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Alan Maitland reads 'The Little Match Girl'

In 1974 Alan Maitland joined CBC Radio's As It Happens as co-host, and during that time he became known affectionately as Fireside Al and Front Porch Al, tempting listeners to pull up a chair to the fire or on the porch (depending on the season) and listen. He read stories by a long list of authors, and they were a delight for audiences, whether the story was a humorous or a poignant one. His reading of The Shepherd, by Frederick Forsythe, has become a Christmas Eve tradition on As It Happens.

Alan Maitland, as Fireside Al, reads The Little Match Girl, the famous Hans Christian Andersen story. It is the tale of a sad, cold little girl who seeks solace in the bright warmth of the matches she has been sent out in the bitter winter to sell on New Year's Eve.

• Hans Christian Andersen was born Apr. 2, 1805 in Odense, Denmark, and died in Copenhagen Aug. 4, 1875.

• Andersen began his career writing plays, and then autobiographical novels, but is best known for his fairy tales, including The Princess and the Pea, The Snow Queen, Thumbelina, and The Ugly Duckling.

Medium: Radio
Program: Fireside Al
Broadcast Date: Dec. 30, 1993
Narrator: Alan Maitland
Duration: 5:38

Last updated: May 11, 2012

Page consulted on May 17, 2013

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