The Stone of the Wise Man

Book excerpt: Far away, towards the Far East, the sun tree could be found, a huge tree, bigger than any tree imaginable. A whole palace was perched in its highest branches and the inhabitant of this palace was none other than the wisest man in the world. However, even though he had more knowledge than anyone else, he had a question that still troubled him, just as it troubles kings and all men: what happens to a man when the angel of death comes for him? Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was a Danish author, poet and artist. Celebrated for children’s literature, his most cherished fairy tales include "The Emperor's New Clothes", "The Little Mermaid", "The Nightingale", "The Steadfast Tin Soldier", "The Snow Queen", "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Little Match Girl". His books have been translated into every living language, and today there is no child or adult that has not met Andersen's whimsical characters. His fairy tales have been adapted to stage and screen countless times, most notably by Disney with the animated films "The Little Mermaid" in 1989 and "Frozen", which is loosely based on "The Snow Queen", in 2013. Thanks to Andersen's contribution to children's literature, his birth date, April 2, is celebrated as International Children's Book Day.