"The Galoshes of Fortune" is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...

 first published by C. A. Reitzel in Copenhagen, Denmark on 19 May 1838 with "The True Soldier" (one act verse play) and "That was Done by the Zombie" (poem) in "Three Poetical Works".

Reitzel paid Andersen 40 rixdollar

Rixdollar

Rixdollar is the English term for silver coinage used throughout the European continent .The same term was also used of currency in Cape Colony and Ceylon. However, the Rixdollar only existed as a coin in Ceylon. Unissued remainder banknotes for the Cape of Good Hope denominated in Rixdollars...

s for the story. In the tale, Andersen continues to perfect his colloquial style. Andersen read the tale aloud in the late 1830s with his novel, Only a Fiddler. The tale irritated the young Danish philosopher, Søren Kierkegaard

Søren Kierkegaard

Søren Aabye Kierkegaard was a Danish Christian philosopher, theologian and religious author. He was a critic of idealist intellectuals and philosophers of his time, such as Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling and Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel...

 with its satirical portrait of a bird that babbles on endlessly in a philosophical vein.

External links

• "Lykkens Kalosker". Original Danish text
• "The Galoshes of Fortune". English translation by Jean Hersholt
  Jean Hersholt
  Jean Pierre Hersholt was a Danish-born actor who lived in the United States, where he was a leading film and radio talent, best known for his 17 years starring on radio in Dr. Christian and for playing Shirley Temple's grandfather in Heidi...