bottleneck, which you have to go through and then to the bottom, remember where here is enclosed and sad! The lake is so dormant and sleepy, as if it is bored by being here, the swamp stinks, all the new plants are built on hammocks and the trees look rotten - but the humans are very gracious, I've only been here for two days and every day in big company, yesterday I was at dinner at the Bible Society, where the Bible bowl was drunk and we got good food and you know I am "a man of good taste". […] This morning I was at Paulsen's so that I could bring you a good day from one of your acquaintances. I was overwhelmed with strawberries and courtesy we talked about Vulle and Momma -! it's true how cute the kids are, my little "Not"! And my second Miss Leeman! - Greet them from their poets! Would you do me the favor to let your Niels or Rasmus, go to Hotel du Nord, ask if letters have come to me and are there, then take these, and say that all letters (but not newspapers and magazines) are sent to Eduard, who, after all, is so gracious to strike an envelope on these, and send me, so far, to Odense. You must also keep your promise to get him and this week, to tell me a little about our "departed", I am terribly longing to hear something. [...]

     […] At 5 o'clock in the afternoon I go with a stagecoach to Korsør where I want to sleep this night and then tomorrow (Saturday) in Odense. - Tell Mrs. Collin that tomorrow I will visit Birckner's monument early, and in my next epistle, which will probably become my friend Theodor, tell me how it still held. They must then greet the little man quite a bit, greet the dear father, [...] - Now live! do you see Gottlieb then greet him and let me know when Gusta comes home. Bring your Mama a greeting and now Eduardo padre della Vulle to write, even you think of me. / Their faithful devoted friend and poet / H.C.A. (215)

Jette Collin has done the job that Andersen asked her to do, namely to invite her husband, Edvard Collin, to send the letters to Andersen, who was in Hotel du Nord, for in his following letter to Jette Collin, dated Glorup on the 26th. July 1939, he therefore thanks:

My sweet Vulle's gracious mother!

     Thank you Eduard for his cover, that about the letters I got it yesterday, because it had to look me up inland, I was at Lykkesholm. The "best" Eduardo could have written a little more, but I am grateful even for that little bit! his "cover", has drawn the warmest feelings out of my heart, I send him these thanks and promise that as many people will immediately shoot in there, so that the heart always blooms with a green bouquet for him. I recently wrote to Theodor; he must have told you that the boyish criticism of the Monthly Journal has affected me! Today I send a letter to Louise in Ems over Nyborg. […] In the days when I was at Lykkesholm, where I left Odense, I wandered daily in the beautiful forests that grab where the garden ends; I then thought of Sweden, my friends there and my realization; I felt beautifully the Nordic spirit how the three brothers people gradually grow together, and then it fell into me, but we all have no national anthem, I will give them one and as I said, it happened; I think getting it one year in a row, one, like "King Christian" has it, then it might like to be Scandinavian, here it is. Let Eduard read it to his father.

[Here follows in the letter the lyrics "We are one people, we are called Scandinavians", which is on 5 verses of 10 lines]

     Greet the adorable, smiling Mumme, my affected Vulle and think of me beautifully and kindly. [...]

     […] The Count has finally asked me to stay with him for Wednesday next week and I have promised, sorry you were here! it is just a stay to my taste, it is a castle quite in the Italian style and with a garden, like the English parks. Tell them about it in Amalie Street. It is possible that I go straight from here to Copenhagen, because only my loved ones there in the Collin house can taste me after this horrible tribute, Sorø will be too hard on top, but I am not quite determined yet. The Count is most gracious, shows me everything, guides me as if I were an edition of Thorvaldsen. Live well! / Their / Poets! (216)

Andersen and Nysø

As mentioned, after his domestic summer trip, Andersen was back in Copenhagen on August 1st. In the meantime he had contracted a bad cold and felt silly, but managed to compose at least one letter, namely to Jette Wulff, who had been at Nysø all summer, but who was presently living with his sister, Ida Koch, who was living in Frederiksborg at the time. The letter is dated Copenhagen on August 9, 1839 and in this he begins by describing his summer journey. The exchange of letters between the two was, moreover, virtually stopped, even though Andersen wrote several letters to her, but which the obviously offended Jette Wulff did not answer. From the letter mentioned above, only the following relevant passages should be quoted:

Mia Sorella!

     Yes, the correspondence is going badly! [...] Your dear letter, which I had utterly abandoned to get one, ran after me on my escape, and I got it some herring, but it pleased me inexpressibly, You are a good sister, though! - Tomorrow (the 10th) leaves Drewsen's Ems, and on Sundays the Rhine trip, from there over Frankfurt, Gotha, Blanckenburg, Brocken, Braunsweig, Lauenburg, Møln and Lübeck home, where we await them on the 24. Heiberg’s have also used baths, and the lady has studied Cecilia's role in the mulatto: On Louise's birthday, Heiberg let the seaside musicians give her a serenade with the three tunes: Mr. Peder casted 'runes', King Christian, and Denmark's most beautiful wings and wings. […] We're talking about! The air is getting colder, the clouds are getting richer, the foliage now has its best color, so it is soon towards winter, when will we see? Greet every stork you see and remember that it is mine and the bird of the Orient! / The brothers. (217)

On August 15, Andersen had traveled to Nysø near Præstø, where he, by invitation of the baron and baroness Stampe, stayed until August 29th. From there he wrote and sent the day after letters to both Jonas Collin and Jette Collin. The letter to Jonas Collin is quite short and should be quoted quite briefly here:

     As soon as I got here last night I was very well received. The baroness was very gracious and Thorvaldsen waited with kisses. I delivered him your letter and said that if he needed a secretary for this or any other matter, I was perfectly at his service, but the baroness immediately interrupted me that it was her office to manage the entire correspondence. […] At that moment I was talking to the man, we were alone; I dropped a word if he wanted a greeting to you as I was about to finish my letter and he asked me to thank you very much for your letter saying "as soon as the ship arrived he immediately went into town, and then could you speak by! ”[…]

     The journey out here was very pleasant, only I froze a little in the morning. Greet your wife and Norwegian friends. Greet my good friend Theodor, Eduard and not to forget Jette with her youth. / Live well! / Their sonic devotee / H.C. Andersen. (218)

Andersen's letter to Jette Collin is also quite short and, as mentioned, dated the same date as the letter to her father-in-law, Jonas Collin, ie August 16, 1839. From this the following must be quoted:

     [...]

     Kiss my sweet little Vulle and nod to little Louise. It was nice if Eduard wrote to me, but he doesn't. At dinner, Thorvaldsen got up and welcomed my dish. Immediately the Baroness gave the order to bring champagne and now the dish was repeated. He and I, with Mrs. Skou and an Italian woman this afternoon, made a beautiful trip, which I stood for; we were on a hill that mastered the whole area, Møen med, at the top of the bargain. Greet the dear ones in Amalie Street! And now he slept well! I am very tired and sleepy. / Their faithful friend / The poet. (219)

Appeal to Edvard Collin

As can be seen from the above letter, Edvard Collin largely refrained from writing letters to Andersen, which of course was very sad and saddened. But he compensated to some extent, by staying in contact with Edward's wife, Jette Collin, who had taken over her husband's correspondence with the friend, at least so far. Andersen, however, occasionally wrote letters to his friend Theodor Collin, who was also not good at answering Andersen's letters. While Andersen stayed at Nysø in August 1839, he wrote and sent the following letter to Theodor Collin in Copenhagen. The letter is dated Nysø on August 23, 1839, from which the following must be quoted:

      My dear friend!

     Regardless, every day I think about rushing home and then seeing you, then talking to you, I can't help but have to send a small epistle and this is supported for two reasons, first I have to have a letter to Major Jenssen, who has translated The Player and now publishes a collection of my poems, but the contents of that letter become so little that I find it too little to pay such a whole letter, so I can write a kind of cover to one of my friends; I had first decided to write this to dear Jette Collin, but then I remembered she had got some words, my friend Theodor no one at all, so I am entertaining this time with you, but have to pray that you will leave the epistle , the day you get it, come to Major Jenssen, he lives at Vestervold, but the number you must be so good to look at the guide. Next, I have one more thing on my mind, it is very close to me; I think it's Saturday, August 31 Your sister is coming home, but I have been uncertain whether or not it will be tomorrow on the 24th, if this is the case, please write me immediately, just one line, or ask your father that I am told, "it is the 24th they are expected." On the other hand, is it not until the end of the week (31.) that they come then the letter is not needed, though you know by me any epistle from you is inexpressibly dear to me. On Wednesday, the 28th, I promised to stay out here, there is a day carriage going in and I will then come reasonably, although it could also sting me a little later, the day after the sisters had arrived, because on the first arrival at home is there are so many who will receive the whole love of the homeless, that I, who have them almost as dearly, will feel that I am a stranger. There is something very heavy in that thought, something more than you may realize that has never lived in such a relationship. -

     [...]

     But now there is no room for more! greet your dear parents! Greet Jette and Augusta, You both see them and think of me kindly. / Their fraternally devoted / H.C. Andersen. (220)

One of the last days when Andersen stayed in Nysø in August 1839, he wrote another letter to his good friend, Jette Collin, in Copenhagen. The letter is dated Nysø on August 27, 1839, from which the following must be quoted:

     Today I would have seen your friendly face, kissed my sweet Vulle and talked to Eduardo, but here I am still persuaded by the Baroness and I will be on Sunday, because when Drewsen's first comes Saturday I would rather be there the other day when the others at home have been given all the love they need, so I feel so alien and come the next day. Oh, God, where I long for the dear people.

[...]

     Greet the good Eduardo di Skozia and tell him, among other things, that I have written to a Miss Rieffel. Bring many greetings in the Amalie Street and when you see Ingeborg, Louise and Drewsen before me, greet them millions of times and let Vulle kiss you from me, it is an innocent kiss. My friend Theodor is not forgotten. Say Augusta a happy good day. / Your friend and poet.

     E. S. Greet your mother! (221)

The above quoted letter to Jette Collin is the last letter Andersen wrote to her and her family in the year 1839, where he was not a diligent letter writer at all at the end of the year. On the other hand, he did not receive many letters himself, but on September 5, he received a longer letter from his somewhat disappointed and rather mournful Odense friend, Jette Hanck. The latter was mainly due to the fact that her father, J.H.T. Hanck, was increasingly seriously ill. The letter is dated: Saturday, August 30, 1839. From this the following must be quoted:

     Since July 21, I have not heard a word from the brother, and today we write last August, not a thorn from Zealand's land for five weeks, each of which has had four postal days, it is precisely twenty times that I have waited in vain for letters, I've made over a thousand guesses about the reason for this silence. […] We are all so devoted to you! It is indifference I have thought, it is sickness, it is a Danish company Barck or - Lind has taken office, and. - […] - How does Vulle live? in my last chased lines I did not add a greeting to her, she was glad to see you again tell me a bit about what she said, how she expressed her joy and do not let her forget / Aunt Jette.

     […] - Did Collins come home? - […] - When you write then tell me quite a lot about Nysø, it interests me so much to see the same objects through different glasses, the impression of it I save with myself, you can be calm that it will not move on. - Now I wish you patience to read this long letter, which you will receive the morning after your return. - Live well. (222)

The above letter replied Andersen to in a longer letter of September 5, from which the following passages must be quoted:

     This afternoon I received your letter, as it came into my hands made me happy, but as I read and read, your sisterly mind and the wait for the letter from me made me quite sad. "But she has not received any kind of epistle from Nysø's," I thought, "in the maiden. Solomon's letter I wrote ”. It was only when I came to the last page that I saw that this letter had finally occurred. I immediately grabbed the pen and had it all done, without reminder; but after writing out there I was constantly on the entry and would therefore not write from there, as all letters go over Copenhagen to Funen. Thank you for the beautiful frame of mind, the goodness that only one sister can feel for the brother, such a bright one from every line. [...]

After that Andersen tells almost everything that has happened to him and he has experienced since his previous letter to Jette Hanck, about his stay on Nysø, about his good friend Thorvaldsen, about the eccentric baron Stampes' specialties and about his little controversies with the non the usual Baroness Stampe, about a visit from there to Gisselfeldt, where he met Prince Christian and his wife, Caroline Amalie. Finally, he told about news from the Royal Theater, where, among other things, the preparations for the construction of his latest play, "The Mulatto", was at its peak, and at the end of the letter Andersen talks about family affairs in the Collin family:

[…] - Drewsen’s has come home, but Mrs. Drewsen fears I'm no better. They have made several friends of Andersen's Muse and it pleased them, especially over a meeting on the Rhine, it was the composer Mendelsohn-Bartholdy, when he heard they were Danish he immediately asked them and they knew the author of Nur ein Geiger. He loved me dearly and Ingeborg and Louise then said that I was as good to them as a brother, Drewsen had to show him my handwriting and my blouse that he had with him. […] There was another volume to write about; It is a sad feeling to have to, for the sake of the paper, stop writing a letter in which you have not said half of what you want to say. Greet the excellent aunt and all the sisters, but especially the father and mother of your faithful, devoted / A. (223)

On September 25-28. Andersen writes another letter to Jette Hanck, who has not yet answered his above-quoted letter, but who answers both letters in a long letter of September 30th. In this she tells about big and small in Odense and in her family, about her thoughts about his newer poems and plays, and about her own plans for a new book she has in mind, but can't really put on paper. Jette Hanck ends his long letter with the following remarks:

     […] - Little Vulle I never hear of! - [...] Live well, also think a little about the old friends are alive. Let Louise Collin say a few kind words to you, go to Vulle, and also think about / sister Jette. (224)

In the following months of 1839, Andersen and Jette Hanck exchanged letters as often as they had in the past. Andersen had meanwhile released a new collection "Adventure, told for Children" and the publication of "Picture book without Pictures" was very understanding. Andersen was in a good mood, not least because his vaudeville "The Invisible on Language" had been successful at Det kgl. Theater and that from many sides great expectations were set for the upcoming premiere of "The Mulatto". On the other hand, he had become friends with both Mrs. Bügel and Bournonville, or rather, the two were separately and independently became friends with Andersen, which he took surprisingly easily, apparently because he thought it was almost ridiculous trifles. But it is only in Andersen's letter of November 12 that something is told again about the Collin family:

     […] - From Little Vulle I must greet you, she was with a family the other day, the children teased her and then she teased them, which she herself told when she came home. "They teased Vulle, I knocked them!" After this fight, she had demanded wine. They thus see that she is a highly uneducated child, but with Nordic power. […] (225)

"I was thinking about death yesterday"

November 18, 1839 is a somewhat special date in the context of Andersen and the Collin family, because then he writes a letter to - Louise Collin. Apparently, some discrepancies had arisen between Andersen and Jonas Collin, which had made Collin angry and Andersen deeply sad, and it was probably on this occasion that the former worshiper had sent Andersen a compassionate letter, which he replies to:

     Miss Louise Collin.

     My good sister!

     God pay you for your participation! At this moment, I read your letter! - You and Ingeborg are me - what nobody wants to be and stay for me! - Eduard I have long had to regard as foreign, he is - and will be! - Your father I always looked up to, like the infallible, - he has pushed me so hard - I could only realize my mistake, then I would change it - but I can't! And yet he has proved right when judging, as a strict God dare to judge. I feel my powerlessness, feel how little I benefit in the world, how empty my whole endeavor is - and yet you dare not die. I thought yesterday of death that a Christian should not think of it, only you and your sister stood so faithful to me, the love you showed me yesterday made me feel like I had friends yet - but how long! Don't get angry with me, but I don't believe in any friends anymore! they can change; I can change! - However, what evil befalls us when we cannot even realize that it springs from our actions comes from God in a higher purpose. Don't talk to your father about the whole thing, I'm not sorry - I must, when I fail, bear the consequences of my mistakes, do whatever may happen, two sisters may cry to me when I am at peace! - We'll see you soon, and I must be caught and without all the stuff. God bless you and yours. Greet your sister! tomorrow I talk to you !!! / The brothers. (226)

According to Andersen's above-mentioned letter to Louise Collin, his former dearest Eduard had allegedly become alien to him, which Andersen had so far had to resign to. As to the current controversy that had evidently been between Andersen and Jonas Collin, it has not been possible for me to find out what it was that the otherwise so understanding and gentle Jonas Collin had allegedly become so angry with. But Andersen could so far be pleased that he at least found some understanding and sympathy with the two sisters, Ingeborg and Louise. But as the letter also states, Andersen was not blind to the fact that the blame might be his, even if he was not aware of what he had said or done that could give rise to the anger of his father's friend. Since his school days in Slagelse, Andersen had regarded Jonas Collin as God's supervising and acting tool in relation to himself. Therefore Andersen could also write: "And yet he has shown justice when judging, as a strict God dare to judge", and "what evil befalls us when we cannot even realize that it comes from our actions comes from God in a higher intention."

The death of King Frederick VI

However, the exchange of letters between Andersen and Jette Hanck continued, and in a short letter, dated Tuesday, December 3, 1839, he was able to inform her that his play "The Mulatto" should have premiered the same day, but that it had been canceled because King Frederik We were dead this day at. 8½ in the morning. On Saturday, Andersen had been a guest of Prince Christian and Caroline Amalie, who had now become the new royal couple, under the name Christian VIII. On that occasion Andersen had read aloud from "The Mulatto". This letter answered a distressed Jette Hanck in a longer letter of Thursday, December 5, the same year, in which she comforts him that "The Mulatto" must then be the first piece to be performed when the theater reopens. But she could also see that Andersen had to come across, not least about his plans for an expatriate trip.

Andersen answered Jette Collin's letter in a longer letter, dated December 10, in which he mentions partly what had happened and partly what he had done in the days preceding the King's death. From the letter the following must be quoted here:

     […] At night I slept a little feverishly, and had a clue of the king's death, for in the evening when I was with Collins, and speaking of the trial, said the old Collin, be sorry that the play must go round, lest the king die, he is very bad! - "Oh, then he'll die tonight or tomorrow when the play begins!" I exclaimed. [...] They want to know how the rest of Tuesday went; I was then at dinner at Collins, where there was great sorrow, for the king was personally loved there, yet they also lamented me, and not a man did I meet the day that spoke to me, without mentioning the king's death lamenting me ; yet one talks to me about it, there was a common interest in seeing the mulatto, which is in great and good reputation here in the city; possible waiting too much. That night I spent in the Student Union, where they all condoled me. Now here is terribly sad, I miss the theater, but it does not last long; yes it is even astonishing as soon as the fun begins. The King's funeral is scheduled for January 10, that is, if the coffins could be repaired, and everything on January 13 opens the theater again, reasonably with the Mulatto. So in four weeks. […] Live well / in hurry / H.C. Andersen / The brother. (227)

On Thursday, December 16, Andersen wrote to Jette Hanck again, this time a short letter to which she replied in a longer letter of December 19, to which he replied again in a letter of December 30. From the latter letter the following should be quoted:

     Today it will be just a few words! My kind thanks for the old year and my best wishes for the new coming. In particular, my thought here dwells with your father! lovingly push his hand from me to your dear mother that my thought is often and often is with both of them.

