hans christian andersen was born in odense, denmark on 2 april 1805. his father was hans andersen, a shoemaker. his mother was anne marie andersdatter, a laundress. andersen was an only and a spoiled child. he shared a love of books with his father. his father read him "the arabian nights" and the fables of jean de la fontaine. together, they built panoramas, pop-up pictures, and toy theatres. father and son took long walks into the countryside.