Hans Christian Andersen By Mariakara 1805 Born in Odense, Denmark, on 2 April. 1816 Death of his father, Hans Andersen. 1829 First book, the comic fantasy A Walking Tour from the Holmen Canal to the Eastern Point of the Amager, published. 1832 Writes first autobiography, 'The Book of My Life', to show the Collin family; it is not intended for publication. 1838 Awarded annual grant of 400 rigsdaler (about £4,000 equivalent today) by the King of Denmark. 1852 Stories, his first volume of fairy tales for four years, published. 1858 Four volumes of New Tales and Stories, all experimenting with new styles of story-writing and no longer intended for children, published 1875 Andersen dies on 4 August in Copenhagen