     As for my Christmas, the Sunday before I was at Gottlieb Collin where I got a beautiful sofa pillow, a small poem written by H.P. Holst followed. Christmas Eve I was at Wulff for Christmas and then to Collins for porridge; [...]

     Here's another horrible hustle and bustle about seeing the King's corpse, the street is formally barred to the residents, the Collin ladies had to walk the street for a full hour, but did not enter; […] The funeral will be Jan. 15. The funeral in Roskilde on the 16^th. The Theater opens on February 3rd, probably with performing of the Mulatto. [...]

     Live well! Greet all the sisters! write soon, soon! / in hurry / The Brother. (228)

On December 30, 1839, Andersen's wonderful collection of stories was published, namely "Picture Book without Pictures", which he himself described as "an Arabesque", "a Thousand and One Nights" story. The act is brief that a poor crush - Andersen himself, when he, as a 22-year-old lived in the roof chamber of Mrs. Schwartz in Vingårdsstræde - sits on his roof chamber and looks out the window at night, where the moon is up, and it tells him each night a new event around the world. But otherwise, Andersen was quite diligent throughout this period as a writer and playwright.

"Caspar doloris Katafalken-Skjald"

The year 1840 was a year in which Andersen made a new, short Sweden trip, to which he had been invited by the students in Lund, who wanted to pay tribute to him, and partly a new, large foreign trip. Andersen continued to work diligently to realize his dream of a new Italy trip, and eventually he managed to scrape together enough money for such a larger journey. It began on October 31, 1840, and it passed through Germany again to his beloved Italy, from which, after a long stay, he continued on March 17, 1841, and traveled to Greece. From there he continued his journey to Turkey and further up through Eastern Europe and home via Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic and Germany to Denmark, where, after a short stay in Funen, he was back in Copenhagen on July 22, 1841. This great journey gained his literary expression in the travel description "A Poet’s Bazar", which was published on April 30, 1842.

1840 was also the year that Andersen once again tried to have the correspondence resumed with his dear friend Eduard, but for the time being in vain. However, he occasionally continued the exchange of letters with other members of the Collin family, including Jette Collin. However, there are no letters from any of the parties mentioned until the fall, which is why we have to resort to other sources, if possible to know anything about Andersen's relationship with the Collin family in the first good half of the same year. This source is primarily Andersen's exchange of letters with Jette Hanck and then his exchange of letters with Jette Wulff, which in no case is particularly extensive.

The first letter from Andersen to Jette Hanck in the year 1840 is dated Copenhagen on January 17, where Andersen had participated the day before in King Frederik VI's funeral in Roskilde Cathedral. In the letter he gives a detailed description of the events, which does not stand for any contemporary journalistic depiction of such an official mourning ceremony, perhaps except that Andersen also looked at the more comical and dramatic aspects of what was going on. For example, he says that Commander Wulff had written the verses on the catafalks, and the famous-infamous Copenhagen wit therefore made the joke that the commander had been honored under the name "Casper doloris Katafalken-Skjald." at Vesterport and at Vesterbro, where excited roughs shattered the windows of passing cars and threw burning torches between the people in the procession. Something similar was repeated in the castle courtyard at Frederiksberg Castle when the procession temporarily held where the king as a boy, along with his half-sister, Louise Augusta, had spent their childhood, but here it was confined to the mob shouting and screaming and throwing with snowballs after the procession.

In his relatively long letter of 17 January, Andersen, who participated in the succession to Roskilde, writes, among other things:

     […] I, H.P. Holst, Gottlieb Collin and Theodor Collin drove one o'clock at night to Roskilde; already at the gate, the mob cowered us and out on the road we got a snowball into the carriage, we were plowed and branched out and thus we left. […] We reached Roskilde at four in the morning, there was already a big stir in the streets, everything was busy, but I went into a house, presented myself as H.C. Andersen, told that the celebrated poet H.P. Holst and two of Collins's sons were one company that had no roof over it, and we were given the only room that was, but cozy with warmth and wax candles, a fried goose was put on the table and it was our breakfast. - […] (229)

Jette Hanck replied to the above letter in a letter of January 23, but since this does not contain anything directly related to Collins, no mention should be made of it here. On the other hand, it must be from Andersen's following reply letter of 6 February, which for one time mentions Edvard Collin directly:

     […] Last night made Eduard Collin a company on the occasion of the Mulatto, but I was so tired and sleepy that I didn't say a word, but almost slept at the table. […] (230)

On the occasion of the construction of “The "Mulatto", Andersen was now advanced from the parquet to the court parquet in Det kgl. Theater where all the Copenhagen notables had their seats. Of course, it was quite good for the ambitious poet, because it meant a certain recognition of his position as a playwright, and besides, that he did not have to feel "outside" in the better social circles. But on the whole, Andersen had really come "on the wave" in those days, which is also indirectly evident from the following quote from Andersen's next letter to Jette Hanck, dated Copenhagen on February 20, 1840:

     […] In the last days I have been from company to company, among them the most prominent was one dinner at Gebhard Moltke from Glorup, one evening at Prime Minister Moltke; yesterday at a large diplomatic party at Zahrtmann's and today dinner at my friend Eduard's, where there were Weyse, Hartmann, Hertz, Thorvaldsen, Heiberg, H.P. Holst, Father Collin and H.C. Andersen. […] (231)

A new drama

Andersen, by the way, already had an idea and plan for his next drama, which he had so far given the working title "Spanierinden", but which ended up being titled "The Maurer girl", a piece which he unfortunately should not get so much pleasure, as was the case with the "Mulatto", on the contrary, it should cause him many annoyances. But we have until April 2, 1840, when Andersen turned 35 before we again encounter a mention of the Collin family. Late in the evening on that date, Andersen again began a letter to Jette Hanck, which he did not finish until April 6, in which he tells of the course of the day, and among other things he writes the following:

     Even though we are just on the third of April, because it is half past two tonight as I take the paper, I must, however, have written "the second of April" that you can see that I have thought of the sister. Thank you for your letter, thank you for the lovely cuffs and the Mulatto poster. All day it has been springy, for the first time I went out without outerwear. Tomorrow when I got up the first thing I got was a package from Reitzel, my good bookstore sent me all the Everyday stories, 6 volumes, beautifully bound, shortly after came the little Recke, naive and good-natured that he is and I enjoyed your letter and viewed the sister's gift! Oh, you're too good for me. Then I went to the pastry and drank chocolate with some young friends. Then to Eduard Collin where Vulle wanted, it was her own whim: "Guess you must have a little Frederikke!" Vulle gave me a writing in the form of a deer head, then we drank coffee and I went to Collins, where Louise also had a stationery for me, Ingeborg a beautiful piece of copper and my elegant Theodor a large silk scarf of the modern to seven wheels. […] At dinner, Collins was with me for my sake, soup, groceries, fish, ham and cake and my bowl was drunk and then I went to the theater and saw the Bar and the ballet "the Danish in China" as I left, I was congratulated in the theater from every angle, Thorvaldsen stopped me and in the middle of the square for the shining stars he kissed me on the mouth and wished me so much and good that half can be enough. Eduard brought me home now, where I drank tea, watched the sleeping Vulle and Lovelise Louise: Louise, ate for dinner and is now in Hotel du Nord, writing to Aunt Anna's author, whom you probably know. See, that's my life cycle today. Good night! -

     […] Mrs. Drewsen is lying down again, of the old pain in her knee, which she suffered a fall a year ago. […] Little Vulle sends her "Aunt Anna" a kiss and many greetings, she says every day, "when do I get the Mulatto to see, he is such a sweet boy!" And regularly she says to the mother, "Mr. Andersen is crazy mad about the Mulatto! ”- […] / with brotherly devotion. / The poet. (232)

The evening before April 9, 1840, an event had occurred in the life of Edvard and Jette Collins, as the lady descended that day with her third child, a son, who after his paternal grandfather was named Jonas Collin. Andersen does not mention this event in any letter to Jette Hanck, but it is on the other hand noted in the Almanac for this date. (The date of April 9, 1840, associates for people like me, who have experienced it, on April 9, 1940, that is exactly one hundred years after Jonas Collin the Young's birth, to Nazi Germany's occupation of Denmark, a barely so joyous event, as the day after, April 10, 1840, Andersen notes in the almanac that he was at dinner with Collins.

On April 17, Good Friday, Jette Hanck replied in a rather long letter to Andersen's above-quoted letter, in which she writes, among other things:

     […] Vulle's naivete in your last letter has interested me more than many of Jean Paul's aphorisms, I do not know if I can acquire the greetings she sends Aunt Anna, I happen to repay them for the sake of the heart! Thank you for the description of your birthday, thank you for writing to that sister that day. To Aunt Anna's author do you write, is she more of you then? […] (233)

On 13-20. April 1840 Andersen traveled, as mentioned, on a shorter trip to Sweden, more precisely as a guest of Baron Wrangels on the estate Hyby in Skåne and to Lund, where on April 17, the students at Lund University were hailed. On the 23rd p.m. he wrote a letter to Jette Hanck in which he told about his experiences during the Swedish journey. The tribute in Lund had made a big and indelible impression on him, despite being plagued by his almost lifelong companion: toothache! - Jette Hanck replied to Andersen's letter in a very long letter, dated April 28, but since it contains no relevant interest in this context, one must therefore not be quoted here.

On May 13, 1840, Andersen's "A Comedy in the Green" was premiered on The Royal. Theater, a play originally called "The Actor Against His Will," or "The Comedy on the Land," written by Dorvigny and translated into Danish after Kotzebue's adaptation of N.T. Bruun, and then edited by Andersen, who gave it the new title. But since there are no letters between Andersen and Jette Hanck, before June 10 of the same year, we can not know how dear Jette Hanck, who, moreover, from May 1, had extended his teaching of the children by an hour more daily, However, it happened that Jette Hanck's parents had arrived in Copenhagen on May 19, and three days later, on May 22, Assistant Professor Hanck was admitted to Frederik’s Hospital in Bredgade for a bladder operation complicated with severe inflammation of the bladder and the prostate gland. Hanck was a patient in the hospital until July 23, when he passed away at death, only 64 years old.

In the meantime, it happened that on June 4, Andersen left for a twenty-day stay on Nysø, and only from here he wrote and sent on June 10 a slightly longer letter to Jette Hanck in Odense. Andersen's previous letter to his friend was from April 23, so a long time had passed, which he deeply regretted and apologized for his hustle. Andersen had also visited Hanck and Mrs several times in the hospital, for this he mentions in his new letter to Jette Hanck. In the letter, Andersen says, among other things, that a new booklet "Adventure, told for Children" will soon be published, containing the fairy tales The Swine Boy, Rosen-Alfen, Ole Lukøje and the Booklet.

But if Andersen had been long enough to write a letter again to the eagerly awaited friend in Odense, who was strongly influenced by the condition and situation of his sick father, then this time Jette Hanck was also long to answer Andersen, because it first happened in letter of September 12. However, Andersen had meanwhile been to Odense, to which he arrived on July 24, the day after the death of Deputy Hanck’s at Frederik’s Hospital in Copenhagen. It was his unpleasant task to convey the message of the father's death to his daughters. Following the stay in Odense, Andersen had also visited his good friend, Count Gebhard Moltke-Hvitfeldt at Glorup, and from there he wrote on 31 July-4. August a longer letter to Jette Collin in Copenhagen:

Here comes my second letter-dove from Funen! the first flew to Mrs. Drewsen, this one must search Tværgaden, seek the most beautiful flower there and thus - good morning, my very lovely lady. […] These days have gone by strolling in the old, large garden and reindeer writing on the Maurer girl, I have now finished completing the 3rd act! I feel that this work is so completely and utterly mine that I have succeeded and that as a dramatic work it is far above Mulatt, so for the first time in my life I have come to the realization that I am a dramatic poet! and that I will come to deliver something to live, must live as it has its life in me! where I long for you and my dear Eduard to hear it in full, you know only the broken limb. […] Will you let Mrs. Drewsen read this letter? - You can probably do that to me, I think, just like sending her an eighth epistle. - […] The father, Louise and Lind have probably now occurred. Greet pretty from me! Now live well! Their grandson, youth, brother and mother my compliment! / Your very devoted friend / The poet. (234)

Libido issues and theater drama

By the way, Andersen also had major problems with his libido this summer of 1840, as evidenced by his almanacs for that period. There were several temptations, as he was visited by both Mathilda and Nils Barck, whom he had swarmed for the previous year. It also happened that he, with his friend, the doctor Franz Brun, sought out a prostitute, who was apparently not visible at the time. (Almanacs, p. 43). On Tuesday, August 11, Andersen was back in Copenhagen from his summer trip in 1840, and that day he had dinner with Collins. On August 16, he allegedly handed over the manuscript to the "Maurer girl" to a skeptical Jonas Collin, but Andersen must also have had another copy, because in the following days he read the piece to several friends and acquaintances. He had also heard that Heiberg, who was the censor of Det kgl. Theater would not assume the "Maurer girl", what Andersen was rather upset about. (Almanacs, p. 48). On August 28, he was assured that the "Maurer girl" was accepted for construction, and so he went to Mrs. Heiberg the following day, on August 29, and read the piece to her, who was intended for the role of the shepherd girl Raphaella, but Mrs. Heiberg did not like the play and stated straight out that she would not participate in the play at all. That, of course, made Andersen so despairing that he humiliated himself to beg and beg That kgl. Theater's uncontested primadonna about playing the intended role. But Mrs. Heiberg was unyielding. (Almanacs, p. 49). This led to a tension between the capital's well-heeled cultural "king-couple" and poor poet Andersen, who had at least two things to do, namely his poet's and partly his vital economy. However, “The Maurer Girl" first came to fruition on December 18, and then with the hardly so prominent actress Elisabeth Holst in the role that had been intended for Mrs. Heiberg. Andersen's "Maurer Girl" was published in book form on December 19, 1840 and Heiberg's "A Soul after Death" on December 21, however with the year 1841. (235)

According to Andersen's almanac notes for September 1840, this month was not a bit of a bother to him. The problems were mainly due to the situation surrounding his tragedy "The Maurer Girl", to which he had so high hopes, but which did not meet the great will and understanding of the people who had the authority to decide on the further fate of the play. Among such people, as mentioned, was the married couple Heiberg, whom Andersen had always had a slightly tense relationship with, a relationship that was understandably not improved by the fact that the two otherwise excellent people and artists regarded the "Maurer girl" as a in fact, bad theater piece. It shed light on Andersen's perception of the two important people with whom he had a kind of hate-love relationship. Hate because they had great power in cultural life and because they had a high star in the Collin family, and love because he looked up to them as artists. On September 3, 1840, you can read the following bitter note in Andersen's almanac:

Yesterday, Heiberg’s went to dinner with Collins, for them there was joy. Violated deeply. Sensual and wild - despairing. Thorvaldsen and the baroness comforted me. (236)

Andersen was probably disappointed at first that he had not even been invited to the said dinner, and he was so upset that he did not visit Collins for some days. On Tuesday, September 8, however, he was, as usual, for the regular, weekly dinner at Jonas Collin, which also sought to comfort the despairing poet who was feeling depraved. Louise Collin has probably also sought to comfort her friend, because in the calendar for September 6 and 11 he notes that he had shown her Thorvaldsen's studio at the Academy of Fine Arts and had a friendly conversation with her, respectively.

We shall then turn to Jette Hanck's letter of September 12, 1840, in which this refers to a letter Andersen had written to her mother. Unfortunately, this letter is not preserved or in any case not printed, but to some extent it forms the basis for understanding the contents of the daughter's letter to Andersen. But otherwise, it seems that these are the same charges against Heiberg and Mrs that have been made in the letter and that we already know about here. But Jette Hanck's sympathy lies unreservedly with Andersen, whom she seeks to comfort, even though she really thinks that the "Maurer Girl" is not really Andersen, which she thinks is a weakness. But otherwise, her letter is about the situation after the death of her father and her sister's absence, which has left her alone responsible for her frail mother. But not a word about the Collin family. We need to get to Andersen's reply letter of (about) October 1, 1840, before we again experience something concerning the Collins. This is done in the following passage of the letter:

    [...] it is as if an evil star rested on the "Maurer Girl"; this work that I once loved and set so high to me now does not matter, embarrassing; it was my determination the other day to go away with H.P. Holst, who is traveling on the 14th this month, and leaving piece by piece, but Collin advised me from there, as it might then be pulled out for next year with construction; so I must stay in my creepy home, in cold Denmark; now I reasonably only travel on Hamburg or Braunsweig, Langensala and Nuremberg to Munich on November 14 or 16, where Holst is waiting for me, we will only spend 8 days in Munich and chase Tyrol to Rome, there we are at the New Year; after the carnival we go to Naples and at Easter to Sicily, then i have no more money coming all this summer, yes in May, to Denmark, it is terrible to think about. However, Denmark's summer is a winter for me! but if my finances are good, then I will travel to Greece in late April, perhaps to the Orient; if, on the other hand, there is war, then I go to Africa. Guess I must die out! It is my deepest wish, it is a pain for me to see the home again, I feel so foreign here, one. The lovely Clara Falbe has become engaged to my friend Louis Rothe these days, my sister Ida is more beautiful, if you took her rich. Louise Collin is going to have a wedding, the first days of next month, I have promised a merry show and it will be, because I have to see Italy .

Copenhagen on October 16.

