Clara Elisabeth Andersen

Clara Elisabeth Andersen (13 May 1826 – 28 August 1895) was a Danish dramatist and novelist. Thanks to the many plays she wrote, she became the most successful female Danish playwright of the 19th century. Her Rosa og Rosita was performed more than a hundred times at the Royal Danish Theatre. She remained unknown to the general public during her lifetime as her plays were written anonymously and her novels and short stories were published under the pen-name Paul Winther.

Biography Born in Copenhagen on 13 May 1826, Clara Elisabeth Andersen was the daughter of the musician Casper Heinrich Bernhard Andersen, who played the French horn at the Royal Theatre, and the actress Birgitte Andersen, who performed there.

In later years, she lived alone in a Viennese boarding house but continued to take an interest in the theatre. She died in Copenhagen on 28 August 1895, still unknown as a playwright. She left a considerable sum to charity.

Works En Evadatter (1855) Noveller (1855) En Velgørers Testamente (1858) Kastaniebaandet (1861) Rosa og Rosita (1862) En Teaterhistorie under Ludvig den XIV (1862) En nyttig Onkel (1870) Grøns Fødselsdag (1870) De lykkeligste Børn (1871) Sandt og usandt (1873)