Andersen Abroad

Abstract The article explores the early dissemination of Hans Christian Andersen’s works in Germany, France, and England through Pascale Casanova’s theories on literary capital and consecration. It argues that Andersen strategically leveraged literary networks and positioned his poems and novels within the pan-European canon, gradually moving from the periphery of world literature to the semi-periphery, Germany, and then to its centers, France and England, by building literary capital. This progression paved the way for the fairy tales that would secure his global fame. Andersen’s career thus highlights a European cultural landscape marked by competition and hierarchy, as well as significant exchange and circulation within the literary sphere.