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The Spirit Of Hans Christian Andersen In The United States, Taru Rauha Spiegel, Kristi Planck Johnson

The Bridge

Hans Christian Andersen (1805-75) was a great traveler and would undoubtedly have liked to visit the United States, in which he took a keen interest. As his fame grew, he received numerous invitations from his admirers across the Atlantic. However, as is well known, he became morbidly afraid of sea voyages after his dear friend, Henriette Wulff, perished in a fire onboard ship in 1858. 1 Prone to seasickness and careful of his health and well being, the aging author found the prospect of the long Atlantic voyage daunting and never undertook it.