Hans Christian Andersen. Hans Christian Andersen, one of the world's greatest children's story-tellers, was born the son of a poor shoemaker and spent much of his early life struggling to gain a formal education. Eventually, royal patronage allowed him to attend an advanced school and, shortly afterwards, in 1830, his first collected volume of poems was published. He is famed throughout the world for his childrens' fairy tales, notably 'The Ugly Duckling', 'The Little Mermaid' and 'The Emperor's New Clothes'.