| His father, a poor shoemaker, died in 1816. 他的父亲，一个贫困的鞋匠，在1816年去世。 With a mother who was very superstitious and unable to read or write, the boy received little education as a child. 由于母亲非常迷信而且不会读书写字，这个男孩小时候没受过什么教育。 At 14, Andersen traveled to Copenhagen. There, he hoped to become an actor or singer. 14岁，安徒生前往哥本哈根。他希望能在那儿成为一名演员或歌手。 He was lucky enough to spend some time with the Royal Theater, but when his voice changed, he had to leave. 他有幸能在皇家剧院呆了一段时间，但当他变声以后，他不得不离开。 Luckily, one of the directors helped him by arranging his education. 幸运的是，一位导演帮助他，为他安排受教育。 Andersen gained admission to the University of Copenhagen in 1828, and his literary career began soon afterwards. 1828年安徒生获准进入哥本哈根大学学习，随后他的文学创作生涯很快就开始了。 He hoped to achieve success with poems and plays, and underestimated the kind of stories which have made him famous. 他原本希望能在诗和戏剧的领域里获得成功，而低估了后来使他成名的那类故事。 Though not particularly fond of children, he had a gift for entertaining them. 虽然他不是特别喜欢孩子，却有使孩童快乐的天分。 This led a friend to suggest he write down the stories he invented. 这一点促使一位朋友建议他写下自己创造的故事。 |
