Baum's works. Lf baum is amazing in the wizard of the lake. Baum's personal life

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Lyman Frank Baum
The Wizard of Oz

In a small house, lost on the endless prairies of Kansas, a girl named Dorothy lived with her uncle Henry and aunt Em. There was only one room in their house, and the cellar was a hole dug in the ground - a shelter where you could hide if a sandstorm suddenly broke out, which often happened in Kansas.

Their gray house was barely visible against the gray plain. Even Auntie Em and Uncle Henry seemed to be covered in gray dust, like everything around them. Only with Toto, a small black dog with long silky hair, and with Dorothy, this ubiquitous dust could not do anything. Dorothy and her darling were playing so merrily and playing so fast that the sand dust had no time to stick to them.

But on this day they were not up to the games. Uncle Henry looked at the sky with concern: it was getting dark before his eyes. Uncle Henry went to the barn to see how the horses and cows were. Dorothy looked at the sky, and Aunt Em stopped washing the dishes and went to the door. At first glance, it became clear to her that a hurricane was approaching.

Dorothy, live! she screamed. - Hide quickly in the cellar!

Toto hid under the bed in fright, and Dorothy, no matter how hard she tried, could not get him out. Frightened to death, Aunt Em threw back the lid of the cellar and went downstairs. Dorothy finally caught Toto and was about to follow her aunt. But she did not even have time to reach the door: the house shook so violently with a gust of wind that the girl fell to the floor.

And then something strange happened. The house began to spin like a top, and then began to slowly rise up. The tornado picked him up and carried him farther and farther away from where he had always stood.

The wind howled terribly in the darkness, but Dorothy was not in the least afraid - the house, as if nothing had happened, smoothly flew through the air.

Toto ran around the room, barking loudly, while Dorothy sat quietly on the floor, waiting to see what would happen next. She eventually lost track of time, climbed into her bed and fell asleep.

Suddenly she woke up and sat up on the bed. The house no longer flew through the air, but stood still. Bright sunlight poured in through the window. Dorothy rushed to the door and looked out.

How beautiful it was here! The grass was brightly green, juicy fruits ripened on the trees, wonderful flowers grew everywhere. Amazing birds of unprecedented beauty fluttered, a stream murmured and sparkled in the sun.

Dorothy saw that a company of very strange little people was heading towards the house: three men and one woman. They were about her height, but looked old. And how bizarrely they were dressed! They wore tall pointed hats, and bells tinkled in the brim of their hats. The men were dressed in blue, and only the woman was wearing a snow-white dress, sparkling like diamonds. Dorothy decided that the men must be the same age as Uncle Henry: what beards they have! But the little woman seemed much older.

At the sight of Dorothy, the little men stopped and whispered, as if not daring to approach. And only the little old woman came up to Dorothy, bowed low and spoke affably:

“Welcome to the Land of Munchkins, most noble sorceress! The Munchkins express their gratitude to you for killing the Wicked Witch of the East and freeing the Munchkins from slavery.

And the old woman pointed to the corner of the house. Dorothy looked up and gave a frightened cry. From under the house stuck out two legs in silver shoes with pointed toes.

“I am the Good Fairy of the North, and I am a friend of the Munchkins. There is another Good Fairy, she lives in the South. And those who settled in the West and in the East are evil sorceresses. You killed one of them, but there is still another - the Wicked Witch of all Oz - the one who lives in the West.

Then the Munchkins, who had been silent all this time, shouted loudly, pointing to the corner of the house under which the Wicked Witch was buried. The legs of the dead sorceress disappeared before our eyes, all that was left of her was a pair of silver shoes, and the Wicked Witch of the East herself evaporated in the sun.

The Fairy Godmother took the shoes and handed them to Dorothy.

“The Witch of the East was very proud of her shoes,” said one of the Munchkins. “They have a magical power, but we don’t know what it is.

Dorothy wanted more than anything to go home, and she asked the Munchkins if they could help her find her way back to Kansas.

