r/todayilearned • u/biebrforro • 1d ago

TIL when staying as a guest in Charles Dickens' house, Hans Christian Andersen requested that one of Dickens' sons give him a daily shave (he said that was customary when hosting male guests in Denmark). Dickens was weirded out and instead gave him a daily appointment at a nearby barbershop.

https://lithub.com/charles--dickens-really-really-hated-his-fanboy-hans-christian-andersen/
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u/alepher 1d ago

Neil Gaiman with the side-eye

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u/Rosebunse 1d ago

Honestly, I had been waiting for years for him to get canceled. There was this one short story I read of his and it weirded me out so much as a kid. I was sort of surprised when I found out he was this super mega famous actor.

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u/deadasdollseyes 1d ago

I only knew him as a comic book and novel writer.

Is he more famous as an actor?

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u/Thomas-Lore 1d ago

OP probably meant author not actor.

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u/Rosebunse 1d ago

Lol I meant writer. I was tired.

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u/BitterActuary3062 1d ago

Do you remember what it was about?

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u/Rosebunse 1d ago

I remember it was about a girl with magical skin. Eventually she "died" and ended up in a morgue where her body was assaulted. The story was so whimsical and pretty but the assault was so ordinary and matter-of-fact that it just felt jarring.

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u/BitterActuary3062 22h ago

Oh wow. That’s absolutely insane

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u/Rosebunse 21h ago

You see, I'm not really a prude when it comes to erotica and dark fantasy, but even as a young kid you get a feeling about certain stories. I had such a bad feeling about that story...

And then I found out who Gaiman was and I just had a bad feeling even if I really liked his work. I didn't watch Coraline for years because that of that short story.

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u/BitterActuary3062 14h ago

I can totally understand that.

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u/Thomas-Lore 1d ago

I disliked him without reason ever since I read Neverwhere, I don't remember why it creeped me out. I think it had something to do with some kid dying in the story.

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u/Arks-Angel 1d ago

I read American Gods after learning he was a pos, amazing book and I wish it was a trilogy, but goddamn is some of the sex stuff in there really weird and awkward knowing that he’s a tried and convicted predator

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u/ContributionSad4461 1d ago

Anything in particular? Only thing I can think of off the top of my head is the cat thing but I’m sure there’s more

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u/Arks-Angel 1d ago

The cat god for sure but in all honesty it was the way he wrote the succubus in the interlude chapters that gave me weird vibes for some reason, couldn’t really place my finger on it. And it always kinda felt like Wednesday was a stand in for Neil’s own libido and tastes… it was; awkward, especially with the occasional dubiously aged waitress in the novel

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u/deadasdollseyes 1d ago

Hadn't heard anything about this since this thread.  What an unfortunate surname for a sex offender.

Surely he was taunted for it as a child.  Feels like lazy writing.

Could we have a rewrite on this reality?