Everything on the previous page was written 14 days ago, however, Holst has travelled and my piece has moved even further back to the repertoire! - I have tried all the torments and violations any poet can try from a theater staff, in the end Hartmann hurts me, the music should be finished yesterday and since it must be picked up, he has only a single number finished, and does not promise before 14 days’ rest. Now the cup ran over! I immediately took my small sum out of the Sparekassen, asked Collin to arrange my money, said my accommodation and tomorrow, 14 days which is Saturday, October 31, I sail with the steamship Chr. VIII to Kiel! I don't have much money but enough to reach Rome and there I am before Christmas! Then let them scold and overthrow with my tragedy, which now lacks only the audience to whine about it, so that everything could have happened to it. Let go! Everything is a destiny, I must endure it, and will! in Italy I breathe air! poor sister Jette sitting in little Odense! however, it is nice I fly about between strangers! - The improviser's poet goes to his home! - Oh, though, it was a strange game of fate if he were to close there during the turf! - But my grave will not be forgotten, I feel that and still have the power to dream of seeing Greece and singing a new Illiade! God's will happen! The Turks that I want to visit are my cousins of faith, they know there is a destiny! […] - Greet your mother! she has suffered a lot, tried everything a quiet home, a quiet harbor can feel from storm and hurt! Greet the good sisters, ask them to think of me mildly; I'm flying away! Maybe into the country where we all meet! / The brother! (237)

The good poet was really deeply affected by the whole course of the "Maurer Girl", so much so that he once again wanted to die, but of course not in earnest, it was just a thought that came to him when things got a lot worse for him. against. His thoughts that if only he were rich, he would get married and get married is also just something he occasionally raved about, even though he knew it was just loose thought and talk. But besides the problems surrounding the "Maurer Girl", he also now knew the date of Louise Collins' wedding with Wilkens Lind, and on that occasion he had been asked to write a song, which he also did - probably with some mixed feelings, for love - or rather the erotic attraction - to her had flared up again. He says this in a short note in the almanac for Friday, October 2, 1840: “Love for L. C. woke up strongly again! -" At this time Andersen struggled a lot with what he himself called "sensuality", so much so that he confided in Theodor Collin, who also put him in touch with a "madame" in town, whom he accompanied by his friend as well sought out and possibly had intercourse or other sexual intercourse with as it is called. The result of the visit to the prostitute was at least that Andersen felt tender in the penis and feared having been infected with a sexually transmitted disease, but the fear, fortunately, proved unfounded. According to the Almanac for Tuesday, October 6, 1840, Andersen had, by the way, been 'Du’s' with Theodor Collin.

The sisterly friend's comfort

On October 20, however, Andersen received a reply letter from the always understanding and compassionate, but in this case slightly unpleasantly surprised and confused Jette Hanck, dated Monday, 19-20. October 1840, which begins as follows:

     I hadn't thought that anything more could give me such deep inner pain that I felt yesterday reading your letter dear Andersen! Your journey is so quickly determined, you do not come as I had expected through Odense, you travel before your tragedy is listed, I can not quite understand it all, and I have thought for a whole long sleepless night after that. Louise Collin is going to have a wedding, you will not visit before your departure Sweden, and if you were rich you would take (god where you are a real gentleman) Ida Falbe. Thank God that you are not rich dear Andersen, I just recently heard both lovely Miss Falbe on the occasion of one's engagement much talk that girls there of the mother practiced when, and how to turn their eyes up and down and such a girl would the man who has the spirit and sense of something better, the choice of a fleeting love in a fashion lady whose fine beauty usually lasts so briefly, and what is left, or of an unhappy man, despite causing the real object of his inclination an imagined violation and thereby may make both himself and the newly chosen unhappy! I can think of no true love without the one who is based on esteem. However, beautiful girls like to be envied by their own sex and therefore also a little disregarded. [...] Why shouldn't the Maurer Girl be written under the influence of a good genius, I think every poet's work has either a good heavenly or an earthly one, so I've always in mind made Louise Collin the Improvisator. Is Comtesse Barck or Miss Falbe Maurer Girl? See now about wealth, prestige and beauty, or sisterly love the most, the town sister in Odense has very favorite among your works but she also has a good prayer for all of them, and makes the Maurer Girl happiness as I sure hope, then I will share with God a bit of the honor with the first three. The author of course goes to the biggest party! If, on the other hand, the Maurer Girl does not have the luck that I think she deserves, return to her sister, one of the least will not fail you, she can fill no need; yet mitigate it. […] (238)

It is clear through this letter that Jette Hanck was deeply touched by what she had read in Andersen's letters of October 1 and 16, but also that she had seen Andersen, both in terms of his talk about getting engaged and getting married. say, if only he had been rich, and as for his recurring talk of wanting to die. She clearly sees that the background to his current talk about wanting to marry Ida Falbe, if and when, is rooted in his disappointed crush on Louise Collin. What Jette Hanck, on the other hand, did not seem to realize, was that his disappointment in the love area was probably due in large part to the love of Edvard Collin. It was also a crush, Andersen made every effort to hide from others but himself and his friend. But in the above quotation, Jette Hanck is at the same time in character, demanding that she be recognized as much as Muse for Andersen's poetry, as is the case with Louise Collin and Mathilda Barck. However, Jette Hanck has realized that she cannot play the same role as the other two mentioned, because she is not in the position to be able to fill her friend's erotic love. Which was simply because Andersen did not at any time seem to have been sexually attracted to or fell in love with the friend of Odense, whom he almost regarded as a dear childhood friend. But the then 33-year-old Jette Hanck undoubtedly felt genuine love for his self-absorbed and flamboyant poet friend, which matured over time and turned out to be both a wise and love-filled poet, but who was 'only' and remained devoted to his poet's muse. But he had already shown his wisdom and universal love in his works, glimpses in the novels and especially in the fairy tales. But Andersen would also be a playwright and novelist and be recognized as such, though his force and real prayer were the fairy tales and later the stories.

However, Jette Hanck also states in her letter quoted above that the mother has planned to leave Odense and move to Copenhagen this spring. This is partly due to the fact that a few of the sisters reside in the capital, and partly because the father is buried there. The resigned Jette Hanck writes:

[…] However, Copenhagen makes me melancholy, but if it can comfort mother, I will certainly feel satisfied there too. When you come home would you like to visit the little widow's home as you now visit Wulff’s, Collin’s and Mrs. Læssøe? Maybe! But at least it would only be minutes. When I see you I can never talk to you like when I write, not like in the old days in Tolderlund. It is like a fleeting sight before I have my lips opened you are gone. […] So they travel the day before Miss Collins wedding; it does hurt her though however no it must be embarrassing if you stayed. Dear Andersen, Don't be too sad, be quite strong - we forget everyone, only some sooner, others later. Pride is a good doctor, can it and sometimes heal slowly but it always heals, but I am convinced. No one, not the most faithful being, can ever love alone; but it is true! Live well, sometimes think of me kindly You will be my dear brother, one of the friendliest pictures from the youth days in Tolderlund! Live well, no, no one is happy.

     Therefore, my best prayers follow you do not forget either / Sister.

     […] - On Saturday I want to think of you, and is it possible that I believe that one's spirit can surround the absent loved ones, then you will not be one in the South. - (239)

Love's revival!

The day of Andersen's departure from Copenhagen was approaching, and it and his journey are so fortunate that we can follow in his diaries and in his letters to friends. In the diary of Saturday, October 31, 1840, Andersen noted, among other things:

     On October 31, I left Copenhagen at 2 o'clock. It was a heavy parting; Last night my friends had given me a farewell party at Ferrini, where Oehlenschläger, conference counsel H.C. Ørsted, Collin, Lund and many younger friends of mine were. Oehlenschläger and Hillerup had written the songs; I slept only a little at night; today I said live well to Collins; they followed me out on the ship, Christian the Eighth, it was a strong wind, the lake was coming in from the Baltic. Eduard C. was the last one out there I said live well he pressed a kiss on my mouth! O it was as my heart would burst. Ingeborg and Louise I still saw in the boat. […] (240)

As the diary note shows, it had surprised Andersen that his beloved Eduard not only followed him out on the ship to say goodbye, but on top of that, had kissed him and it right on his mouth! He was so surprised and moved that it felt like the heart was breaking. After all, it had been Andersen's innermost and secret desire for many years that his friend would show him his love through caresses and kisses, yes, if it had been possible, also through sexual caresses and kisses. But as we now know, Andersen had long since realized the impossibility of such longings, and especially after the completely heterosexual predecessor Edvard had engaged and married his Jette. But despite the situation and the friend's obvious rejection of Andersen's erotic approach to him, this one continued to perceive Edvard Collin as his heart's only serious choice.

Encouraged by his beloved Eduard's farewell kiss, Andersen already wrote on the second day of his journey to Kiel, a letter to his beloved Eduard, dated Kiel on November 1, 1840, from which the following must be quoted here:

My dear faithful Eduard!

     Thank you for all your friendship, thank you for the last moment we saw each other, I get soft on the heart by thinking about it! yes we are and must become friends through eternity if we do not even say to each other. It was beautiful and affectionate of Jette that she came on board; ask her to greet Grethe Redsted! - Kiss my own Wool a thousand times from me! she must not forget her poet, even if he is "two years" gone, that is her number. Louise and Jonas have already forgotten what the sound of my name means! the sweet kids, when we meet, they will look at me, like a stranger. However, they got my "note". Don't forget that in Munich, if possible, I will know the fate of my piece.

     […] Greet everyone down at Thyberg’s, Ludvig Müller, in the Students' Association etc. etc. - May I in Munich have to get a good letter! tell me about Mrs. Heiberg has said something to my letter; tell me, under what title I was notified in the newspaper, give Hartmann inpatient small epistle. I forgot to give you the note that you could get tickets at the first performance of my piece, here's one. Tell me when you write if the mulatto has been played, if anything in the magazines has said anything about me, but it is evil, let alone! Finally, thank you Thiele for his kind farewell letter, it was pretty and kind of him. (241)

Since Andersen allegedly did not remember Edvard Collin's exact address, the above letter to the friend has probably been included in Andersen's letter of the same date to the paternal friend, Jonas Collin. From this letter the following should be quoted here:

     My beloved, kind-hearted father!

     Never have I felt as much about the home as I did when I left it, and at home I understand your house and everyone there, as well as Edward and Gottlieb’s; no son, no brother likes more! - but it's good I'm traveling, my soul is sick! even for his girlfriend you dare not, or you can not quite pronounce what is most pressing! - O where you have just in the last days made me feel your love! I love you as a father, always be me and I will acknowledge that I have won endlessly in this world! - In my mind I am with you, sitting face to face with the fucking honest mother! my blessed, beloved Ingeborg, who teases me - oh, no she doesn't tease me anymore! - the very dear Louise! - Oh, Theodor was with me! where we should knock each other! - But what is all I write! Half sick and half asleep runs the pen over the paper! I'm in Kiel and stay here overnight, so I'm attacked by the journey; we had a bad trip, everyone was sick and I was the one who suffered the most, in the end I couldn't hurt anymore, but that was how all the guts should go out. […] Greet Drewsen and all the kids up there! especially Jonna! Now I'm not writing from Breitenburg, but either from Hamburg or Braunsweig, and it will probably be Gottlieb, who will have a song of mine for Louise's wedding. Greetings Lind!

     Live well! my dearly beloved dear father! / with filial heart / H.C. Andersen.

     E. S. Send a bouquet of greetings to the Botanical Garden, Councilor H. understands the flowers he gives them.

[on the edge of the letter's page 2) Ask Eduard to send me his address! (242)

Already on November 3, Andersen Odense friend Jette Hanck addressed by letter, but since this contains no relevant interest in this connection, the letter does not need to be discussed further here. On the other hand, we will look at the letter Andersen wrote and sent to Edvard Collin's older brother Gottlieb Collin. The letter is dated Hamburg on 5-6. November 1840, from which the following passages must be cited:

     Dear friend!

     A few hours ago I came here to Hamburg and now sit am Jungf.stieg where the thoughts fly home to my loved ones! - You have probably seen my letter to your father or that to Eduard, you know the crossing, […] truth it is, I have never felt as soft at the thought of home as this time, but at home I mean it Collin House! oh yes, I feel that it is my home, your parents and those closest to me are mine! o My dear! Dear! God bless you all! Letters I expect one and only from the Collin family! Now let me see that you and your wife, both of them, are pleased with me with an epistle; until November 24, it will certainly hit me in Munich, later it must be addressed to Rome. I hereby send a wedding show for our dear Louise, it is written in Breitenburg, but did not want to succeed, I tried it in Copenhagen, but then it became as sad as it should not be. Now my song is the simplest at the wedding, but say to Louise and Lind, but you have to say it the wedding night: "Andersen wishes you both as happy as a brother can wish!" I hardly know the day the wedding is standing, but my thought, however, will be there, for daily I think of them. The song is loose here in the letter to prevent Louise from reading it before her wedding day. [...] Greet your dear wife and the brave boys. Bring them home and at Eduard my best regards, also share some in the Association and please think of me! write to Munich! / with deep affection / H.C. Andersen. (243)

"My dearest dear friend!"

Already four days later, Andersen again began a letter to Edvard Collin, this time a longer letter, the first part of which is dated Leipzig on 10. November 1840, and in it he tells initially of a new and marvelous kind of experience he has had:

     My dearest dear friend!

     The letter here, probably should not be sent home until I, if God wills, reach Munich, but since tonight I have time and quiet and my thought is quite with you! yes I love you, can you believe! however, I will begin the letter. Here I am in Leipzig, live in Stadt Rome and have a view of the entire railway yard, where the trolls roll to Magdeburg and Dresden. Today, for the first time in my life, I have driven a steam car, 16 miles in about 3½ hours, I am quite delighted, however you and everyone at home had been! now i know what it is to fly! now I know the flight of the migratory birds, or the cloud as it hunts over the earth; Oh, where one city was next to another! where the nearest farmland goes, like the spinning wheel! I have to say, I was terribly anxious to go with the steamer, but I wanted to see you! it is the wonder of me that lets me overcome my innate fear; I had that feeling: You never come alive from there. But when I was in the carriage and the rushing off and no air pressure bothered, I was like in my living room and trees and people flew by I felt good! Oh the poor driving, they seemed to crawl, like snails! It was from Magdeburg ten Leipzig I left, over Halle, from 7 to 10½ and we did, however, several small stays, but only once was I allowed by the conductor to rise and his eye was constantly directed at the machine while standing outside. Oh, how I admire the human spirit! yes, it must be immortal !; my heart sang a hymn to God so enthusiastically, as some heart have sung it on the flying chariot. Oh, so traveling yes that's just the right thing. The steamers that I was scared of, it's just my travel horse! - […]

Nuremberg, November 14.

[…] This morning I went to Mendelsohn-Bartholdy to find out who your sister greeted me on their Rhine journey; […] I told Mendelsohn that he had talked about me on the Rhine with some Danish ladies and I mentioned Mrs. Drewsen, “no, he said, her name was not so, it was a name that sounds like Coline! Louise Collin! I said and he clearly remembered her! - I mention Louise! - yes dear friend last night (the 13th) when I came here to Nuremberg I had an inexplicable feeling that it was Louise's wedding day; I drank her and Lind's toast! God make them pretty happy! I know they have been thinking of me! My play might go tonight for the first time, go the night after Louise's wedding. Write about both parts dear friend. - […]

Augsburg, November 16th.

[…] Everyone here in Germany treats me so much differently from most people in the home; o God where I feel soft by it, quite humble in heart, yes I have a name different from what they believe there at home; but dear friend, with God's help, I will strive to deserve it! - […] Kiss Vulle, Lovelise and Jonas and give them a piece of sugar for each kiss, so they long for more kisses from me.

Munich, November 17, 1840.

[…] Tell me Louise's wedding day and greet her and Lind. Tell your faithful dear mother that she is so often in my mind! Your father greets you and Ingeborg, my own dear - schoolmaster! Greet Drewsen, Jonna and the entire flock of children. When your Jette reads this letter, maybe my thought is with her! But wherever you go, learn to treasure your friends. Greetings Gottlieb, Gusta and the kids there! Greet your uncle and tell him to stay healthy until we meet; press Wilken in hand and bring a friendly good day to the sisters there. My dear Theodor is to receive a birthday present from Italy. Greetings Thyberg’s! Yes, greet right and left, in the living room and on the first floor and soon write my tried, loved Eduard, my best De's brother - / H.C. Andersen. (244)

Edvard Collin did not immediately respond to Andersen's above-quoted letter, but in return he received an admittedly brief letter from Jonas Collin, dated Copenhagen on November 10, 1840, from which the following must be quoted:

     […] Their "Comedy in the Green" made significant happiness last Sunday at the Cetti-sahlertzian entertainment; Molbech did not go away; but he has had some kind of sea-hurt. Next week, said Rindom, there should be a trial of the Maurer Girl; this week there is a reading on the Mazarin Family; The Independents have not left yet. Everything was sold out to Cettisahl. entertainment. By the way, nothing theatrical; the repertoire is moderate.

     […] - I will in vain invent something new, but there is nothing.

     Let us hear regularly from you and your travel companion / quite your / Collin. (245)

A few days after receiving the above letter, Andersen, to his great surprise, received a letter written by Henriette Collin, Theodor Collin, Wilkens Lind, Edvard Collin, Ingeborg Drewsen, Louise Collin, Jonna Drewsen, and Jonas Collin! The letter is dated November 14, 1840 and since each 'letter' is relatively short, they must all be reproduced here, and in that order, that is, Henriette Collin first:

Dear Andersen.

     I wanted to write quite a lot, just knowing how; that we miss you every day, you know; and that the old mother always nourishes the most motherly feelings to you, you probably also know - for I have never been so saddened by your parting as this time; but I hope we all will see you again. Collin says that this letter first hits you in Rome - and there is a fever! - be careful and tell you to meet dear Emil there - now is Holst from it, so we can not even send a greeting to him - please do not let him long - it does not tear you dear Andersen but still lives our house and all of us in your loving memory - As far as new is concerned, you probably know that I never know anything except the newspapers therefore I will stop the others can write something better and more interesting - and just tell you that I will never forget you and always nurture the most motherly feelings for you. / Your friend / Henriette Collin.

     Since I haven't received a letter from you yet, you can't get anything from me either, especially since I have a great deal of time; otherwise I find myself very well. Wilken too. / Thy devotee / Th. Collin.

     Dear poet, great man!

