"The Princess and the Pea" (Danish: "Prinsessen paa Ærten"; literal translation: "The Princess on the Pea") is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a young woman whose royal identity is established by a test of her physical sensitivity. The tale was first published with three others by Andersen in an inexpensive booklet on 8 May 1835 in Copenhagen by C.A. Reitzel.
Andersen had heard the story as a child, and it likely has its source in folk material, possibly originating from Sweden as it is unknown in the Danish oral tradition. Neither "The Princess and the Pea" nor Andersen's other tales of 1835 were well received by Danish critics, who disliked their casual, chatty style, and their lack of morals.
In 1959 "The Princess and the Pea" was adapted to the musical stage in a production called Once Upon a Mattress starring Carol Burnett.
Read more about The Princess And The Pea: Plot, Sources, Composition, Publication, English Translation, Commentaries, Adaptations, Similar Tales
Famous quotes containing the words princess and/or pea:
“He is blowing on light
each time for the first time.
His fingers cover the mouths of all the sopranos,
each a princess in an exact position.”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)
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