Hans Christian Andersen The Fan Dancer Author:Alison Prince Using Andersen's diaries and letters, the author contends that Andersen was a suppressed homosexual whose highly publicized affairs with prominent women, such as "Swedish Nightingale" Jenny Lind, were part of the carefully constructed public persona which he used to protect his private life. His longstanding passions for other men are treated he... more »re with perceptive sympathy and an acute sense of the restrictions Andersen faced in 18th century European society.« less