     Allow an insignificant person to relate to you, like a cellar man to a man living on the 5th floor, to bring you my tribute. We miss you very much. and are also convinced that you often think of us; They probably notice my modesty, which does not allow me to say me. An imminent event is postponed due to the humid weather which will not allow the rooms to dry, but I hope that the church bells in Frederiksberg Church in 14 days will ring your ear, so think of me and Louise. I haven't heard anything about the Virgin in the Green or the Moors, but now that the Independents have left, she will hopefully be released soon. It will hurt you to hear that the Independents did no further happiness; this must of course be completely independent of the translation, for it had Professor Heiberg provided and it must therefore be good. Sorry I wrote these lines with a steel pen; The reason was that I had no one else. Greet Holst from me; mother you well and live well! / Their / W. Lind.

And then Edvard Collin’s actually follows surprisingly positive, slightly humorous and welcoming posts in the family letter:

     No what do I write now! First, thank you for your beautiful and loving letter that you sent me from Kiel; it must have been a bad shock in the Sound, yes such shocks give the world. - How we feel? Well thank you very much. G. sk. l. - Listen Andersen, mother now well, and if you can make some money from it, then it was excellent; see that you can relish a bookseller, or his wife, to give you some Louis for the sheet of your works. And then come home with the Louis. - I hope the others have taken over the moving part of the letter, namely how we miss and long for you; however much I long for, I will never be as tall as you. The fact that Jette does not include in this letter is a consequence of my writing this in Amaliegade, and she is at home and knows nothing of it, as I had decided first to write when the girl had run out. - What about you in the magazines I can not say, as I do not read the provincial newspapers; however, you have been mentioned in the Leaf magazine as one of whom you could expect a closer connection with Ori or. - In the last verse of Pablo's show a line was missing, I can call it order things, Hartmann was in great embarrassment, I put in a line, it is the best in the whole show, there are 3 cellars and ½ joke in that line . If it gets patted, I'll report it immediately. - All my greetings. / Yours / E. Collin.

My dear Andersen, we long for you very much, and miss you exceedingly, here no one is teased, and here no glitches occur; my excellent talent for teasing goes to waste. I only write a few lines this time as I am so incredibly tired as I have been doing some errands this morning; but another time I'll probably write to you. They probably remember the promise you made to me on the occasion of my letter. We, as well as the audience, had fun last night to the Comedy in the Green, we laughed so immensely, and it received extremely strong applause. Thank you for your regards to me. Well live my dear dear friend, God grant that you may have fun and miss us, Holst greets me many times. I have to greet you many times from my husband and my children, they often talk about you, Adolph would have written to you, but he has to go down and take care of some boys playing in the yard. Live well, live well, and don't forget your loving and sincere friend / Ingeborg.

     My dear good Andersen!

     You must repay evil with good, therefore I will also write a few words to you, though I have not yet seen a single kind word from you, for my father's letter, in which there might have been a greeting to me, I have not had to behold, and in the letter of Eduard, which I saw, there was none; so you see that when you do not want me to think that you have completely forgotten me, you must write to me. We all long for you and miss you dearly. We thought so much of you last night when we saw the Comedy in Green, we were so pleased that it made so much happiness; the next day we got it out and went through it all and got ourselves another lovely laugh over it. Before the 14th day, the Maurer girl will not appear when it's gone, Eduard writes to you once more. Before you left, I forgot to tell you from Marie Wegener if you would grab her son Theodor and greet him from the family, you will also greet him from me when you see him. In 14 days I think our wedding should stand, the day is yet to be determined, but I should almost think it was the 25th of this month; will you leave your thoughts with us that day, dear Andersen! - Now that you are well together with Holst, you will greet him quite warmly from me, tell him, we miss him very Sunday morning. I wish him that he must not suffer from being homesick, but he must not forget his friends. On the other hand, I want you to suffer a little from home, because what would you travel for! But now, well, my dear friend! sometimes think of your loving sister / Louise.

     Dear Andersen!

     Since this is just the place for me to write to you, I take this opportunity to use the pen. You may think that I miss you especially on Sunday morning, as it was almost the only time of the week that I could speak a serious word to Master. There is a poet who writes so beautifully and so truthfully, "Where we are separated is a Golgotha of pain," and this content-rich expression, I think, can well be used here. You can't imagine what joy I heard Mother and the others say that your "Comedy in the Green" had received so much applause. I thank you very much for the kind greeting you sent me in the letter to grandfather, it pleased me so infinitely, as I can see that little Jonna is not quite forgotten among the many friends and acquaintances sent to . But I'm sitting here scratching things like that, so it's greedy. I must stop, asking you to send many greetings to Holst and tell him that his company is sorely missed on Sundays, but no one's company is missed as much as yours by your loving and devoted / Jonna.

     Where Jonna Can Write! - I dreamed about you tonight! Live well, greet Holst. Nov. 14, 1840. / C. [Jonas Collin] (246)

The fatherly friend

After Andersen must have received the above series of letters from the Collin family, it was partly because of the very positive and almost loving content of the letters, and partly because among the writers Edvard and Louise Collin, he believed that he would have immediately dipped the pen in the ink house and the reply and thank you. But he may well have failed to get the 'family letter' before writing a letter to Jonas Collin again, which he did in Munich on November 22, 1840. This letter states that it is Collins's letter of November 10, p. Oh, he answers. From Andersen's longer reply letter, the following passages must be quoted:

     My dear fatherly friend!

     It never occurs to me that I should be able to get a letter from home until the last days I was in Munich; I did not wait a word before Eduard wrote and told me how the Maurer girl had gone, and it was fair that such a letter first arrived in Rome, so you can think how happy I was yesterday at finding postal letters, it from you and one from dear Gottlieb! - I just came to go to the theater, but when it was something early and the post office was close, I thought, you can of course ask for a letter, so the time goes by, and I am surprised then to get two; I knew their handwriting and seized it gladly, but with an anxiety about it brought me something evil, something that must grieve me! O thanks therefore! - […] Gottlieb's letter inexpressibly pleased me, tell him; had he felt my joy over it, then he would have been happy to have written and so soon, but what particularly moved me were the few lines Gusta had added, they were so cordial, so genuinely sisterly written, that I came to cry. In the theater where I was to see the Postillion in Lonjumeau, I had no thought at all for the comedy, I went away in the middle of the second act, my thought was so quite in the home and at home I only think of your house; It is the place that can give me a home, otherwise I never want to see Denmark where I have felt more unhappy than happy. - Do not judge me harshly for this utterance, there are many sorrows, much that may lie in one's own soul, which one will not even utter for himself. - As soon as I got here to Munich I wrote, or rather I wrote a long letter to Eduard; I had everything in Leipzig started there. They must now have obtained it and the whole family must have read it. I would not have written so soon again, but when I received your letter, I felt the urge there, besides, I have some commissions which I ask you to hand over to dear Eduard, whom he will provide, but it must be the very first; […] If I do not get a letter here in Munich about the admission of the Maurer girl, then I certainly expect to find a letter in R about when I occur there at the New Year, so that I can immediately write to Eduard about how my new credit must be styled: […] However, I know I can trust you and Eduard when, in four or five weeks, in Rome, I hear from Denmark again, I can write immediately, but therefore ask Eduard quite clearly in a letter, everything relating to money. But now to Life in Munich. I expect you have read my epistle to Eduard, which must have happened 6 to 7 days ago, so I tie the thread in this to the hint. […] Will you say to Augusta Collin that I immediately brought the morning star the greeting she sent him and he has ordered me, to say the least, to say hello again; we talked a lot about Fritz and there were several of his friends there on the "Knejpen", who all talked so beautifully about Fritz, who, then, they said, Denmark had not rated enough. Gottlieb's letter was dated October 12, there was no word in it about Louise's wedding, so it had not yet taken place. Now, I don't hear about it before in Rome! salute her, as from a faithful brother - O God, I get the water in my mind at the thought of her - about you! about all my loved ones back home! greet Lind! yes, greet the old house from me! I too have many memories from there, many poet's dreams, many youth's hours are connected to that house, for I belong to the family, although I am a stranger! - Press the dear Ingeborg in my hand and tell her that a few times on the trip, it has occurred to me that I had always left Denmark, that I never saw them at home! and then she has emerged most vividly, with a sad, sad face, so that I have cried - she loves me I know! - Oh God if I never saw her and those at home anymore and yet maybe it was good, maybe it was the best for me! - God's will be done! - O be blessed and thanks to my second father, my good old friend, for all you were to me! O God I love no one like you at home! - but I don't want to write anymore tonight, I feel so alone, so sad. Holst is in the theater, I have no desire. Live well! –

E. S. Your dear wife, who is so motherly to me, I salute a thousand times! Drewsen and the kids! my own Eduard and his Jette! the good, loving Gottlieb and Augusta, all the kids! don't forget Vulle, the sweet kid! However, she forgets if we don't meet again! - Greet Ørsteds, Thieles, Hornemanns, Liebe and Stage, yes I do not mention who! but greet my friends! once again live well! - I forgot to mention Theodor! and yet he is daily in my mind! I see him at the coffee table, see him with Teckla walking to the Association, give him a double greeting that he shares with Wilken! - (247).

As significant as theater and money problems were, it was to Andersen that his longings of love had proved incapable of satisfying or satisfying. The disappointed double crush on Louise and Edvard Collin was still painful for him, but one was that Louise Collin did not feel attracted to Andersen as a man, something else, the greater disappointment that Edvard Collin for good reasons, and not even with her best will, so be able to accommodate his friend at this point. It is the deep sorrow over this that Andersen implicitly expresses in the letter to Jonas Collin in and with the words: “there are many sorrows, many that can lie in one's own soul, which one will not even speak for himself. - As soon as I got here to Munich I wrote, or rather I wrote a long letter to Eduard; I had everything in Leipzig started after that. ”- As the two sentences show, Andersen associates the sorrows that one does not even dare to speak for himself, indirectly with the name and person Edvard Collin. Therefore, it is undeniably clear that Andersen himself acknowledged what was the deeper reason for his problems in the realm of love life, namely his "half-womanhood" which caused his crush on Edvard Collin - and, moreover, in several other men, both before and later. But not only that, his "half-manhood" meant that he could also fall in love with women, as was the case, for example, with his love for Louise Collin. He saw his sexual need to be covered, partly by masturbation and partly by occasional visits to prostitutes. But what Andersen, on the other hand, had not yet acknowledged and accepted, at least not fully, was that his unhappy double crushes in fact gave substance to his poet and writer business, and consequently was a good, albeit a very unpleasant and at times painful excellent.

The fatherly comfort

There can be no doubt that Jonas Collin had a genuine interest in and love for Andersen as a human being and poet, but at the same time was not blind to his 'step-son's weaknesses, which he usually saw through his fingers. On December 12, 1840, Jonas Collin again wrote and sent a letter to Andersen. The most notable thing about the letter, however, is that Collin had enclosed a letter he had already written on November 3, that is, a few days after Andersen's departure from Copenhagen, but which returned to the sender. The latter letter, to be reproduced here first, shows the great interest and love felt by the fatherly friend for his protégé:

Dear Andersen

     Nothing has long been arranged that has come to my heart as much as your departure, even though I just do not give my feelings air, so that they are not particularly noticeable. We all miss you every moment, and by the triple birthday yesterday you were often mentioned. Nor have you failed to complain about the stormy voyage, and my wife regularly asked about wind and weather. Now you are probably at Breitenburg, where you are probably with the noble Count; in Altona you will probably find a friendly reception at both Freund’s and Schumacher’s. And the farewell, which, as I suppose, also pressed you, you will soon find reimbursement partly in the renewal of old acquaintances, and partly in interesting new ones, which will not be lacking in Germany; I really hope so, for you must go a happy, happy, for your fruitful journey towards, is my heartfelt desire. As for myself, I did not like your travel decision much, and it is not unreasonable, since at my age you do not want to lose any of your surroundings as you love, because that thought arises so easily, if not goodbye. ”, You say, could easily be the last.

     New, of course, I cannot tell from these two, three days; greetings I have no one to bring, for I have not told anyone that I write to you - otherwise I would have had a whole dozen. But since I know it will please you to get a few lines from me, while you are still on Danish (in far-flung sense) reason, it has amused me to think that I pleasantly surprised you with these lines.

     Live well Andersen! / Your fatherly devotees / Collin. (248)

Collins's letter, dated Copenhagen on December 12, 1840, which enclosed in the above letter, reads as follows:

     Dear Andersen.

     This once for your particular letter, but which failed you in Hamburg, must now seek you in Rome, since you have desired to have it, and it contains something which I must repeat in a new one - for I miss you no less now than for 6 weeks ago. - If you have remained your decision believe that traveling from Munich on December 2. then I suppose you can be in Rome, for Christmas or when this letter can get there, and then I would not want you to ask in vain for a letter from - the Collin House. How the Maurer Girl has gone is most on your mind, and you must know that it is not yet listed. It was hired on Friday to go today, Saturday, Dec. 12, even though the music was not finished, but since Hartmann on Wednesday had not yet delivered the final part, so it was impossible to get it printed and learned to this day, of course, the piece could not go. Hartmann is still a stump to this day, but it is hoped to get so timely that the play can go on Friday, because for the rest there is nothing in the way. Should you now receive this letter before you receive the next one in which it will be reported on its construction, I would ask you not to become frantic - however far from the scene you are, though in a warm climate, though cold-tempered than here . - The other case that interests you is Louise's wedding, held on Wednesday, November 25 in Frederiksberg Church, and the guests gathered in Amalie Street with us. Their song was the first to be sung - since the Oehlenschläger’s, Hertz ', Hoiberg’s, and finally, when only the closest were left, a hearty beautiful song from the brothers - by Holst; it made a deep impression on all of us; You must say that, Holst, if he has been with you to Rome, and thank him sincerely from all of us.

     On December 3rd. became your and Oehlenschläger’s 2 cantatas on the occasion of death of Fr. VI, performed in Our Lady’s Church. The income is certainly the first contribution to a monument (statue equestre) of the Blessed King - by Thorvaldsen.

     I have not told anyone in the house that I am writing to you today and therefore I cannot bring any greeting from anyone in particular, but that we all with love and longing think about you and often talk about you, it is a truth , as good as a greeting.

What new that might otherwise have passed, I do not recall, and therefore I probably did not care to write, as it may not be of any importance since it does not occur to me.

     Greet the countrymen in Rome; However, several of them have some goodness for me, greet Bravo, he will hear from me soon. Thorvaldsen is now destined to travel in the spring with the stampede family with whom he mostly resides. He spent some days in Copenhagen. but will travel to Nysø tomorrow.

     Live well, live well! girlfriend Andersen / Your paternal / Collin. (249)

Andersen had not received the two letters cited above before he wrote and sent a new one to Jonas Collin. The letter is dated Rome on December 21, 1840, from which the following must be quoted:

     My dear good father!

     With this letter, one to Ingeborg, you will read what I wrote it yesterday and in it I told you my trip to Rome and my arrival here. […] - This is my letter to you, quite probably, the first days of January, maybe the 6th, it brings then my sonly loving greeting! my mind will be quite alive that day at home; God let us all keep it long, as you are! […] Bravo has asked me to greet you a lot; he is most eager to know anything about Thorvaldsen. His library sends Eduard a greeting. - The theologian Hermansen is here, he has been lying by the cups and got everything freely on the Capitol because our king once gave to the hospital here. Constantin Hansen has also been slightly attacked. Both of them are now healthy. Roed sends greetings to Eduard. Küchler diligently paints on the ordered altarpiece, he greets Gottlieb, besides, he asks me to tell him that he has not heard at all whether Thorvaldsen has paid the painting he received, at the same time as Mar strand’s, he begs Gottlieb to pee a little as he needs for money.

     […] Greet your dear wife, Gottlieb with his Augusta and the boys! greet Eduard, Jette and Vulle; agency Hornemann and the family there! Theodor probably provides this greeting. Tell me who is actually to blame for the Maurer Girl not playing! tell me - but you don't! Mrs. Heiberg probably laughed at my letter to her as I travelled; had it made the impression it should, then you probably would have spoken to me in the letters I received in Munich. - […] - Now good night, all my loved ones at home! -

Rome, December 22, 1840.

Before I send the letter away, a few more words; - with 400 species, as I said, I can come to Greece, by half, only to Sicily; finally let me hear as soon as possible and if you can - the will I know you have - then I will get the highest credit at once that can be obtained. Live well! Greetings to Lind and Louise! / Their filial devoted / H.C. Andersen. (250):

The day after Andersen wrote the above-quoted letter, it turns out that Jonas Collin again wrote a letter to Andersen in which he regrettably this time had to announce the not very encouraging "news", about the sad fate that had passed the "Maurer girl". Collins's letter is dated Copenhagen on December 22, 1840, and it is evident that the tanned theater director and conference council have had even harder to put the pen to paper than usual. The letter which Andersen received under the almanac on January 8, 1841, reads as follows:

     Dearest Andersen.

     The Maurer Girl has now gone twice, the first time last Friday (Dec. 18) for a nearly full house, the second time last night for fairly moderate (income 135 r), so that it seems uncertain whether the subscription goes around. From the theater's point of view, it was equipped as well as possible, beautiful decorations received with applause, beautiful suits and full-length parades; Hartmann's music also made good fortune; on the game could also not complain, and food. Holst is in demand of your complete thanks, she performed the role excellently and won much applause. - But, nevertheless, the play made no luck. Why? shall I not decide; it does not interest; one scene that made a lot of impression is the one where Raphaella in the hut prays, and is surprised by the king; but another scene which was terribly unfortunate is the one where the King of the Maurice and his daughter enter the same hut; the many interruptions of the act of dance, song and gig also do harm. - I do not have to assure you, my good, dear Andersen, that this outcome has saddened us a lot, especially because you promised much of the piece, and then partly based your itinerary. That Mrs Heiberg could not have helped the piece forward, we consider decisive, for, as I said, food. Holst did out of the role, everything that could be done.

     It is very difficult for me to bring you this job post; but I don't know if Edvard is writing to you today, and I know you are very excited to learn something about this case.

