Han Christian Andersen was a gay virgin, says new biography

A new biography of legendary kid-lit author Hans Christian Andersen says the writer was gay but died a virgin, reports Deutshe Presse-Agentur. The author of a new book that is being published to coincide with the 200th anniversary of Andersen's birth, says Andersen fell in love with both men and women during his life but most likely never had sex with anyone. Andersen's biographer says that Andersen channeled his sexual energy into such classic stories as "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Little Mermaid"--the latter being written soon after Edvard Collin, who may have been the love of Andersen's life, married a woman. Despite Andersen's infatuations and romantic friendships with men, it is thought that none of these relationships were consummated. Notations in Andersen's diaries, however, do indicate that he was an ardent masturbator. The debate regarding the author continues, however, with some scholars insisting that Andersen was simply an unhappy heterosexual.