The Munchkins shook their heads.

“You need to go to the Emerald City. Perhaps the Great Wizard of Oz will help you,” said the Good Fairy of the North.

- Where is this city? Dorothy asked.

“Right in the center of the country, where the Great Wizard of Oz rules.

- Is he a good person? Dorothy asked anxiously.

“He is the Good Wizard. But whether he is a man or not, I cannot say, because I have never seen him.

– How can I get there? Dorothy asked.

- You have to walk. It will be a long journey, sometimes pleasant, sometimes dangerous. But I will use all my magic to protect you from harm. My kiss will protect you, and no one will dare to touch you,” said the Good Fairy of the North.

She went up to Dorothy and kissed her on the forehead. Then she pointed out to the girl on the road paved with yellow bricks leading to the Emerald City, said goodbye and disappeared. The Munchkins wished Dorothy a good trip and disappeared behind the trees.

Dorothy got out of the closet and put on a blue-and-white checked dress and a pink cap, put the bread in a small basket, and put on her silver shoes, the same ones that belonged to the Witch of the East.

She set out on her way along the road paved with yellow bricks. There were blue-painted hedges on either side of the road, and behind them were fields full of vegetables and wheat. Occasionally, along the way came across round houses with domed roofs. All the houses were also blue, because in the Land of the Munchkins blue was the favorite color.

People came out of their houses to look at Dorothy as she passed by; all the Munchkins already knew that she had delivered them from the Evil Witch of the East and freed them from slavery.

In the evening, Dorothy reached a large house in which many Munchkins had gathered. They sang and danced, celebrating the deliverance from the Evil Witch.

Dorothy was invited into the house and treated generously. The rich Munchkin Bok - the owner of the house - himself served her at the table. Dorothy enjoyed watching the Munchkins having fun, but soon she was overtaken by a dream, and she slept until morning.

The next morning, Dorothy said goodbye to her new friends and walked down the yellow brick road. She walked for a long time and finally sat down to rest by the side of the road. Not far away, behind a hedge, in the middle of a cornfield, she saw a straw effigy sticking out on a pole in a blue Munchkin suit. The Straw Man was supposed to scare away the birds from the ripening corn.

Dorothy was looking at the scarecrow with interest, and it suddenly winked at her! Dorothy thought she must have imagined it, because in Kansas scarecrows never winked. But then the figure on the pole gave her a friendly nod. Surprised, Dorothy stepped closer to the scarecrow.

- Good afternoon! - the scarecrow greeted.

- You can speak? – the girl was surprised.

- Certainly! replied the Straw Man. - How are you doing?

“Okay, thanks,” Dorothy said politely. – How are you?

“Not in the best way,” the scarecrow smiled. “I’m tired, you know, of hanging around on a pole day and night, driving away crows. If you would be so kind as to take me off the pole, I would be very grateful.

Dorothy lifted the scarecrow from the pole without difficulty, for it was stuffed with straw.

- Thank you very much! said the straw man. - And who are you? And where are you heading?

“My name is Dorothy,” the girl replied. “And I'm going to the Emerald City to ask the Great Oz to bring me back home to Kansas.

“What do you think,” said the Straw Man, “that Oz could give me brains?”

After all, he was stuffed with straw, and he had no brains.

“If you come with me, I will ask Oz to help you too,” Dorothy promised.

“Thank you,” said the Straw Man.

And they went down the road together. Soon the road led them to a dense forest. Suddenly, they heard a heavy groan nearby. A man made of tin stood with his ax held high by a half-cut tree.

- Did you moan? Dorothy asked.

“Yes,” said the Tin Man. “For more than a year I have been moaning, but for all this time no one has heard me or come to my aid. Please help me, bring an oil can from my house and lubricate my joints. They're so rusted I can't move, but if they're oiled I'll be fine again.

Dorothy rushed to the Tin Woodman's house and found an oil can. Returning, she smeared oil on all the joints of the strange man.