     Next to this intelligence, nothing can fit. So I quit. My wife and Jonna, who experience that I write to you, greet you many, many times; Ingeborg is not home, Louise is in her home, / Your paternal friend / Collin (251)

"Your Edvard"

Although it is actually outside the scope of this article to report on the circumstances of Andersen's writing in general, and the tragedy "The Maurer Girl" in particular, some minimal mention of the play and its hardly so delightful fate is necessary for an understanding of Andersen and his state of mind during this period of his life. Therefore, the most important passages in both Edvard Collins as well as in his wife, Jette Collin’s, letters of January 1, 1841, which Andersen according to the almanac received on 18 January so, must be reproduced here:

Dear friend! I want to start the year writing to you. Now I would probably have the pleasure of writing something quite pleasing to you, but that this cannot be done on the occasion of the Maurer girl, you already know by the letter of the father. I have set it up so that I can communicate to you the financial result, and unfortunately I can already do that now that the piece, after being listed three times, we hardly go tens, at least it is destined to be abandoned. In addition to the subscription, the revenue has been the house once, the other two times approx. 130 each time; the result will be - if the fact that the paragraph did not last a full 5 half hours is not taken into account that your share will be approximately 300 Rdlr. - Should I now further develop the reason for the fate of the play, it would embarrass me, for I cannot find it in that it is not good, or was carried out at all, or that the audience was biased against you; for none of this is the case. "It didn't work out" is the impression we all have of it. We were, as you may know, all in the theater the first night, but I - I want to talk about myself only - had a great deal of uncomfortable feeling, and especially that; that the effect sites in the play made no effect. The scene. with the interrupted conversations at the dance, where otherwise the music was lovely, was almost ridiculously arranged, one stayed over the many processions, the strangely frequent stage changes, [...] But the main reason the piece didn't take off is probably the dead places they call it at the theater, namely long and wide discussions without points or action; […] But surely you are wrong when you write that the theater-visiting audience has been biased against you; for, although it did not seem to catch the interest, there were no misgivings, but several applause. […] - As for the sales of it in the booklets, I can't say anything to you yet, but it just seems even. That the magazines have not judged the piece, and you on the occasion of your advocacy, gentle, would be unreasonable of me to conceal, as you may know from the foregoing, but the reviews should not be distinguished by any particularly critical value, with the exception of The Fatherland, however, lets you do some justice. If, by the way, you believe that the poor Moorish girl of the Moors has left some lasting impression in your disfavour, you are mistaken, for it is already forgotten; […] - With us as and in the family, everything, God blessed, is old. that we often miss you, you may know, as I know that you, with all your desires abroad and want to wander about, often miss us. My sweet Vulle often talks to us about you and knows that it is a reward for excellent courtesy when she is allowed to see Andersen's Picture Book. Little Louise can remember your name too. - The darkest side we currently have is the waning view of the mother. However, we all still hope that it has nothing special to say. - Now, dear friend, let us hear from you soon that you are well and not discouraged from seeking new laurels, though the Maurer girl did not bring you. / Yours / Edvard. (252)

What is particularly interesting about Edvard Collins's above-quoted letter is that, for the first time in any letter to Andersen, he signs with his first name. This more intimate friendly 'practice' continued at least until November 24, 1843, when Edvard Collin suddenly signed "E. Collin, Attorney General.” This was allegedly due to the fact that once again something had happened between the two otherwise lifelong friends, but again caused by Andersen's self-admitted, insulted and accusatory outcome against Edvard Collin. This, like his wife, was, of course, deeply saddened by the death of little Vulle on February 15, 1843, which we must all return to in chronological order. The full text of Jette Collin's letter of the same date as her husband, Edvard Collin's letter of January 1, 1841, is to be quoted as follows:

Dear Andersen.

     Edvard has, at my request, saved a page in his letter to me and I will use it to talk to you a little about what must of course satisfy you most. That you too were with the Maurer girl the first night you may know and I am quite convinced that no one had the pleasure of it as I knew it so closely and for whom none of its individual beauties could be lost. That Mrs. Holst was perfect in the performance of her role, you know everything, and it is probably right when a reviewer in the Berlingske Tidende thinks that you could not have given the role in better hands than hers; it was a mistake when you thought you had written it for Mrs. Heiberg; to the same conviction must be shown any coming who has seen the play and who is not completely blinded by Mrs. Heiberg. - With the arrangement of it all, I believe that you were satisfied, the decorations were truly excellent, you could only object that there were too many, because the frequent scene change brought a turmoil that apparently damaged the piece and made you constantly miss it conductive thread. Phister's drinking made excellent luck and you can't imagine a better performance either. When Edvard says that Hansen did no sinful harm this expression seems to me a little unfair, for when I except the nuisance he and the audience have of his organ, he seemed to me better than I ever saw him. If someone is said to have done harm, it must be cf. Smoke which, with its overly material exterior and its ghastly Copenhagen face, could not, with its best efforts, bear any resemblance to a Moorish princess - a certain modern turn made no good effect either. Her "Alas on the mountain is my thought", she said with emotion and taste and was also applauded. Holst played beautifully and royally, and Kragh performed his role with much force and decency. Smoking seemed to me dull and to the French princess had been chosen, cf. Fabritius who had nothing in common with Mrs. Holst and which therefore disturbed the illusion. The scene in the cabin with Raphaella and the king was greatly applauded just as the king's monologue.

     Now I have filled since dear Andersen and I have tired you with my poor opinion so forgive me if not then let me see a few words from you on occasion. I often think of you and miss you very much.

     [In the margin:] If I wanted to mention to you all the people who asked me to send you a thousand greetings, I was never finished, I can only tell you that Vulle is sitting next to me that she will follow the mailman out to you. She sits and wraps a piece of chocolate cake in a whole newspaper, it must be stored for you. / Yours / Jette Collin. (253)

Not before on January 20 did Andersen receive the double letter from Edvard and Jette Collin, to which he immediately replied in the form of two slightly longer consecutive letters, dated Rome on January 20, 1841, from which the following must be quoted:

My faithful Eduard! Not before today came your letter, what I expect every day with the deepest longing! God rejoice therefore! I was beginning to think that the memory of you with you was already slipping away in your everyday bustle! - I write immediately so you can tell your father that it is better with me, much better than when I last wrote him. […] - A letter from you will always be a joy to me and now that this letter even contained far better intelligence than I expected - you see how I must have expected it - the letter was a revival! - […] - From the countrymen's letters I knew of Heiberg's new Poems; but got by my good friend E. Collin, a different review than his correspondents have given; these say that they are" "polished" but "without a big core", mostly theater stories; a volume Poems by Hertz are referred to as unfortunate; however, I like to think that both the Christianshavn’s and Hertzic poems are masterful and that should please me! - The magazines have thus spoken evil about me, especially for my Preface - - now, I must see someday giving them a back talk maybe it can bring balance to things.

     [in the 1st page margin:] In your Father's letter was a letter to Mad. Holst, whom I thanked for her play.

     [on the 2nd page margin:] Your Jette applies to the second half of the letter! Live well ”No one is more faithful to you than your friend / H.C. Andersen.

     Dear, dear - Edward's Jette!

     It was beautiful and good of you that you wrote! that was the first word I ever saw from you! what you say about Vulle that she wrapped a small piece of chocolate into a whole newspaper made me laugh; it was the first greeting from the home that got a cheerful pull on the mouth! that cute kid! I also think of her daily and when I see some ornate Roman children, I want to be able to bring my Vulle or another piece of their ornaments; especially there are some woolly box kings that stand right in front of me, but where do I get them home! - Little Louise remembers my name, writes Eduard, kiss her and do not let her forget the name, God knows how long it will be remembered in Denmark! but I forget my own daughter for your daughters! - the "non-female" Moor girl! - I can begin to think that the play has resolved loosely, that the "eye-play" has been too broad, but quite reject all the work I can not! thanks your father-in-law for writing immediately, without his letter it would have been hard for Eduard to let me wait as long as I had to wait! the dear father's participation also did me good, though it was just as much to me that he – j u s t b y t h I s p I e c e, should have had the honor of me as it was my honor to do! - O that, it has pained me, but it must be created, with the help of the eternal God! The Christian axes will bend, as in Joseph's dream and I hope the critically lean cows will not swallow the spiritual fat! - However, it is probably figuratively speaking and since it looks a bit uncertain with my Eastern journey I probably dare not speak in pictures. Greet them all in Amalie Street, don't forget the mother and Jonna; but also go down your own ground floor to your father and mother and say that I am in the tank too! Greet Christian Thyberg, and let Vulle spend a friendly good day with Virgo Schouboe, as well as with Bülow’s. […] - I study the Bible and Becker's World History and read Bulwer's Rienzi and Goethe's Faust, though I have only written four lines in a sad moment, as well as in Munich a poem for Louise, let me know if she got it and salute her, yes quite as heartily as you can! The many you say in your letter to greet me may you greet again! tell Miss Reimer that I walk out of the gate every day to see if she comes. With regard to the Maurer girl, I must add that it does not seem that I have the happiness of daughters, the Maurer girl and Agnete both emerged while I was out and they are still lonely in the world. The sons have more happiness: the improvisator, the mulatto, the pig boy and the game man, yes they are doing well. I am now very anxious for the daughters to come and daughters are coming soon! - Hartmann I wrote to today, Eduard has probably brought him the previous greetings. Now write some words in Eduard's next letter and have him write immediately; remember that I traveled this past October and not until January 20th did I get his first letter. Finally, let me know if Gottlieb received a letter dated Mantua. […] Now live happily ever after! greet all our loved ones. / Your old friend. / The poet. (254)

Jette Hanck on "The Maurer Girl"

On January 21, Andersen notes in the almanac that he had received a letter from Jette Hanck, which was received 3 days later than Edvard and Jette Collins letters. The letter turns out to be dated Odense New Year's Eve and continued New Year's morning and January 2, 1841, and which was therefore only sent on January 3. From this very long letter, however, only the following relevant passages should be quoted:

     You may believe Andersen, it was quite a surprise yesterday to receive your letter. On Friday, 8 days, the Maurer girl went and I intended; then Edouard Collin writes immediately on Saturday to A - before the brother knows what luck the piece has been, before you do not get a letter, and it will appear most often on Sunday, January 3, so I had calculated it. From Thomsen’s Avis I first saw that the Maurer Girl was performed with applause, I do not know much more, but you have probably received a detailed description of the play and everything from Copenhagen, and yet I wish that I had also been present at its performance, I should then have described to you everything as accurately as it had been in my power. Maybe Collin is an exception, but in general I do not think that male people are involved in such a lofty description as we wife timber, though perhaps his wife helps him. I immediately let Milo send me the Maurer Girl; I have read it with great interest, and it surpasses as far as the image it had left in my memory; but it must be so when you read it to us it was impossible for me to perceive it, my mind was too painfully moved. There are, as you say and yourself in the story, perhaps not as many lyrical beauties as in The Mulatto; but there is no superfluous word either, the action is so quick, there is something powerful and exhilarating in it that quite moved me, last night when I read it. The author had no need in the Advocate to wish for greater power than is expressed in this work. No dear Andersen, the power is there; but it was suppressed by sorrow and violations when you wrote down those lines in front that will always be read with the movement of your friends who have seized me deeply because they remind me of what I value most in the brother, the childish god-devoted mind; but as I do not under the audience because the plurality of it lacks it in the feeling that perceives such. The whole Advocate is very beautifully written, there is only one utterance that I feel I wanted to omit, that you have been "mocked and mocked". I've heard several people here in town mention the Maurer girl, all of them have mentioned it with fame. [...]

     I hear at this moment that the Maurer Girl after the Copenhagen Post must have made a lot of happiness. […] (255)

During her long letter, Jette Hanck also tells, among other things, that her and the mother have looked at several apartments in Odense, but that the rent prices are too high for their wallet, which is why the mother and she end up moving to Copenhagen, where also a few of the sisters already live. Jette Hanck ends her letter as follows for her characteristic and disillusioned way:

Do you see that I have written a good long letter, am I not now a good sister? It is admittedly the most insignificant it contains, but in my narrow world there is so little movement. I would have liked to have been in the cypress hall would have liked to have breathed southern air, maybe when mother and I breathed easier than it is now if we were there; but there I never come, as a younger I have probably dreamed; but in the young years one dreams so much. None of my dreams have come true, and now I am as awake as life can make one.

     Well done, greet the lovely Italy, the paradise that I will never see. / Sister Jette. (256)

Yes, one must note that Jette Hanck was a good "Sister Jette" for her poet friend, not least because she always participated with genuine interest in what he did and how he was doing, and also always be ready with comfort and encouragement to him when he felt misunderstood and depressed. Jette Hanck was - to a certain extent similar to the somewhat younger Jonna Drewsen and later Mrs. Dorothea Melchior - probably among the few of his sisterly friends who best understood the depth of the best of his poetry works which she had followed through his letters from the very beginning of their friendship, which began in earnest in the early 1830s. Although Andersen's reply letter of 22 January 1841 to Jette Hanck does not contain anything about the Collin family, except that Edvard Collin is mentioned briefly, the following passages of the letter must nevertheless be quoted here, more for the understanding of Andersen's state of mind and situation at the end of January 1841 The letter is dated Rome on January 22, 1841:

     It was a dear and big surprise to me yesterday to find a letter from you; I now do not receive many letters and those I have recently received reported that the Maurer girl did not go out, did not do happiness, and after the third performance was put away. Their intelligence sounds quite the opposite, yes you even have, according to the Copenhagen Post, that the piece must have made much happiness; My Copenhagen friends, on the other hand, write that in no magazine will I be spared. - I believe in the evil now, but thank you for your gentle intelligence, which, in association with my fellow countrymen in their letters from home, hears nothing of any whining, and such interesting news would probably be told, brings me to that addition, that although I am not happy, I have no disgrace of my latest poetry either. But so far I will leave this story and briefly report what the days have brought me since I sent you my last letter from Florence. […]

Finally, tell me what you think of Heiberg's new poems, Eduard raises them a lot. Hertz has also published a volume of poems. - If you see Hansen then it pleases me to hear that he is well-tuned for the Maurer Girl. Otherwise, I don't seem to have the luck of my daughters. Maurer Girl and Agnete have only a few friends, but my sons are doing well. The Improvisator, the pig boy, the Mulatto and the Fiddler. Yes they could easily! If you see Line Faaborg, tell her that I the other day, and it is true, then saw a painting with the gratuities, and one had much of her face painted by a young French painter. But now I have to quit as the paper no longer stretches. Wish I could send you an Italian sunbeam; notwithstanding the winter is not good, however, the violets flourish strongly; one I have stuck here in the letter. Stay tuned now! poor sister Jette! you've been sick for four weeks! - yes, I was dead so long I would lie there! - however you have a home, in a home you can only half feel sick. Now live well! I end with greetings to you and the mother. / Their fraternal / H.C.A.

     Greet Miss Schleppegrell. (257)

With this letter, we will end this 4th part of the H.C. Andersen and his double crush on Edvard Collin and his sister, Louise Collin. But it will, of course, be continued in Part 5 of this series, with the intention being to report on Andersen and Edvard Collin's relationship to one another just before Andersen's death on August 4, 1875. Edvard Collin survived Andersen by about 11 years.

© March 2011 Harry Rasmussen. Translated into English by the author in January 2020.

(Continued in Part 5) Sorry, but the following articles H3-09. – H3-11. has not yet been written:

H3-09. Andersens fjerde dobbelt-forelskelse (5) – dobbeltforelskelsen i Edvard Collin og dennes søster Louise.

H3-10. Andersens fjerde dobbelt-forelskelse (6) – dobbeltforelskelsen i Edvard Collin og dennes søster Louise.

H3-11. Andersens fjerde dobbelt-forelskelse (7) – dobbeltforelskelsen i Edvard Collin og dennes søster Louise.

The series continue in and with article H3-12.

____________________________

Notes and sources (continued)

167. BJC I, Letter No. 67, p 129.

168. A&C, pp. 456-58.

169. A&C, p. 480.

170. A&C, p. 481. - See also the section Sources of our knowledge of H.C.Andersen

171. Anderseniana 1942, p.192. - 'geburtsday': birthday. - 'Priest Boye's Daughter': Henriette Dorothea Sophie Boye (1821-95), was confirmed at St. Olai Church i

Helsingør, where her father, Caspar Johannes Boye (1791-1853) was a priest. - 'Mrs Læssøe': Signe Læssøe, b. Abrahamson (1781.1870).

172. BEC I, letter No. 102, p.266.

173. BEC I, Letter No. 103, pp. 266-67. - 'Moltke': A.W. Moltke (1785-1864), county governor, finance minister, possessor of the county of Bregentved. - 'Theodor Boye (1821-71), son of Mathias A. Boye (1796-1872), a brother of the priest C. J. Boye (1791-1853).

174. BEC I, Letter No. 104, pp. 267-70. - 'My New Novel': "Only a Fiddler", which was published on November 22, 1837. - "Svend Dyring": "Svend Dyring’s Hus" by Henrik Hertz, first listed on Det kgl. Theater March 15, 1837. - 'I am also found worthy of a salary that Hertz has received it': In 1837 Henrik Hertz had obtained poetry from the finances, Andersen obtained the same upon application, but initially got only 200 species in annual support. The amount was later increased. - 'a happy man who has wife and' maybe children!': Expresses 'maybe children' Andersen borrowed from J. L. Heiberg's "An Adventure in the Rosenborg Garden", where in the third scene the following replies occur: - 'if she was very rich I fell in love with her': jokingly meant remark. - 'I gossip, like an old lady': Andersen had an easy time running his mouth and pen.

        Winter.

        Yes, of my retirement I cannot live with wife and maybe children.

        Peter.

        Maybe children? What kind of kids are they?

        - 'Me and other poor peers': Cf. with Andersen's moving adventure "Pepper's Nathue", 1858. - 'The plans for the abandoned children of wicked parents': Together with his son-in-law, Adolph Drewsen, in 1837 Jonas Collin had founded 'The Association for the Neglected Children's Salvation'. - 'When She Has Not Won': "The Music Society", for which Edvard Collin was administrator in 1837, had distributed 100 copies of the newly released text to composer Weyse's song "Floribella". - 'Bishop Faber': Nicolai Faber (1789-1848), bishop of Funen Diocese 1834. - 'a beautiful daughter': The bishop had two grown daughters: Livia Thora Octavia (1817-52) and Helga Borgvold Alvilde (1820-1905) , but which of these two, Andersen is aiming for, is unknown. - 'Reimer': Thomas Carl Theodor Reimer (1803-68), exam. Juris., Treasurer of St. Thomas. He was engaged to Jette Collin's sister, Mimi Thyberg, who sadly died Christmas Eve 1837, only 27 years old. - 'if she was very rich, I fell in love with her': jokingly meant remark. - 'I gossip, like an old lady': Andersen had an easy time running his mouth and pen.

