andersen's father died in 1816. from then on, andersen was on his own. andersen was a tall, thin boy who was bullied by other boys. he wanted to escape them, and his poor, illiterate mother. he advertised his artistic talents to the middle class of odense. he sang and danced in their homes. on 4 september 1819, the fourteen-year-old andersen left odense for copenhagen with gifts of money he had received from his neighbors. he carried a letter of reference to the ballerina madame schall, and had dreams of becoming a poet, a ballet dancer, or an actor.