Andersen may never have had sex, but he masturbated a lot, and whenever he did he recorded it in his diary with a ++. He was very frank in his diary about how much he masturbated and some entries just read “penis tender,” “penis hurts,” “penis sick,” “penis very bad.”

He also visited brothels - although this was often as the insistence of his friends. But all he could bring himself to do was talk to the woman in her room and then go home and write about how good he was for not having sex - plus a couple of ++.

Another diary entry reads.

He often referred to his sexual desire as “Parisian thoughts” and was genuinelly tormented by them.

It’s very difficult to know what to make of Andersen’s sexuality. Various historians have argued he was bisexual, gay, or even a-sexual. Others have linked his fear of sex to childhood trauma & his relationship with his mother.

But whatever his thing was, he lived in a constant state of devotion, rejection, and sublimated sexual desires - and a lot of ++ - which may change how you interpret his works, many of which are focused on heartbreak, death, and a yearning for transformation.

“The Little Mermaid,” for example, ends with the beautiful half woman mermaid dying alone and transforming into sea foam, while her prince marries someone else.

For anyone who wants to read more about Andersen and his private life, my source for this thread is “Hans Christian Andersen: a New Life” by Jens Andersen.