175. Anderseniana 1942, p. 207. - 'Rantzau-Breitenburg': Conrad Rantzau-Breitenburg (1773-1845), Countess, secretary of state, possessor of Breitenburg. - 'He probably looks, like all such people, the Count I have portrayed in the novel': For "such people" Andersen must also count Crown Prince Christian Frederik, the later King Christian VIII, for there are replicas of this, Andersen has put in his mouth on the Count in the novel. - 'Høyen': N. L. Høyen (1798-1870), art historian, 1829 professor at the Academy of Arts. - 'Hertz': Henrik Hertz (1798-1870), poet. - 'The day before had her at table and very entertained': Andersen here refers to his crush on Sophie Ørsted, see about this in the section Andersen's fifth double crush. - the double crush in H.C. Ørsted and his daughter Sophie.

176. From the beginning of his schooling in Slagelse and later in Helsingør, Andersen received financial support from the Treasury. Later, having become a recognized writer and playwright, he also received an annual amount, which was a good - and necessary - supplement to his often strained economy. He also received travel grants for his many foreign trips, but in his later years, as the revenue from his literary and dramatic works gradually became more substantial, he himself managed to pay his travel expenses, and even for a traveling companion he invited with him. On his death on August 4, 1875, he left a considerable cash fortune of about 8000 Rdlr, which, according to the will of the will in the form of lump sums, was to be distributed among various institutions and persons. In addition, the Bank of Denmark had an amount of 2,500 Rdlr, which went to Edvard and Jette Collin. The rights to original manuscripts and letters, as well as the proceeds from the sale of Andersen's books and the construction of his dramatic works, were testament to Edvard Collin. relating to. for more details, see the articles “H.C. Andersen as Applicant”and H.C. Andersen's Last Will ”. Anderseniana 1939.

177. Diaries II, pp. 31-32. - 'Marmier': Xavier Marmier (1809-92), French author. - 'My Piece for the Association': Probably a light-hearted comedy for the Student Association. - 'equilibrium': ambiguous, slippery. - 'brother-in-law Boye': C. J. Boye (1791-1853), parish priest at S. Olai Church in Elsinore, screenwriter and psalmist, married 1818 to Maria Boye, b. Birckner (1796-1880), eldest daughter of old Mrs. Collin in her marriage to M.G. Birckner (1756-98), resident chaplain in Korsør, philosophical writer. - 'Miss Grahn ': Lucile Grahn (1819-1907), ballet dancer, 1829-39 by Det kgl. Theater. Later made a career abroad where Andersen met her.

178. Anderseniana 1943, pp. 227-28. - 'Graabrødre Church' = The Franciscan Church: In connection with this church was Graabrødre Hospital, in whose ward called Doctors Boder, Andersen's mother had been a so-called limb from March 14, 1825, and until her death October 7, 1833. - 'Edward's little daughter Mimi' : Edvard and Jette Collin’s eldest daughter. Ingeborg Mimi (Vulle) Collin (1837-43). The child was only about 6 years old, having died as a result of illness in 1843.

179. Anderseniana 1943, p. 252. - 'Maigaven': Maigave from Denmark's Poet Garden for 1838. - 'little poem': The poem "Little Mimi". - 'A Standing Apartment': In September 1838, Jonas Collin moved from Bredgade No. 4 to Amaliegade, current No. 9.

180. BJC I, Letter No. 68, pp. 130-32. - 'Nysø at Præstø: Andersen had, through his close relationship with the Wulff family at the Marine Academy, made acquaintance with Baron Hendrik Stampe and his wife, Baroness Christine Stampe, b. Nysø and especially Baroness Stampe became known for her great interest in the prominent representatives of the art, literature and science of the time, which is why they were invited to spend some time as guests of the place. One of the most famous guests on Nysø was the sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen, who in 1838 returned from Italy and settled in Copenhagen, where there were plans to build a museum for the large collection of his own works that Thorvaldsen had donated to the city. The museum was created not least on the initiative of Jonas Collin, and his son-in-law, court builder Jørgen Hansen Koch, was engaged as one of the leading architects on the building project. It was just something for the baroness, who soon became so fond of Thorvaldsen, that she let a studio be built on her farm so that the big man could stay as a guest longer at a time and not neglect his work as the most famous sculptor of the time. - 'Miss Wulff': Henriette (Jette) Wulff (1804-58), eldest daughter of Commander P.F. Wulff and his wife Henriette Wulff, b. Weinholdt. - Relating to. Andersen's acquaintance with the Wulff family, see the article H.C.Andersen and the families Wulff and Koch - based on a collection of family photographs. (Koch genealogy and family photos by Jakob Koch). ANDERSENIANA 2008. (The article can also be read here on the website) - - 'Schwartzen': Louise Schwartzen (1806-?), Lady of the Baroness Stampe. - 'Marschner': Heinrich Marschner (1795-1861), German opera composer - - 'Bellini': Vincenzo Bellini (1801-35), Italian opera composer. - 'Vulle': Edvard and Jette Collins eldest daughter, Ingeborg Mimi, born September 24, 1837. Reg. the little Vulle, see Andersen's letter of November 24, 1838 to Jette Hanck.

181. BEC I, Letter No. 69, pp. 132-33. - 'by Taarbæk': Here the Drewsen family lay in the countryside, and Louise Collin was evidently visiting her sister. - 'Your Letter': The letter is not preserved. - 'Hornemanns': J. W. Hornemann (1770-1841), professor of botany, brother of old Mrs. Collin. The professor and his daughters Rose (1804-89) and Marie (1823-53), as well as their son Wilken (1816-92), were staying at the baroness Stampes estate Nysø near Præstø, where Andersen was also a guest.

182. - 'Of a Still-Living’s Papers': Søren Kierkegaard (1813-55), one of Denmark's most prominent philosophers. His criticism of Andersen's novel "Only a Fiddler" can be read in "Søren Kierkegaard Collected Works, Volume 1. Gyldendal 1962. The quote is from pages 40-41. - 'potency': ability to do a job, express a higher degree of something. - 'somnambule state': sleep-deprived state. With this designation Kierkegaard seems to think that Andersen was almost asleep to his ideas and thoughts, i.e. that these were unreflected or inconsiderate and with a lack of consistency that Kierkegaard called for. More positively and correctly, one might rather say that Andersen often got his ideas through inspiration and intuition, and not so much through logical reasoning and conclusions. - 'review stage'. Must be understood as a transitional stage, namely in this case in Andersen's development as a human and poet. - 'a stronger divide': must be understood as: a stronger separation between the author and his work, in this case between Andersen himself and the main character, the playwright Christian, in the novel "Only a Fiddler". But here Kierkegaard does not seem to have understood that Andersen would hardly have been able to write neither his first three novels nor his subsequent four novels, as well as several of his dramatic works and quite a few of the fairy tales and stories, if not almost automatically instinct had drawn the ideas and substance from his own experiences and memories, and allowed most of his works to be about himself and his own life.

183. Almanacs, p. 34 - 'Letter from Wulff': The letter is not preserved. - 'Kierkegaard's criticism': See note 181. - 'Christian': Christian Wulff (1810-56), lieutenant-in-chief 1834, later lieutenant-captain and captain. Anders' close friend: See about this and his family in note 179.

184. BHW I, pp. 252-54. The letter is not numbered. - 'Greet Koch’s': Jørgen Hansen Koch (1787-1860), court builder, married 1828 to Ida Koch, b. Wulff (1806-76), a daughter of Commander Wulff and sister of Jette and Christian Wulff.

185. Almanacs, p.24. - 'Castelli': Ignaz Franz Castelli (1781-1862), Austrian author.

186. Almanacs p. 24. - 'Thorvaldsen': See note 179.

187. BHW I, Letter No. 73, p, 254-56. - "Yours’ and Christian's letter, thank you therefore, they are written, as I knew they would be": In the commentary as well as in the note to the letter, the publisher may have misunderstood the text, as if it were only one letter, but written by both the friend and the lady friend. But Andersen writes explicitly. "They are written as I knew they would be," as he writes toward the end of the letter. "My warmest, most loving thanks for the letters". So there must have been two letters, which unfortunately seem to have been lost. However, the possibility exists that the publisher has counted the two letters for one letter, because they were sent in the same envelope. - 'The Old Wife Cried': Henriette Collin, b. Hornemann (1772-1845). - 'I met your father': According to the calendar for September 12, Andersen had unexpectedly met with Commander Wulff at a meeting with Professor Hornemann. - 'the very good thing I have seen with him now for eighteen years': Since Andersen's letter was written in 1838, 18 years must mean 1820. That year was the second year of the miserable three years 1819-22, Andersen after his first arrival to the city on September 6, 1819 spent in Copenhagen. However, the acquaintance with Commander Wulff hardly dates from 1820, but no earlier than 1822, where Andersen according to. The Life Book, p. 90, had written his third tragedy, "Alfsol," which he allegedly introduced himself to the commander at the Marine Academy. And the acquaintance was renewed when in August 1822 he again sought out the commander, on the occasion that he, Andersen, had for the first time printed some of what he had written, namely a scene of his tragedy "The Robbers in Vissenberg", even in the reputed magazine "Harpen". - 'Oehlenschläger’s': Adam Oehlenschläger (1779-1850), poet and playwright, married 1810 to Christiane Oehlenschläger, b. Heger (1782-1841). - 'the dear Holger': Holger Stampe (1822-1904), baron, later tenant and owner of the Barony Stampenborg (Nysø, etc.). - 'Her Grace, Madam Baroness': Christine Stampe, b. Dalgas (1797-1868), Estate Baroness.- 'Baron': Presumably Hendrik Stampe (1794-1876), Estate Baron, possessor of Barony Stampenborg (Nysø, etc. - 'press the brother') loving in the hand ': Christian Wulff (180-56), premier lieutenant, later captain lieutenant and captain, composer, including the music for the song "The Second April", to which Andersen wrote the lyrics.

188. Almanacs, p.25.

189. Anderseniana 1943, p. 287. - 'Whether I am a Dramatic Poet': Andersen's major problem was and remained most of his life, that his dramatic works rarely won recognition among the theater's censors and also rarely earned the great revenue because the individual pieces were usually listed only a few times. The audience's perceptions of the pieces were mixed, but some of his plays became great successes, such as the one in the play. "The New Birthplace" (1845), which became one of Det kgl. The theater's greatest audience success, with the play being built all the way up to the 20th century. - 'Recognizing God's Own Gift': Andersen maintained throughout his life that his talent as a poet, writer, and playwright was given to him by God, which is why he was to convey the works that God inspired him to create to his fellow human beings. - 'Lieutenant Læssøe': Frederik Læssøe (1811-50), Captain of the General Staff. - 'The Elves': Romantic Comedy in One Act', by J.L. Heiberg. First listed on Det kgl. Theater 1835. - 'Fata Morgana': Romantic Comedy in Five Acts, by J. L. Heiberg. First listed on Det kgl. Theater January 29, 1838. - 'Victor Hugo': (1802-85), French poet, playwright and novelist, among others. known for the novel "The Hunchback from Notre Dame" (1846) and "The Miserable" (1862). - 'Casimir Delavigne': (1793-1843), French playwright. - 'Thomson’s Avis': Ove Thomsen (1801-62), co-editor of "The Day" 1827-34, then editor of Hempel’s Avis in Odense and 1836-47 publisher of "Fyns Stifts Avis".

190. Almanacs, p. 28. - 'Decided to move': Andersen had been living since September 1, 1834, with the widow Karen Sophie Larsen, b. Kjøller (c. 1797-1862), who lived in Nyhavn no. 20, 2nd floor. Here Andersen had two rooms, one for the street from which he had a view of Nyhavn, and one for the courtyard, from which he had a view of the Botanical Garden, which at that time lay from the back of the Academy of Art and down the back of the house row on Nyhavn's right side as seen from Kgs . Nytorv. According to Andersen's description, Mrs. Larsen was quite lively, having two children, her daughter Eline (1829-1914) and her son Carl (1831-94). Andersen experienced, among other things, that during winter time, when it was freezing, Mrs. Larsen poured water on the living room floor and opened the windows so that the water froze to ice, all for the two children and their playmates to skate across the mirror-smooth floor. Perhaps nothing to say that the cold-cut Andersen did not like these kinds of events at length. But it must be remembered that it was, after all, during the time Andersen lived with Mrs. Larsen in Nyhavn that he wrote his novels The Improvisator, O.T. and Only a Fiddler, and here he wrote his first adventures - apart from the adventure "The Ghost" - and here, he wrote several more of his later famous stories. It was also here that he wrote some of his plays and most recently started the drama "The Mulatto". - 'Jette': probably Jette Collin. The + sign could indicate that Andersen may have had sexual fantasies about the beautiful woman. However, there may also be a letter from either Jette Wulff or Jette Hanck, but Andersen did not have any erotic feelings for these two women, but what he himself called a fraternal friendship.

191. Anderseniana 1943, p 290.

192. Almanacs, p. 28. - 'Jette Wulff': It appears that Andersen again visited his faithful, platonic friend. - 'Louise': Louise Collin.

193. Almanacs, pg. 28. - 'as weeping': over the brother, Fritz Petzholdt's death.

194. BJC I, Letter No. 70, pp.133-34. - 'write Adler on librarian posts with the prince': Johan Gunder Adler (1784-1852), cabinet secretary and confidential adviser to Prince Christian Frederik (VIII). From December 1839 to July 1849 Adler was a member of the Executive Board of the Det. Theater. The former librarian of the Prince had died in November 1838. On November 27, Andersen, probably on Collins recommendation, sent an application to Adler, but did not get the position.

195. Anderseniana 1943, pp.292-95. - '' Bull '' Ole Bull (1810-80). Andersen's acquaintance with Ole Bull many years later was to make clear traces in his latest novel: "Lykke-Peer", 1870, in which Andersen's own person and life course is restored in the protagonist's life and destiny as an artist, in the novel as a violin virtuoso who at the height of his career dies in the middle of the stage. The theme of the violinist had already appeared in Andersen's novel "Only a Fiddler", but by that time Andersen had not yet met Ole Bull. - 'Dr. Jacobson ': Ludvig Levin Jacobson (year of birth and death unknown), dr. with 1815 and 1816 titular professor. Became famous for the invention of a means for crushing bladder stones. In 1842 he became a kgl. physician. - 'Mrs. Collins birthday': On Monday, November 26, 1838 Andersen notes in the Almanac: "Come: Wulff's and Mrs. Collins's birthday. At Collins for dinner. ”Mrs. Collin: Henriette Collin, b. Hornemann. - 'Küchler': Albert Küchler (1803-86), Danish painter. - 'A Sorrowful Remembrance': Marie (Mimi) Thyberg, born 1810, died Christmas Eve 1837. She was the sister of Jette Collin. - '(and Aunt's)': Augusta Søeborg, b. Iversen (1802-74). A little joke from Andersen, as his aunt very rarely wrote letters to him. - 'who can imagine with me': imagine, imagine. - 'Jane and Caroline': Sisters of Jette Hanck. - 'Thomsen’s': Ove Thomsen: (1801-62), editor and publisher of "Fyns Stifts Avis". - 'when he comes': Ole Bull also gave concerts in Odense.

196. Almanacs, p. 30 - 'Hotel du Nord': In 1796, the Holstein mansion on Kongens Nytorv was transformed into "Hotel du Nord", which was rebuilt in 1893 by Magasin du Nord, which is still in place in 2011. - '(Pulse)': Probably understood to be that Andersen had an elevated pulse or perhaps some fever.

197. Anderseniana 1943, pp. 301-05. - at Collins': The Almanac for December 11, 1838 states: "Dinner at Collins with Thorvaldsen and Heiberg, fast." The almanac states that the dinner took place at Jonas and Henriette Collin.

198. Anderseniana 1943, pp. 305-08. - 'There was a moment in my life': in these words Andersen refers to his double crush on Edvard and Louise Collin, but what pained him most was that Edvard Collin rejected his verbally erotic approaches to him. - 'a holy, sunken treasure in my breast': Cf. here possibly. with the article "Poetry’s Messiah". - 'the very closest about me are cold, participatory': Andersen probably refers here especially to the Collin family, who generally did not rate Andersen very highly as a writer, but put Hertz and Heiberg on a poetic pedestal. - 'just like Meisling': […] Meisling came to me on the street and said he had to tell me that he had not been good to me at school, but that he had been mistaken by me that it hurt him, and that I stood above him as he expressed himself; he asked me to forget his hardness and said to himself, "The glory is yours, my shame is mine!" Oh, it touched me! […] Andersen in a letter to B.S. Ingemann, January 5, 1838. B&B I, p. 402. Kirsten Dreyer: H.C. Andersen's correspondence with Lucie & B.S. Ingemann. Volume I-III. Museum Tusculanums Forlag, University of Copenhagen 1997. - 'a black servant': In his letter of 10 December 1838 to Jette Hanck, Andersen also written about his new accommodation in Hotel du Nord: "The wait is very good and when I call servants, one sort than the other, which must have a good effect now that I write on The Mulatto." - 'a piece by Holmen's Canal ': Holmen's Canal, which since 1864 has been a street, was until then a water-filled canal similar to the other canals surrounding Christiansborg Castle. Holmen's Canal, the old moat around Holmen, ran right up to the back of the old royal Theater, which was due to the city gate Østerport at Kgs. Nytorv, had first been demolished in 1857.

199. Anderseniana 1943, pp, 312-16. - 'Mrs Drewsen': Ingeborg Drewsen, b. Collin, who lived with her husband and their children in Rosenvænget on Østerbro. - 'Spanish flies': 2 cm long, emerald green, elongated fly, whose larva lives in the nest of single bees. Has been used medicinally as "fly patch". - 'lovers': the word here is meant to be lovable or more worthy of love. - 'Conference Council Collin': Jonas Collin. - 'all the ladies': As mentioned, besides Louise Collin, probably also Jette Collin, b. Thyberg, Augusta Collin, b. Petzholdt, and maybe Henriette Collin, b. Hornemann.

