The Snow Queen
The Snow Queen is my retelling of the wonderful Hans Andersen story, and is my favourite original fairy tale. Kay, with a splinter of ice in his heart, is kidnapped by the Snow Queen. His friend Gerda sets off on a fantastic journey to save him. It is an adventure story, love story, and a triumph of good over evil. 8+
Available from Amazon.
Published by RHCP Digital, 2011.
This website contains affiliate links. If you buy items using these links, I may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Gerda didn’t know that Kay had splinters of ice in his heart. How could she know?
Hans Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish writer (1805–1875). He was really prolific, and wrote hundreds of stories as well as many other works. Today he is best known for his two collections of more than 150 original fairy stories, which children all round the world still love. Original stories are created by the author, traditional stories are often hundreds of years old. The Brothers Grimm were the most famous collectors of traditional fairy stories. Some of the most famous of Andersen’s stories are The Ugly Duckling, The Little Mermaid, The Emperor’s New Clothes and The Princess and The Pea.
But The Snow Queen, written in 1844, must be the most famous of all his stories. I have always thought of it as the most powerful story I have ever read. As a child I was deeply afraid of the evil Snow Queen, but fascinated by her, just as Kay was. I thought Gerda was the bravest girl in the whole of literature. I loved the wise and cackling Lap woman, the Robber Girl, the reindeer and all the other wonderful characters.
It has inspired many interpretations, such as a ballet, opera, film, play, countless stories, and extraordinary pieces of art like the painting by Rudolf Koivu, shown below.
My play and stories based on ‘The Snow Queen’
In 1994 I dramatised it as a Christmas Eve play for Radio 4. Radio is an amazing medium, allowing the listener to immerse themselves completely in the story. It was one of the most thrilling productions I have worked on, alongside Janet Whitaker, the talented director.
When David Fickling asked me if I would like to re-tell a fairy story for his Scholastic series, I knew it must be The Snow Queen. I had recently visited Norway, and I enjoyed describing the white wilderness of the world of ice, snow and glaciers. The book is illustrated by Siân Bailey. Later the series appeared as a collection entitled Magic Beans.
The Snow Queen herself continues to haunt me. She appears very briefly in my television series and book, Zzaap and the Word Master. I have also written a modern story based on the her. Someone Like The Snow Queen appears in Winter Magic, edited by Abi Elphinstone for Simon and Schuster.
If you enjoyed reading ‘The Snow Queen’…
You may also enjoy my other magical stories.
It just shows you, a good story is worth telling over and over again. That’s how original stories become traditional stories. Choose a story that you love, and try to turn it into a play. The characters can only show what they’re doing and what they’re thinking by what they say. How can you make them evil, afraid, brave, angry?