"The Flying Trunk" (
Danish
Danish may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark
People
* A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark
* Culture of Denmark
* Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...
: ''Den flyvende Kuffert'') is a literary
fairy tale by the Danish
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...
and
author
An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states:
"''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
Hans Christian Andersen about a young man who has a flying trunk that carries him to Turkey where he visits the Sultan's daughter. The tale was first published
1839
Events
January–March
* January 2 – The first photograph of the Moon is taken, by French photographer Louis Daguerre.
* January 6 – Night of the Big Wind: Ireland is struck by the most damaging cyclone in 300 years.
* January 9 – ...
.
Plot summary
A young man squanders his inheritance until he has nothing left but a few shillings, a pair of slippers, and an old dressing-gown. A friend sends him a trunk with directions to pack up and be off. Having nothing to pack, he gets into the trunk himself. The trunk is enchanted and carries him to the land of the Turks. He uses the trunk to visit the sultan's daughter, who is kept in a tower because of a
prophecy
In religion, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a '' prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain divine will or law, or pr ...
that her marriage would be unhappy.
Analysis
English poet
Julia Pardoe
Julia Pardoe (4 December 1804 – 26 November 1862), was an English poet, novelist, historian and traveller. Her most popular work, ''The City of the Sultan and Domestic Manners of the Turks'' (1837), presented the Ottoman Turkish upper class w ...
, on her introduction to ''The Thousand and One Days'', a compilation of Middle Eastern folktales, remarked that its tale ''The Story of the Princess Schirine'' was "the groundwork" of Andersen's tale.
Adaptations
*In 2014, a musical theatre adaptation of "The Flying Trunk" by Bobby Sample (book, lyrics, and music), with music by Josh Hontz, Katie Sample, and Connor Sample, debuted at Spotlight Youth Theatre of
Glendale, Arizona. This adaptation won the 2014 National Youth Arts Award for Outstanding New Musical.
See also
*
List of works by Hans Christian Andersen
This is a list of published works by Hans Christian Andersen. The list has been supplemented with a few important posthumous editions of his works; the year given in each entry refers to the first Danish edition. They are all in the public domain ...
*
Vilhelm Pedersen
Thomas Vilhelm Pedersen (28 January 1820 – 13 March 1859) was a Danish painter and illustrator who is known for his illustrations for fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen. He was the first artist to illustrate Andersen's works. His drawing ...
, first illustrator of Andersen's fairy tales
References
External links
"The Flying Trunk"Jean Hersholt's English translation
''Den flyvende Kuffert'' Original Danish text
Original manuscriptOdense City Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flying Trunk
1839 short stories
Short stories by Hans Christian Andersen
Danish fairy tales
Fictional objects