200. Anderseniana 1943, pp.318-324. - 'The Little Tea Company': Mentioned in Andersen's letter of 4 January. - 'Line': Presumably Eline Faaborg (ca. 1818-?) .. - 'Schønheyder’s': Fr. August Schønheyder (1801-72), Town and City Writer in Odense. - 'Thea': Johanne Madseline Mathea (Thea) Hanck (1910-98). The third of a total of 6 children, all girls, daughters of J.H.T, Hanck and wife Madseline Antonette Hanck, b. Iversen. - 'been so surrounded by illness, even been so weak': Jette Hanck's father, J.H.T. Hanck (1776-1840), cand. theol., assistant professor at Odense Cathedral School. The father had been seriously ill for a while. Jette Hanck herself was weak from health, and she died of illness as early as 1846, only 39 years old. - 'Orla Lehmann': (1810-70), 1833 cand. jur., lawyer, later known politician. In an article in the Copenhagen Post, referenced in Hempel's newspaper in Odense, Lehmann had criticized the fact that conference counsel Jonas Collin was at the head of the committee set up in connection with the founding of Thorvaldsen’s Museum.

201. Anderseniana, pp. 325-28. - 'Ydun's apple': The god Ydun with the rejuvenation apple. - 'over the age of 26': must be understood ironically, since at the time mentioned here Andersen was approx. 34 years. - 'Auntie - Ane': 'Auntie Anna' is the name of a tale by Henriette Hanck, which in 1838 was published in book form. 1842 followed "The Daughter of a Writer." Following his father, J.H.T. Hanck's death July 23, 1840, the widow Madseline Hanck, b. Iversen and daughter Henriette (Jette) moved to Copenhagen, where they lived in Frederiksberggade 31, 1st floor. - 'no trace of Andersen in this piece': Something of an understatement, for "The Mulatto, original, romantic drama in five acts" acts, behind the external action that takes place on the island of Martinique, like Andersen's novels and several of his other plays just about himself, his life and love stories. - 'The Musician': the novel 'Only a Fiddler'. - 'The Improvisator', the novel 'The Improvisator'. - '' Creepy Creole '': a derogatory and discriminatory term about a South American of mixed Native American-European descent. - "'The Raven': "The Raven or the Brotherhood Test"": The Magical Opera in Three Acts ", first performed on the Royal Theater October 29, 1832, performed a total of 6 times. The publication was "il Corvo" (The Raven), a tragicomic adventure in 5 Acts, by the Italian playwright Carlo Gozzi (1720-1806), which interestingly was translated into Danish by none other than Rector Meisling. Many years later, 1864-65, Andersen reworked the play into “Ravnen, Adventure-Opera in 4 Acts, performed 4 times.

202. Anderseniana 1943, pp. 329-34.

203. Anderseniana 1943 and 1945, pp. 335-38.

204. BEC I, letter no. 105, p. 271. - 'Renzo's Wedding': a poem written by Andersen in 1836 at the invitation of singing master L. Zinck (1776-1851), based on the novel "I promessi sposi” by Alessandro Manzoni (1785-1873). At the request of censor Molbech, the play's "improvement" was left to the composer, L. Zinck, who made Andersen rework the text, which Andersen did, but with music organized by the theater's chaplain H.S. Paulli (1810-91). But the piece didn't come to fruition anyway. In 1848, Andersen reworked the play, this time as an opera entitled "The Wedding at the Lake Como", with music by the then Chaplain Franz Gläser (1798-1861). The opera was performed a total of 12 times and was thus considered a success. - 'A desert land': A translation of Ferdinand Raimund's adventure comedy "Der Verschwender", which Andersen had made in 1838, for use in the Summer performances. But the play was not used, which is why it was instead handed in to the theater where it was rejected. - 'Now The Mulatto comes with the same fate': The play was completed in early 1839 and submitted to the theater on March 15, when censor Molbech rejected it, while censor Adler approved it. The decision then lay in the hands of the theater manager F.C. von Holstein, whose competence as a dramatic judge could probably lie in a very small place. But Andersen personally succeeded in convincing the head of the theater of the excellence of his play, after which it was accepted on April 4, 1839 and hired for performance on December 3, so. Andersen had throughout the writing work on "The Mulatto" gradually read the play to friends and acquaintances, who for most people liked the play. So Andersen was annoyed that the 'tyrant' Molbech was once again getting in the way of his drama. However, the play did not come to fruition on December 3, 1839, but due to the death of King Frederick VI, the premiere was postponed to February 3, 1840, and the play was published in book form on February 5, so. “The Mulatto" became a great theater success for Andersen, who obviously rejoiced that censor Molbech had made as much mistake as the case. Until March 11, 1848, the play had been performed a total of 21 times, and in 1868 it was premiered at the Casino Theater, where until 1875 it received 10 performances.

205. Anderseniana 1945, pp. 339-44.

206. Anderseniana 1945, pp. 339-44. - 'Her Portrait': Portrait of Henriette (Jette) Collin, b. Thyberg, painted by (probably) W. Marstrand. The painting does not exist at H. C. Andersens Museum in Odense, and is perhaps privately owned. - 'an Annunziata': One of the female protagonists in Andersen's novel "The Improvisator", which is a virtuous woman who has essentially borrowed features from Riborg Voigt. - "Line Faaborg": Eline Faaborg (c. 1818-?) . - 'aunt': Augusta Søeborg, b. Iversen. - 'Schleppegrell': Christiane Charlotte Louise Schleppegrell (1774-1841), conventualist in Odense Virgin Convent.

207. Anderseniana 1945, pp. 346-48. - 'is over the lake': on the way to Copenhagen.

208. Anderseniana 1945, pp. 349-53. - 'The Black Domino': Le Domino noir, a French comic opera in three acts by Daniel François Esprit Auber. The libretto is by Eugène Scribe. The piece was listed on Det kgl. Theater 3 and 14 May 1839, but it is not known exactly which of the two performances Andersen accompanied Jette Hanck and her entourage in the theater. - 'the long way to Mrs Læssøe': When Andersen, around 1830, got to know Signe Læssøe and her family, she lived "on Nørregade, the first gate on the left when coming from the Volden", more precisely at the address Nørregade 229, 1. floor. Later she and her husband moved outside the Volden and to a house on the then still rural Østerbro, now Østerbrogade 108, directly opposite the Lake of Sortedams. On June 9, 1831, Mrs. Læssøe’s husband, Niels Frederik Læssøe (1775-1831), died of flaxseeds and wholesalers, later Customs Inspector in Frederikshavn and finally Port Controller in Copenhagen. Later she lived in a house at the opposite end of the Lakes by Old Kongevej: "lives on Vesterbro, in the garden corner of Old Kongevej" and Skt. Jørgens Sea, "the first corner from the city". Her Last year she spent at Nørrebro at Blågårdsgade and Korsgade, which at that time had retained one of its rural features. (Information partially obtained from Kirsten Dreyer: "H.C. Andersen's exchange of letters with Signe Læssøe and her circle. 1-2.” Museum Tusculanums Forlag, University of Copenhagen 2005). - 'The Invisible on Sprogøe' ': Vaudeville in one act, listed on The Royal. Theater as a summer performance on June 15, 1839. The play was a great success and was performed a total of 22 times. - 'v. Osten ': Jan David van der Osten (1793-1869), Police Assessor, later Deputy Chief of Police.

209. BHW I, Letter No. 74, pp. 257-59. - 'Their little, beautiful sea piece': A painting by Jette Wulff, who had received painting lessons from Norwegian painter J. C. Dahl. The painting, which Andersen had received for his birthday on April 2, 1839, has later disappeared and its fate is unknown as far as is known. -

210. BJC I, letter no. 71, p. 135. - 'Chr. H. F. Day ': Ascension Day. - 'Hanne Boye': Johanne (Hanne) Boye, b. Birckner (1797-1881), married 1818 to Mathias A. Boye (1796-1872), principal at Christianssand Cathedral School. Hanne Boye was a daughter of Henriette Collin, b. Hornemann in her first marriage to M.G. Birckner.

211. Reg. Andersen's double crush on the siblings Mathilda and Nils Barck, see possibly. Andersen's sixth double crush. - the double crush on Nils F.L. Barck and his sister Mathilde.

212. BEC I, Letter No. 106, pp.271-73. - 'Molbech': If this Molbech is meant Andersen's antagonist, literary critic and theater censor Christian Molbech, then it is surprising that Andersen had this as "friend and traveling companion". It must be ironic. - 'Bournonville's sister-in-law': Eva Suell, b. Håkansson (1804-84), sister of Helene Bournonville, b. Håkansson (1809-95), married August Bournonville (1805-79), ballet master and ballet composer. - 'Children of Bournonville': Augusta (1831-1906), Charlotte (1832-1911), later opera singer and actress at Det kgl. Theater, and Charlotte (1833-1908), adoptive daughter of August and Helene Bournonville. - 'Count Thott': not identified. - 'Mumme': Jette and Edvard Collins second oldest daughter Louise, born 20 February 1839. - 'the travelling children': Adolph and Ingeborg Drewsen were accompanied by Ingeborg's younger sister Louise Collin, Andersen's "swarm". - 'Mrs Boye with daughter': With the lady there must be talk of Hanne Boye mentioned in note 208 and with the daughter of Henriette (Jette) Boye (1822-1901).

213. BJC I, letter No. 72, pp. 135-37. - 'Miss Boeck': Jeanette Emilie Boeck (1806-46), a teacher in Sweden. - '' The Association '': The Student Association. - 'in his next letter abroad': To his fiancé Louise Collin, who then stayed in the seaside resort of Ems with her sister and brother-in-law. - The 'exam tree': Theodor Collin graduated. M.D. In 1841, and in 1843, he traveled to Paris, where he spent some of his time with Andersen. At home, the expectant doctor had regularly urged Andersen to visit a prostitute, to ease the sexual abstinence pressure on the mind and body, which at times was a major nuisance to Andersen, and probably also to the then 24-year-old Theodor Collin. - 'The Morning of Your Morning': The term can and probably should be understood humorously, because it was of course verbal mockery that the 10-year-older Andersen allegedly assigned to his young friend, but perhaps in reality it was also a kind of erotic bondage-games between the two. Both of them remained bachelor and friends for the rest of their lives, without any mention of an eroticized and intimate friendship between them.

214. Anderseniana 1945, pp. 354-58.

215. BEC I, letter no.107, pp. 273-76. - 'Sorø seems to me like a bottle': The term is thought to be a loan from Andersen's friend, the author Carl Bagger, as it appears in his letter to Andersen of October 31, 1827 (Letters to H.C. Andersen, 596-97). But interestingly enough, in 1858 Andersen used the motif in the fairy tale about "The Bottleneck". - 'Bible Society': The Danish Bible Society was founded in 1814 and soon gained local associations in several parts of the country. The Bible Society in Sorø was founded in November 1823, and its annual meeting in 1839 was held on July 10, and thus while Andersen stayed in the city. - 'Paulsen’s': Søren Kierulff Povelsen (1788-1861), Sorø Academy's goods inspector, justice council. - 'Niels or Rasmus': Serves with the Collin family. - 'our' departed '': Adolph and Ingeborg Drewsen were together with Louise Collin on a European team trip to Ems in Germany. - Their Mama: Oline Thyberg, b. Falenkam (1781-1853).

216. BEC I, Letter No. 108, pp. 276-79. - 'his cover *: This is not preserved. - 'the boyish criticism of the Monthly Bulletin': This is the review of "Three Poems" in the Journal of Literature and Criticism, II, 1839. - "a real tune": The composers J. C. Gebauer and Otto Lindblad tried a tune for the lyrics, but this one did not really strike. The poem was printed in “Hertha. Swedish-Danish New Year gift for 1840 ”. - 'The Count': Gebhard Moltke-Hvitfeldt (1764-1851), Count, possessor of the Estate Moltkenborg (Glorup, etc.), secret conference council. - 'Amalie Street': Amaliegade 9, where the old Collins lived on the first floor and the daughter Ingeborg Drewsen with husband and children on the second floor. - 'the dreadful tribute': Hilarious expression of flattering tribute.

217. BHW I, letter no.77, pp. 264-67. - 'Mia Sorella!': In Danish: My Sister! Andersen as well as Jette Wulff used a transition in their letters to each other the Italianized form of appeal, which was because they both had been on a longer stay in Italy. - 'Frederiksborg': Court Master Builder Jørgen Hansen Koch had been responsible for the restoration of Frederiksborg Castle since 1836, and in the summer of 1839 Mrs. Ida Koch lived with her children in the castle, where her sister Jette Wulff visited her. - 'Mia Sorella!': Italian for 'my sister', an expression Andersen had begun to use towards Jette Wulff, who had also been on a longer trip in Italy. Andersen, however, first used the term "Sorella" in a transition in 1837. - 'Yes, it is bad with the correspondence': Andersen and Jette Wulff were slightly at odds with each other at this time, and she so far did not answer Andersen's letters to her in 1839, except for one only: 'Your Dear Letter': The letter does not appear to have been preserved. - 'on my escape': an expression of Andersen's domestic tour during the summer. - 'Cecilia's Role in the Mulatto': Cecilie, Countess of Ratél, and under the guardian of the Lord of La Rebelliere, two of the play's main characters. - 'Louise's Birthday': Louise Collin had birthday on August 3, 1839 and then turned 26 years. - 'See you then?': Obviously a cautious attempt at an approximation of his sisterly friend, Jette Wulff, whom he had known ever since his first visit to the Marine Academy in the mid-1820s. But following the controversy with her father, Commander P.F. Wulff, the relationship between Andersen and the Wulff family had cooled somewhat. However, this changed for the better, especially after the commander's death in 1842, as the subsequent and extensive exchange of letters between Andersen and Jette Wulff, which continued right until her death in 1858, testifies.

218. BJC I, letter no.73, pp. 137-38. - 'Thorvaldsen': From June 4, 1839, he first visited Nysø at Baron and Baroness Stampe, and here he got his actual home in his last years of life. The baroness, who he jokingly called "old nut", was energetically and completely taken care of, taking care of him and his affairs. Her somewhat eccentric husband, Baron Hendrik Stampe, apparently accepted his wife's great commitment to the famous sculptor and his do and barn. The baroness had also commissioned a studio for Thorvaldsen in the large garden of the estate, and here he performed the sculptures, etc., which later became permanent fixtures in Our Lady’s Church in Copenhagen. - 'Your letter': Jonas Collin had for several years chaired the committee for the construction of Thorvaldsen's Museum. At the request of Collin's son-in-law, court builder Jørgen Hansen Koch, Frederik VI had at the kgl. Rescript of January 4, 1839, donated the chariot building west of Christiansborg Castle Church for this purpose. Despite protests from several prominent sides, the committee, under Jonas Collin’s chair, decided on January 25 to accept the gift. It was then handed over to the architects Gottlieb Bindesbøll and G. F. Hetsch to draw up plans for the conversion and layout of the course building. It was Bindesbøll's proposal that was approved. - Jette with her youth': Jette Collin and her two little girls, Ingeborg Mimi (Vulle) and Louise (Mumme).

219. BEC I, letter no. 109, p.280.

220. BJC I, Letter No. 74, pp. 139-41. - 'major Jenssen': Georg Friedrich Jenssen (1789-1888), 1833 dismissed South Swiss officer, language teacher and translator, among others. translated Andersen's novel "Only a Fiddler" into German: "Nur ein Geiger". - 'Saturday the 31st of August': Adolph and Ingeborg Drewsen returned with Louise Collin after the check-in team at Em's home to Copenhagen on the said date, and the day after, Sunday, September 1, Andersen also returned from his stay at Nysø. - 'Will feel like I'm a stranger': Andersen never actually got serious about his sense of loneliness and strangeness, but sought strength in his belief in God's universal love.

221. BEC I, letter no. 110, pp. 281-82. - 'Eduardo': Andersen, in his later letters, began to call Eduardo his friend Edvard, whom he always spelled Eduard. In this case Eduardo di Skozia, i.e. Edward of Scotland. - 'Miss. Rieffel ': Amalia Rieffel (1820-77), pianist, daughter of Wilhelm Rieffel (1792-1869), organist at St. Nicolai Church in Flensburg.

222. Anderseniana 1945, pp. 359-66. - 'a Danish comedian Barck': An allusion to Andersen's crush on the Swedish comedian Mathilda Barck. But otherwise, from Jette Hanck's very long and somewhat sad letter, she might well get the impression that she herself might have fallen in love with the poet friend, a crush that she knew beforehand was hopeless and impossible, for Andersen definitely did not consider her erotic feelings, but on the other hand, like his sisterly friend. - 'Lind has been given office and. - ': Probably a hint that in that case the wedding between Wilkens Lind and Louise Collin should take place soon after.

223. Anderseniana 1945, pp. 368-72.

224. Anderseniana 1945, pp. 379-84.

225. Anderseniana 1945, pp. 391-94.

226. Rigmor Stampe: H.C. Andersen and His Nearest Circle, pp 176-77. - 'Your letter': The letter from Louise Collin, to which Andersen's letter quoted here is a reply, is not printed.

227. Anderseniana 1945, pp. 402-07. - 'January 13, the theater reopens, reasonably with the Mulatto': However, the theater did not open until February 3, 1839, and ‘The 'Mulatto' therefore did not come into existence until that date.

228. Anderseniana 1945, pp. 414-15.

229. Anderseniana 1945, pp. 416-19.

230. Anderseniana 1945, pp. 427-28.

231. Anderseniana 1945, pp. 428- 32..

232. Anderseniana, pp. 437-41. - 'Mulatto poster': Probably a poster for the performance of "The Mulatto" at Odense Theater. - 'The Little Recke': It is thought to be talk of Adolph von der Recke (1820-67), later poet. - 'all everyday stories': everyday stories by Thomasine Gyllembourg, b. Buntzen, mother of Johan Ludvig Heiberg. Andersen was, to put it mildly, not enthusiastic about the Everyday stories, which he thought dragged everyday life down too low. He himself regarded everyday life as an expression of "the greater divine adventure in which we ourselves live." ("Only a Fiddler", Part Two, Chap. IV) - 'The Childbirth Ward” (“Barselstuen”): Comedy by Ludvig Holberg. - '' the Danes in China '': a ballet division dissertation by August Bournonville with music by J.P.E. Hartmann.

233. Anderseniana 1945, pp.442-49. - 'Jean Paul': Johann Paul Friedrich Richter (1763-1825), German poet.

234. BEC i, Letter No. 111, pp.283-86. - search Tværgaden': Jette and Edvard Collin lived in Dronningens Tværgade 19. - 'so completely and utterly mine': Andersen aims here that while "The Mulatto" was inspired by "Les épaves", the Maurer Girl was his very own idea and action. - 'has come to the realization that I am a dramatic poet!': Andersen, who was based on the success that had become part of the "The Mulatto", could not know or foresee that “The Maurer Girl" would become a pain child for him. - 'the disembodied skeleton': Andersen had also in a letter of 17 March 1840 to Jette Hanck outlined the person gallery and the action in "The Maurer Girl".

