Happy birthday, translator Naomi Lewis

It is the birthday of English writer and literary critic Naomi Lewis (1911), who is best known for translating Hans Christian Andersen stories, including The Snow Queen, The Little Mermaid, The Wild Swans, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, and Thumbelina, among many others. Lewis translated some 21 books of tales by Andersen, the Brothers Grimm, and other storytellers. She also retold Aesop fables, stories from The Arabian Nights and stories from Andersen. She was especially admired for her introductions that helped young readers understand the background behind the tales and the people who wrote them. She wrote poetry as well her last poetry book was The Mardi Gras Cat (1993). Her first book, A Visit to Mrs. Wilcox (1957) was meant for adults but she found her true calling in writing for children.

Happy birthday, Hans Christian Andersen

It is the birthday of Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen (1805), whose fairy tales have delighted children and adults for generations. He wrote more than 150 stories, many of which have become part of the collective consciousness of western culture. Among his best-known stories are The Princess and the Pea (1835), Thumbelina (1835), The Little Mermaid (1836), The Emperor's New Clothes (1837), The Ugly Duckling (1844), The Little Match Girl (1848), and The Ice-Maiden(1861). He was an only child, and he never married, though he fell madly in love on numerous occasions. They were always unattainable matches. Once he proposed to Jenny Lind, the Swedish opera star. She thought of him as a brother and told him so in a heartbreaking letter. He wrote his story The Nightingale (1843) for her, and it inspired her nickname the Swedish Nightingale.