The Awkwardest Houseguest: How Hans Christian Andersen Ruined His Friendship with Charles Dickens

The worlds of literature are filled with legendary friendships, but few imploded as spectacularly as the one between Charles Dickens, the titan of the English novel, and Hans Christian Andersen, the master of the fairy tale. What began as mutual admiration devolved into one of history's most awkward houseguest situations, culminating in a bizarre request and a friendship's bitter end.

A Fanboy Meets His Idol

Hans Christian Andersen deeply admired Charles Dickens. To him, Dickens was the greatest living writer in England, and Andersen, already famous for tales like "The Little Mermaid" and "The Ugly Duckling," desperately sought his approval. They met briefly in 1847, striking up a warm correspondence. A decade later, in 1857, Dickens extended a friendly invitation for Andersen to visit his family's home, Gads Hill Place, in Kent for "a week or two." It was a dream come true for the Danish author, who promptly packed his bags and set off for England.

The Guest Who Wouldn't Leave

The trouble began almost immediately. The planned "week or two" stretched into an excruciating five weeks. Andersen, it turned out, was a deeply eccentric and emotionally volatile guest. He was prone to fits of weeping if he received a bad review, would throw himself on the lawn in despair, and struggled to communicate effectively in English, leading to frequent misunderstandings. The Dickens children found him strange, and the entire household grew weary of his constant need for attention and his social awkwardness.

A Most Bizarre Request

The peak of this cringe-inducing visit came with a truly baffling demand. One morning, Andersen announced that he required one of Dickens's sons to give him his daily shave. To justify this, he claimed it was a customary sign of respect for a host's son to perform this service for a guest in his native Denmark. This claim, for which there is no historical evidence, was likely either a complete fabrication or a monumental misunderstanding. Dickens was, as his daughter Kate described, utterly "weirded out" by the request. It was an intimate, personal service that crossed a major social boundary. Rather than force his son into the role of a personal valet, Dickens politely sidestepped the issue by arranging for a professional barber to visit the house every morning to attend to his guest.

The Final Straw and a Note on the Mirror

By the end of the five weeks, Dickens and his family were at their wits' end. When Andersen finally departed, Dickens's relief was so immense that he went into the guest bedroom and left a now-famous message on the mirror for all to see:

Hans Andersen slept in this room for five weeks—which seemed to the family AGES!

The friendship was irreparably broken. After Andersen returned home, he continued to write to Dickens, but the letters went unanswered. Dickens had slammed the door shut on their relationship, permanently soured by the experience. The disastrous visit serves as a timeless, if humorous, cautionary tale: sometimes it's best not to meet your heroes, and it's always best to know when you've overstayed your welcome.

Sources

• Literary Hub
• The British Library
• Charles Dickens Museum