Tales of beauty & cruelty - Kate Petty

2005 is the bicentenary of Hans Christian Andersen's birth. His stories have timeless themes - love, death, coming to terms with all that life offers.

This collection of ten stories weaves those essential themes of beauty and cruelty into contemporary takes on life. "The Steadfast Tin Solder" becomes "The Flames of Love", "The Ugly Duckling" is retold as "Swan" and "The Emperor's New Clothes", retold as "The King of Cool", has new relevance as the story of a boy obsessed with branded clothing. All are memorable for the shock value of many of Andersen's most painful images: the shards of a broken mirror; the piercing of a broken heart.

"The Swineherd" ("Princess), "The Snow Queen" ("The Shattered Mirror"), "The Wild Swans"("The Wild Swanns"), "The Princess and the Pea" ("Mother Knows Best"), "The Little Match Girl" ("A Little Flame"), "The Ugly Duckling" ("Swan) and "The Little Mermaid" ("Coming Up for Air") are all also recast for the 21st century.