A fairy tale about a lonely candle that wants to be lighted had
been languishing in a box in Denmark’s National Archives for
many years. In October it was discovered by a retired historian,
who now believes it is one of the first fairy tales ever written
by Hans Christian Andersen. The historian, Esben Brage, said on
Thursday that he had unearthed the six-page manuscript at the
bottom of a box while searching through the archives of some
families from Andersen’s hometown, Odense, in central Denmark.
“I was ecstatic,’’ Mr. Brage told The Associated Press. “I
immediately contacted the curator to tell him about my
discovery. I never imagined this.’’ The six-page manuscript,
called “Tallow Candle,” is dedicated to a vicar’s widow named
Bunkeflod who lived across the street from Andersen’s home.
Ejnar Stig Askgaard, a Hans Christian Andersen expert, said the
work was probably one of Andersen’s earliest. “I often get calls
about stuff thought to have been off Andersen’s hand,” he said.
“Most of the time it is not.