The Steadfast Tin Soldier

Hans Christian AndersenZhejiang Juvenile and Children's Publishing House2005

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Chapters
16
ISBN
9787534234224

Tags

Children's Books Children's Literature Fairy TaleClassic Fairy TalesFateDanish LiteratureAndersen's TalesYouth Reading

Summary

The Steadfast Tin Soldier (often translated into English as The Brave Tin Soldier or The Steadfast Tin Soldier) is a fairy tale by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, first published on October 2, 1838, in New Fairy Tales Told for Children, First Booklet. The protagonist is a little tin soldier cast from an old tin spoon; because there was not enough tin, he was born with only one leg, yet he always stands straight and steady. Before a paper castle on the table, a paper ballerina also stands on one leg, and the soldier falls deeply in love with her. A goblin in a snuffbox, displeased by his gaze, repeatedly works mischief: the soldier falls from the window into the street, is set by mischievous boys in a paper boat that drifts down the gutter, encounters a water rat demanding a toll in the dark sewer, and is finally swallowed by a fish. In a twist of fate, the fish is caught and brought back to the original household, and the soldier is found in its belly and returned to the table, reunited with his beloved dancer. But he is then thrown into the stove, and a gust of wind blows the dancer into the fire too; the next morning, the maid finds in the ashes only a small tin heart and the dancer's spangle burned to black charcoal. With understated prose, Andersen writes of incompleteness, wandering, and wordless love, making this short tale one of the most unforgettable pieces in world fairy-tale literature.

Editor's review

安徒生的《坚定的锡兵》篇幅不长，却常被评论者视为他最“现代”的童话之一：主角几乎不说话，全靠“站得笔直”这一个动作承载全部性格；故事也不给善恶以报偿，只留下一颗熔成心形的锡块和一片烧黑的亮片。正因如此，它读起来不像童话，更像一则关于尊严与命运的寓言。任溶溶的译文干净、朴素、节奏感好，不刻意把话说满，保留了原作那种“叙述者不动声色、读者却心里发酸”的余味。这一版为安徒生诞辰两百周年之际推出的选集，除同名代表作外，还收入《打火盒》《旅伴》《小伊达的花》《没有画的画册》等篇，一册之内可见安徒生从民间故事改写走向个人创作的不同面貌。适合朗读给孩子听，也适合成年人重读——幼时读到的是冒险，长大后再读，读到的是那个从头到尾都没有低头的姿势。

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Reading tips

  1. 先完整读一遍《坚定的锡兵》，不要急着解释寓意，让孩子自己说出感受。
  2. 读完结尾的“锡心”时停下来讨论：为什么安徒生不写他们获救？
  3. 书中其他篇目可分次阅读，对比《打火盒》等民间故事改写与安徒生原创的差别。
  4. 成年读者可留意叙述者的语气：他讲得越平静，故事里藏着的情绪越重。

About the publisher

Zhejiang Juvenile and Children's Publishing House China · Founded in 1983

Zhejiang Juvenile and Children's Publishing House serves young readers and publishes in areas such as early-childhood learning, children's literature, popular science, and family education. Among the 18 titles in our collection, the "Dreamy Little Princess" series by Jiu Jin is particularly well represented, including Purple Nocturne, Searching for the Lost Map, the Enchanted Undersea Palace, and The Real and Fake Prince, most of which fall under inspirational growth, reflecting the publisher's focus on children's literature and growth-themed reading. Because public information is limited, other series and author resources cannot yet be described in detail; the available titles already give an initial picture of its publishing character for young readers.

Contents

  1. The Steadfast Tin Soldier
  2. The Tinderbox
  3. The Naughty Boy
  4. The Traveling Companion
  5. Little Ida's Flowers
  6. The Swan's Nest
  7. Good Humor
  8. A Grief
  9. Picturebook Without Pictures
  10. The Girl Who Trod on the Loaf
  11. Old Ole the Tower Keeper
  12. Moving Day
  13. Anne Lisbeth
  14. Something
  15. What the Old Oak Tree Dreamed Last
  16. Two Brothers

FAQ

《坚定的锡兵》英文名是什么？ 丹麦文原题为 Den standhaftige Tinsoldat，英文常见译名有 The Steadfast Tin Soldier 与 The Brave Tin Soldier，中文多译作《坚定的锡兵》或《小锡兵》。
这个故事第一次发表在什么时候？ 1838年10月2日，由哥本哈根 C.A. Reitzel 出版社刊行，收入《讲给孩子们听的童话·新集·第一册》，同册还有《雏菊》《野天鹅》等篇。
锡兵为什么只有一条腿？ 他是最后铸出的一个，铸他的旧锡勺剩的锡不够，所以只铸成一条腿。故事借此让他与同样单腿而立的纸舞者相遇，也让他“站不稳却始终站直”的形象格外鲜明。
故事结局是悲剧吗？ 表面上是的：锡兵被投入火炉熔化成一颗锡心，舞者也被风吹进火里。但安徒生用“锡心”留住了爱，很多读者认为这是身体的毁灭与情感的不灭，而非彻底的失败。
这本浙江少年儿童出版社的版本是单篇还是一个选集？ 是选集，收入《坚定的锡兵》《打火盒》《旅伴》《小伊达的花》《没有画的画册》等十余篇，由任溶溶翻译，2005年出版，ISBN 9787534234224。

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About the author

Hans Christian Andersen Author

Hans Christian Andersen is a world-renowned writer of fairy tales. Though the available records give limited information about his nationality and dates of birth and death, as many as 111 of his works are held here, which shows how widely his writing has circulated among Chinese readers. His representative works include The Complete Fairy Tales of Andersen and A Collection of Andersen's Fairy Tales, along with individual pieces such as The Dream Under the Willow Tree, The Old Church Bell, A Great Grief, The Saucy Boy, and The Phoenix Bird; other works are included in Harvard Classics Volume 1: Folk-Lore and Fable. These works are usually classified under literature, children's literature, foreign literature, children's books, classics, and world masterpieces. Andersen drew on folk tales and everyday life, writing in plain yet imaginative language and often using fantastical stories to reflect on human nature and fate. His tales suit children while also appealing to adults, and they have had a profound influence on later fairy-tale writing.