Der Zauberer von Oz (1900)

Great fantasy. Much better than the 1939 movie. First read it in '64 I think (age 8 or 9). Read it again in about '82. I also read at least 3 other Oz books back in '64 and '65. ( )

In this first book, Dorothy and her dog Toto, are transported from Kansas via tornado to the land of Oz (specifically to the land of the Munchkins) where she accidentally kills the Wicked Witch of the East when her house lands on her. The only thing left of her are her silver shoes which are enchanted but no one can remember what they do. The Munchkins are very grateful for the Witch of the West was wicked but Dorothy is horrified she has killed someone and desperately wants to go home. The Good Witch of the North tells her to take the Wicked Witch's silver shoes and to travel to the Emerald City of Oz to speak to the Great and Terrible Wizard of Oz, who may be able to send her home. Along the way she meets a Scarecrow (who wants brains), a Tin Man (who wants a heart) and a Cowardly Lion (who wants courage). Dorothy rescues each of them and they agree to travel with her to ask Oz for their wish.

Unfortunately they get to Oz and find Oz is not willing to grant their wishes unless they do something for him - kill the Wicked Witch of the West. So begins their next journey. They Wicked Witch sees them coming (with her telescopic eye?) and sends her evil wolves, evil crows and evil bees to stop them. When this doesn't work (the Scarecrow and Tin Man defeat them all) she sends her Flying Monkeys to stop them. They spread the Scarecrow out across the land, throw the Tin Man onto some rocks and capture the Cowardly Lion in ropes to take to the Witch. Only Dorothy escapes because of the kiss of protection the Good Witch of the North gave her. The Flying Monkey's do not dare to overcome the power of good apparently, so they take her to the Wicked Witch too.

The Wicked Witch is also scared of the kiss but realises Dorothy doesn't know she has any power - and so manipulates her into being a slave, plotting to steal her silver shoes. When she finally does manage to steal one shoe, Dorothy becomes so angry she takes the bucket of water she was using to clean and throws it on the Witch calling her mean. Unfortunately the Wicked Witch is vulnerable to water and so melts away. The Winkies are all very grateful and help Dorothy and the Lion rescue the Scarecrow and the Tin Man and they all journey back to Oz to get their rewards.

Unfortunately they find Oz is no wizard at all but rather a ventriloquist balloonist from Omaha. He manages to grant the wishes of the Scarecrow (brains - bran mixed with pins and needles), the Tin Man (a heart - a sawdust stuffed silk heart) and the Lion (courage - liquid of some description) but is not sure how to fulfill Dorothy's wish to go home. In the end, he makes a hot air balloon, but at the time of departure, Dorothy is busy chasing after Toto and gets left behind. So it's back to the drawing board. It's suggested that Dorothy should go see Glinda, the Good Witch of the South. So they do and Glinda sends the others home and tells Dorothy she just has to click her heels three times and she'll be able to go anywhere in the world. Dorothy does and goes home to Aunt Em and Uncle Henry.

This book was alright. It's very simplistic - like a fairytale in that and as such there's little character development. I liked the characters well enough - although Oz was my favourite. He amused me. Especially he's comment about being a humbug.

Oz, left to himself, smiled to think of his success in giving the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman and the Lion exactly what they thought they wanted. "How can I help being a humbug," he said, "when all these people make me do things that everybody knows can't be done?

Baum, L. Frank. Oz: The Complete Collection (Illustrated) . Maplewood Books. Kindle Edition.

There were some other funny comments as well. I liked it enough, although for an adult it can be a little boring - but I can see how kids would enjoy the plot and the silliness of the characters. 3 stars, maybe 3.5 for target audience. 2.5 stars from me. ( )

Le Magicien d’Oz… Je connais la chanson, je connais les principaux personnages, mais c’est tout, je n’avais jamais lu le livre, ni vu plus que quelques extraits du film. Il était donc temps, surtout que je voulais absolument lire le livre avant de regarder peut-être le film avec les enfants (quoique… un film en noir et blanc, la perspective n’a pas l’air de les enchanter…).
Et voilà qu’enfin je l’ai lu. Un conte classique du XIXème siècle (de la toute fin, puisqu’il est publié en 1900, et c’est bien encore le XIXème siècle), avec de jolis personnages : une petite fille toute gentillette et toute jolie, mais qui a un caractère bien trempé et qui sait ce qu’elle veut, et bien sûr, ses trois compères, l’épouvantail qui veut un cerveau, le bûcheron de métal qui veut un coeur et le lion peureux qui veut du courage.
Et c’est là que l’on découvre que l’épouvantail est plus intelligent qu’il ne croit, que le bûcheron de métal est d’une gentillesse dont il n’a pas conscience, et que le lion est d’un beau courage. Par contre, le magicien d’Oz, lui, n’est pas aussi magicien qu’on le croyait…
Beaucoup de choses classiques, comme les belles descriptions, les grands périls qui se résolvent si facilement (ah, comment venir à bout de la Méchante Sorcière de l’Ouest !…). Mais aussi des choses qui m’ont surprise, notamment beaucoup d’entraide, avec chacun qui met ses talents (connus ou insoupçonnés) au service du groupe. Cela donne un joli conte, que j’ai pris plaisir à découvrir.

After reading a review I was reminded that this is a children's book. Duh obviously, but I was reading it from an adult perspective and found it lacking. If you see it from a child's perspective it probably isn't bad. It is imaginative but it does not have the quality or depth that the 1939 film brought to the story. The movie was a lot better.

What is the deal with the author calling the friends in the books "comrades"? I always think of this as a communist expression but I guess it doesn't have to be. This was written before the cold war and before communism so it probably has no deeper meaning. ( )

A verdade é que a maravilhosa superfície de comédia de O Mágico de Oz funciona melhor com música e, tanto no teatro como no cinema, com efeitos especiais. Mas ela ainda emociona, mais de um século depois, porque sua história penetra diretamente as mais profundas inseguranças da infância, agitando-as e tranquilizando-as no happy end. A saga de Baum para "O Maravilhoso Mágico de Oz":compreende nada menos de 14 livros, nos quais o folclore e o conto de fadas foram absorvidos em forma de história fantástica manifestamente irreal. Grimm e Andersen já haviam levado felicidade aos corações infantis. Mas Baum e a Metro Goldwyn Mayer elimanaram o gênio, o anão e a fada estereotipados juntamente com os incidentes horríveis de gelar o sangue (à la Walt Disney) e aspiraram a montar um conto de fadas modernizado, no qual o maravilhamento e a alegria são mantidas e as mágoas e pesadelos foram deixados de fora. ( )