235. Reg. “The Maurer Girl" Andersen made the big mistake of talking badly about Heiberg's, which was especially received with pleasure from the actress-couple N. P. Nielsen and his wife, Anna Nielsen, b. Brenøe, who both felt oppressed and overridden by the powerful censor of the theater and his dominant wife, the first lady of the theater. But the author, spiritualist and Hegelian Heiberg had a trump in his hand, having written a play entitled "A Soul after Death. An Apocalyptic Comedy ”, which with the year 1841 was published in Heiberg's "New Poems". In this he gives a condescending characteristic of poet Andersen and his dramatic products: See for example. "A soul after Death. An Apocalyptic Comedy. With Introduction and Notes by Alfred Ipsen. ”The Reitzel’s Publisher. Copenhagen 1893. The latter author believes that the possibility exists that Heiberg may later have added the verses about Andersen and his plays in his play for temporal reasons.

236. Almanacs, p.49.

237. Anderseniana 1945, pp. 467-70. - "The Maurer Girl" was, as mentioned, first listed on December 18, 1840, and then Andersen set off on his new great foreign voyage, which he embarked on October 31, and which via Germany went to Italy and Greece. - 'Clara Falbe': Clara Johanne Angelique Falbe (1820-88), on 2 December 1840 married chamberlain, deputy governor of the Danish-East Indian possessions Louis Rothe (1811-71). - 'Sister Ida': Ida Louise Mathilde Falbe (1822-49), married on June 2, 1841 to Colonel Johan Christian Mathias Trepka (1809-50).

238. Anderseniana 1945, pp. 471-73.

239. Anderseniana 1945. pp. 474-76. - 'convenere': please or care. - 'So they travel the day before Miss Collins wedding': No, Andersen left on October 31st, and Louise Collins wedding took place on November 25th. - "faithful": the most faithful.

240. Diaries II, p. 41. - 'Ferrini': W. Th. Ferrini (died 1841), restaurateur. - 'State Council Lund': Christian Lund (1785-1845), Deputy in the Rent Chamber, State Council. - 'Hillerup': F. C. Hillerup (1793-1861), author and translator. - 'Edvard C.': Edvard Collin.

241. BEC I, letter No. 112, pp. 286-87. - 'Grethe Redsted': Henriette Collins friend Margrethe Redsted (1814-79), engaged and married in 1841 to Frederik Sommer (1813-78), the lieutenant-in-chief of the Navy, who was the master of the postal ship "Christian the Eighth", who sailed in scheduled shipping between Copenhagen and Kiel. - 'Louise and Jonas': Jette and Edvard Collin's children, Louise, born 1839, and Jonas, born. April 8, 1840. - 'Tell me about Mrs Heiberg has said something to my letter': In her memories Mrs Heiberg writes about this: 'Soon after, Andersen went abroad. On the same day as he travelled, I received a letter from him in which he again offered me his friendship and in which he wrote, "When I come back again, I will give you my hand for reconciliation." I found it funny that he would reach out to me for reconciliation when I considered my selv the offended and not him."

242. BJC I, Letter No. 75, pp. 142-43. - 'The kids up there! especially Jonna': The Drewsen family lived on the second floor of the house on Amaliegade 9, where Jonas Collin and his wife lived in the living room on the first floor. The children are Jonna, born 1827, Valdemar, born 1828, Viggo, born 1830, Einar, born 1833, and Harald, born 1836, - 'agency H.': J. W. Hornemann (1770-1841), professor of botany, brother of old Mrs. Collin, had a residence behind Charlottenborg. The Botanical Garden was then located behind the row of houses on the southern side of Nyhavn. It was in one of the houses in this row of houses, more precisely in Nyhavn 20, that Andersen lived with the ship's owner Karen Sophie Larsen in the years 1834-38.

243. BJC I, Letter No. 76, pp. 143-46. - 'Jungf.stieg': Jungfraustieg. - 'A wedding show for our dear Louise': See below. - 'Your Wife': Augusta (Gusta) Collin, b. Petzholdt. - 'The Quick Boys': Hjalmar, born 1834, and Edgar, born 1836.

To Louise:

       Written in Munich on her wedding day, November 25, 1840. [Which, after all, was not correct!]

Note! In the two verses below we are again in the situation that, unfortunately, rhymed verses cannot be translated directly into English. So once again we have to settle for verses in prose:

Now you are sitting at home sad and happy

In your wedding suit.

A stranger I am in the foreign city,

I must see its splendor.

For the altar his hand is in yours,

The merry circle now sings to you,

There is goblet sound,

There are bridal songs,

But I - for you I pray!

Do them in the home that I left,

Want to see more?

You were me a sister so gentle and good -

God's will happen!

Tomorrow I'm going over the Alps snow,

Seeing the roses bloom, I think of you,

At every kind word,

Every dream in the North,

And then - for you I pray! -

H.C. Andersen.

(The song is reproduced after the Rigmor Stampe. H.C. Andersen and his closest circle, p. 179) - The word 'eder' is in New Danish identical to the word 'you'. As the song shows, Andersen couldn't help to insert himself and his personal feelings into the context. He was always himself the center of everything he experienced and did, which caused him many problems in a world and an environment that, at least on the surface, regarded person-centering as being educated and expressing poor upbringing and pretending to behave so-called objectively and objectively to the things and events.

244. BEC I, Letter No. 113, pp. 286-95. - 'first time in my life driven by steam car': The train ride is described in Andersen's travel description "A Poets Bazar", in the chapter "The Railway". - 'Your Uncle': Botanist, Professor J. W. Hornemann, brother of old Mrs. Collin. - 'in the living room and on the first floor': an allusion to the Thyberg estate in Dronningens Tværgade 19, where the owner, carpenter Henrik Thyberg (1776-1844), elder of the Timber Guild (Tømmerlavet), even lived with his wife Oline Thyberg, b. Falenkam (1781 -1853) and son Christian Thyberg (1815-79) .. With them, the Virgin Dorthea Schouboe (1774-1844). On the first floor to one side lived Edvard and Jette Collin, b. Thyberg with children, and on the other lived the housewife Augusta von Bülow, b. Güldencrone (1772-1842) and her unmarried daughter Margrethe (1809-45).

245. BJC I, Letter No. 77, pp. 146-47. - ''A Comedy in the Green'': The play was re-performed on November 8, 1840 by opera singer L. F. Sahlertz' and actor and opera singer C. B. Cetti's evening entertainment. - 'The Mazarin Family': Comedy in 3 acts by Ancelot, translated by Sille Beyer (1803-61), author and translator. First listed on Det kgl. Theater April 1, 1841. - 'The Independents*: Comedy in 3 acts by Scribe, translated by J. L. Heiberg. First listed on Det kgl. Theater November 12, 1840.

246. BEC I, letter no. 114, pp. 295-99. - 'Holst': H. P. Holst (1811-93), poet, 1836-61 teacher at the Land Cadet Academy, later also at the Cadet School. Editor of Berlingske Tidende 1859-60, director of Casino Theater 1862-64. From 1875 stage instructor at Det kgl. Theater. 1849 titular professor, 1871 state council, 1891 conference council. Holst encountered his trip to Andersen on February 7, 1841 in Rome. - 'Church bells in Frederiksberg Church': Wilkens Lind’s and Louise Collin’s wedding took place in Frederiksberg Church on November 25, 1840, and the wedding was performed by Caspar Johannes Boye, pastor of St. John's Church. Olai Church in Elsinore, and married to old Mrs. Collin’s eldest daughter, Maria Boye, b. Birckner. - 'The Virgin in the Green': a haunting allusion to "The Maiden Girl" and "A Comedy in the Green". - 'mentioned in the Leaf magazine': It is not known which newspaper is meant, but Andersen's journey was announced in "The Day". - 'In the last verse of Pablo's show': "The Maurer Girl", Fifth Act, First Scene. What verse line Edvard Collin has inserted in the verse does not appear. - 'Sunday morning': The Collin family and the Drewsen family gathered on Sunday with a few selected friends at Jonas Collin in Amaliegade. - 'Marie Wegener': b. Bindesbøll (1793-1856). - 'Her Son Theodor': Theodor Wegener (1817-77), painter. - 'Where We Are Separated': "The Mulatto", third act, seventh scene, where Cecilie says to the mulatto Horatio: "Where to separate, / This is the Golgatha of pain!"

247. BJC I, letter No. 78, pp. 147-52. - 'The Postillion in Lonjumeau': Synagogue in 3 acts by de Leuven and Brunswick, with music by Ad. Adam. - 'Fritz': Fritz Petzholdt, the fine landscape painter who died suddenly in Patras on August 1, 1838. Mentioned in connection with Andersen's letter of October 1838 to Jette Hanck. - 'October 12th is typo for November 12th. - 'the old house': The old half-timbered house in Bredgade 4, which Jonas Collins's father had purchased in 1744, and which was demolished in the summer of 1853. In this house, Louise and Wilkens Lind had their residence from their wedding on November 25, 1840, to the house was demolished. - 'Liebe': Georg Julius Liebe (1788-1845), actor and director at Det kgl. Theater. - 'Teckla': The name of Theodor Collins dog. - Wilken': Wilken Hornemann (1816-92), stud. med., and cousin to, and good friend of Theodor Collin, who at that time was also a stud. med..

248. BJC I, Letter No. 79, pp. 152-53. - 'the stormy journey': The sea voyage with the steamship "Christian the Eighth" from Copenhagen to Kiel, had been stormy and gave rise to sea sickness among the passengers, not least at Andersen. - 'Freund': Johan Fredrik Freund (1785-1857), kgl. coin master in Altona. - Schumacher': H. C. Schumacher (1780-1850), professor of astronomy at the University of Copenhagen, head of the Altona Observatory. - 'The Triple Birthday': On November 2, there was a birthday for Augusta Collin, Edvard Collin and Theodor Collin. - 'in Danish ... reason': Freund’s lived in Altona, which at that time belonged to the Danish monarchy.

249. BJC I, Letter No. 79, pp. 153-55. - 'go on Friday': 'The Maurer Girl' premiered on Friday 18 December 1840. - 'a monument --- over the Blessed King': Thorvaldsen gave a draft, but it was not approved. Only many years later, in 1855, was the assignment entrusted to H.W. Bissen, whose statue of the standing King Frederick VI, in Frederiksberg Garden was unveiled on September 10, 1858. Frederik VI had close personal connection with Frederiksberg Castle and castle garden, in whose canals he and his family often sailed trips in the summer. - 'Bravo': Johan Bravo (1797-1876), Holstein painter, 1843 art agent in Rome, later Danish consul in the same place. - 'journey to spring with the stampede family': Thorvaldsen traveled to Rome on May 24, 1841, together with Baron and Baroness Stampe, from where he first returned to Copenhagen October 24, 1842. He was, after all, at home in Rome, where he had spent several years as a sculptor.

250. BJC I, Letter No. 80, pp.155-58. - 'to Ingeborg': The letter is not preserved. - 'Bravo': See note 247, - 'The Library': The Danish Book Collection in Rome had made an important contribution to Edvard Collin, but in 1840 none of the Danish artists living in Rome wanted to take on the library's operation, which is why it was transferred to Bravo’s housing. - 'Theologian Hermansen': Christian Hermansen (1806-82), cand, theol., Philologist. - 'Constantin Hansen': (1804-80), painter. - 'Roed': Jørgen Roed (1808-88), painter. - 'whether Thorvaldsen paid for the painting he got': Thorvaldsen had purchased Küchler's painting "Scene of Family Life in Albano" on August 14, 1840, and Marstrand's "Oktoberfest", a trade that had been mediated by Gottlieb Collin, who also had received the money. - 'Mrs Heiberg laughed off my letter': Before his departure Andersen had sent the following short epistle to Mrs Heiberg:

        Copenhagen, October 31, 1840.

       Mrs. Heiberg!

        Today I leave Denmark, but before I leave, I must say a friendly life to you! You have made me very sad, but when I meet you again you reach out your hand as I here reach it to you! greet your husband and his mother! / as always before / Your devotees / H.C. Andersen.

The outstretched hand from Andersen would the highly distinguished Mrs. Heiberg, Det kgl. Theater's undisputed first lady, according to her "A Life Relived in Memory," I, 1891, p, 428, not accept. On the contrary, she found it comical that she, who felt like the wronged one, should respond to the one who had so offended her. There was also the special thing about Mrs. Heiberg that, like Andersen, this as a young girl had also been Jonas Collins' protégé. Heiberg and Mrs were and remained friends with the Collin family, who, for their part, regarded Heiberg as a greater poet and playwright than Andersen.

251. BJC I, Letter No. 81, pp. 158-59. - 'whether it goes around the subscription': "The Maurer Girl" was listed the third and last time on December 29, 1840. Apart from the artistic failure of the play, it also did not bring Andersen the expected revenue. - 'about Edvard writing to you today': It did not happen until January 1, 1841, but in return both Edvard and Jette Collin wrote to the friend, whose reaction they both naturally anticipated, but could not do much about.

252. BEC I, letter No. 115, pp. 300-02. - 'The marketing of it in the booklets': The day after the first performance of "The Maurer Girl", December 19, 1840, the play had been published in book form, but at Andersen's own publishing house. Only a modest number of copies were sold, which however brought Andersen some money. - 'Your Tale': Andersen had supplied the book edition of “The 'Maurer Girl' with a Preface in which he defended himself and explained his current situation. However, the advocacy was not included in Collected Scriptures. - 'the giant': lack of luck. - 'Andersen's Picture Book': For the young children in the circle of friends, Andersen produced a lot of homemade picture books, for which he used clippings from magazines and newspapers and for which he wrote little verses.

253. BJC I, Letter No. 115, pp. 302-03- - 'Mrs. Holst was perfect in the performance of her role ':, Elisabeth (Elise) Holst, b. Hegner (1811-91), actress at Det kgl. Theater 1827-70, married 1834 to Wilhelm Holst (1807-98), actor at Det kgl. Theater 1828-72. - 'a reviewer in the Berlingske Tidende believes': In this newspaper the review of the "The Maurer Girl" was written by P. L. Møller, in The Fatherland by A. L. Arnesen, who himself was a screenwriter. Although the two gentlemen's respective reports were critical of the play, there was also recognition of its good sides. - 'Hansen': Christian Hansen (1812-80), opera singer and actor at Det kgl. Theater, chamber singer. - ': cf. Ryge': Natalia Ryge (1816-95), actress at Det kgl. Theater, daughter of J. C. Ryge (1780-1842), dr. med., actor at Det kgl. Theater 1813-42. - 'Kragh': Christian Kragh (1802-84), actor at Det kgl. Theater. - 'cf. Fabritius': Cathrine Amalia Fabritius (1807-73), figurantine (statist), later dressmaker at Det kgl. Theater.

254. BEC I, letter no.116, pp. 304-09. - 'Heiberg's New Poems': - 'Heiberg's New Poems': J. L. Heiberg: "New Poems", published at Christmas time 1840 and included the poem "The New Marriages", in which Heiberg alludes to reincarnation, and the fun play "A Soul after Death", in which Heiberg, as previously mentioned, made suppositories for Andersen's play "The Mulatto" and "The Maurer Girl", where Heiberg ironizes over Andersen's fame and lets Mephistopheles say about the two pieces that Andersen in Hell after death reads the former for the Sultan's wives and the "Maurer Girl" for those who are to suffocate. See “A Soul After Death. An Apocalyptic Comedy. With Introduction and Notes by Alfred Ipsen. ”The Reitzel’s Publisher. Copenhagen 1893. - 'A Binding Poem by Hertz': Henrik Hertz: "Lyrical and Dramatic Poems. Part One, 1840. the comedy “The Savings Bank” ("Sparekassen"), which became very popular. - 'a letter for food. Holst ': Elisabeth (Elise) Holst, b. Hegner (1811-91), starred as the Maurer Girl in the tragedy of the same name. - 'Box King': A box king is a wide robe or overcoat (coat). - 'the' non-female 'Maurer Girl!': An allusion to Mrs Heiberg's words in connection with her refusal to play the role of the Maurer Girl: 'I do not play male roles!' - 'as in Joseph's dream': 1. Exodus 37, 7 and 41.4. – Miss Schouboe ': Dorothea Schouboe (1774-1844), staying with the Thyberg family. –'Wife Bülow': Augusta von Bülow, b. Güldencrone (1772-1852), baroness, widow of founding officer Christopher von Bülow. - 'I study the Bible and Becker's World History': During this outing, Andersen regularly thought about his planned world drama: The Myth of Ahasverus, the Shoemaker of Jerusalem ”. - 'Becker': Karl Fr. Becker (1777-1806), German historian and author of the popular scientific "Weltgeschichte für Kinder und Kinderlehrer" (World History for Children and Teachers). - 'Bulwer’s Rienzi': Edward Lytton-Bulwer: "Rienzi, the Last of the Tribunes", novel from 1835. - "A poem for Louise": See under note 241. The poem, which is identical to Andersen's wedding poem to Louise Collin, is printed in "A Poet's Bazaar", in the section on Munich, Chapter X. R&R VI, p. 36. - 'Miss Reimer': Charlotte Reimer (1791-1885), sister of Carl Theodor Reimer, who had been engaged to Jette Collins big sister Marie (Mimi) Thyberg, who died Christmas Eve 1837. - 'The pig boy': Ludvig Phister had already presented the fairy tale by actor Holst's evening entertainment on February 3, 1840, but it was first printed in "Fairy Tale, Told for Children, New Collection, 3rd Booklet," which was published December 20, 1841.

255. Anderseniana 1946, pp. 485-86. - 'Milo': Johan Milo (1788-1861), bookseller in Odense.

256. Anderseniana 1946, p.497.

257. Anderseniana 1946, pp. 499-504. - 'Heiberg's new Poems': See note 252. - Hertz has also given a binding poem': See also note 252. - 'Hansen': Søren Hansen (1783-1858), prosecutor (prosecutor in the lower and low court) in Odense. - 'Miss Schleppegrell': See note 206.

(Notes continued in Part 5)

© March 2011 Harry Rasmussen. Translated into English by the author in January 2020.

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