Festival fairytale start for City of Literature

Published on Thursday 10 March 2005 12:11

THE CAPITAL is to host a celebration of the life and work of one of the world’s greatest storytellers.

The ten-month Hans Christian Andersen Festival will see special events held across the city, including exhibitions, talks, film screenings, live music and storytelling sessions.

Edinburgh is playing a key role in celebrations which are being staged around the world to mark the 200th anniversary of the Danish legend’s birthday.

The city’s famous floral clock is to feature some of Andersen’s most celebrated tales like Thumbelina and The Little Mermaid, while a plaque will be unveiled to commemorate a trip that the storyteller made to Edinburgh in 1847.

Denmark’s Hans Christian Andersen Foundation today announced three special ambassadors to promote his legacy in the Capital - author Dame Muriel Spark, Lord of the Rings star Billy Boyd and Dame Helena Kennedy, the QC and Labour peer.

The centrepiece of Edinburgh’s festival programme is expected to be the exclusive UK premiere of a major new international exhibition devoted to Andersen.

Hundreds of other events are happening all over the world this year, but the securing of the exhibition for the first run anywhere outside Denmark is a coup for the Capital.

The Greatest Fairy Tale, which has been designed in New York by exhibition expert Ralph Applebaum, will be coming to Edinburgh direct from Copenhagen, where it is due to be unveiled in May in a specially-constructed building shaped like an enormous book.

The exhibition, to be staged in Edinburgh at the City Art Centre from October 1 to January 29, will take visitors on a journey through Andersen’s life and will include original personal artefacts and manu-scripts.

Starting this month, the festival is being co-ordinated by the city council, EventScotland and the Hans Christian Andersen Foundation.

It is the biggest festival or event to be confirmed for Edinburgh since it was designated the first Unesco World City of Literature last year.

Other highlights of the Hans Christian Andersen programme include a series of special events staged during the Edinburgh International Book Festival, a season of movies devoted to Andersen at the Filmhouse cinema and concerts at the Usher Hall.

The Museum of Childhood will be hosting an exclusive party on Andersen’s birthday on April 2; Lauriston Castle will be staging an all-day programme of workshops and storytelling, while a play based on Thumbelina will be staged during the Fringe at the Danish Cultural Institute in Edinburgh.

Andersen travelled to Scotland in 1847 with the intention of meeting Sir Walter Scott and although he never managed to, he was a much sought-after dinner guest in the New Town and was famously impressed by how much the fishing village of Newhaven reminded him of his native Denmark.

Councillor Ricky Henderson, Edinburgh’s culture and leisure leader, said: "

It’s great that this is happening so soon after Edinburgh was designated the first World City of Literature."

David Williams, chief executive of EventScotland, said: "This high-profile, world-renowned event is yet another fabulous opportunity to showcase Scotland as a leading events destination."