The Tin Woodman lowered his ax with a sigh of relief.

- What happiness! - he said. “I've been standing swinging that ax ever since I got rusty. What a joy that it can finally be lowered! But if you had not appeared here, I could have stood like this for an eternity. How did you get here?

“We are going to the Emerald City to the Great Oz,” Dorothy replied.

- Why do you need him? asked the Tin Woodman.

“I want him to help me get back home to Kansas, and the Straw Man really needs brains,” Dorothy explained.

The Tin Woodman thought for a moment and finally asked:

“Do you think this Oz can give me a heart?”

- Certainly! Dorothy replied. "He's a wizard, after all."

“True,” agreed the Tin Woodman. "Well, if you'll let me join you, I'll go to the Emerald City and ask Oz to help me."

- Let's go to! - the scarecrow rejoiced. Dorothy, too, was pleased to have the Tin Woodman to keep them company.

The Tin Woodman asked the girl to put the butter dish in the basket.

“You never know what could happen,” he explained. “If I get caught in the rain, I’ll rust again, and then I won’t do without oil.”

And they moved forward along the yellow brick road. They walked and walked, when suddenly a terrible roar reached them from the forest, and the next moment a huge Lion jumped out onto the road. With a wave of his paw, he threw the scarecrow to the side of the road, and then, with sharp claws, he jumped on the Tin Woodman. But, although the Woodcutter fell to the ground, Lev could not bend his tin surface and was very surprised at this.

Little Toto, finding himself face to face with the enemy, rushed at the Lion with a bark. The huge beast opened its mouth to grab him, but then Dorothy rushed forward, hit the Lion with all her strength on the nose and shouted:

Don't you dare touch Toto!

“But I didn’t touch it,” Lev answered peacefully, rubbing his nose.

But you were going to! Dorothy objected. - What a coward you are - attacking the little ones!

- I know. The ashamed Lion lowered his head. “I always knew that. But what can you do!

“Come with us to Oz, and let him give you courage,” Dorothy suggested.

"I'll go if you don't mind!" A life like mine is just unbearable.

“We'll be glad,” said Dorothy. You will scare wild animals away from us.

And they set off.

The forest around was getting thicker and darker. From the thicket they heard some strange sounds.

An abyss blocked the way for the travelers. The Tin Woodman cut down a large tree so that he could climb across its trunk to the other side. But as soon as the travelers began to cross, a terrible roar sounded very close, and they, looking around, saw that two huge beasts with the bodies of a bear and the heads of a tiger were rushing at them.

- It's Kalidahi! cried the Cowardly Lion in horror, trembling all over.

Dorothy scooped Toto up in her arms and hurried across the bridge to the other side. The Straw Man and the Tin Woodman followed her. Leo was the last to cross the bridge. As he stepped to the ground, he turned and snarled at the Kalidahs. Kalidahi at first recoiled, but seeing that their opponent was not so formidable, besides, he was alone, and there were two of them, rushed forward.

The Tin Woodman immediately began to chop down the tree, and just at that moment, when the kalidahis were already quite close, the tree trunk broke with a crack and collapsed into the abyss. And then the growling monsters flew down and crashed on sharp stones at the bottom of the abyss.

After such an adventure, the travelers hurried to get out of the forest as soon as possible. They quickened their pace and soon came to a fast river. The Tin Woodman took out an ax and cut down some small trees to make a raft out of them. When the raft was ready, the travelers boarded it. They sailed safely from the shore, but in the middle of the river the raft was picked up by a swift current and carried away from the road paved with yellow bricks. The river was so deep that the long poles with which the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman steered the raft did not reach the bottom.

“Bad business,” said the Tin Woodman. “If we don’t make it to land, we will be swept away to the Land of the Wicked Witch of the West, and she will turn us into her slaves.

– We must get to the Emerald City! exclaimed the Straw Man, and pushed off with the pole so hard that the end of the pole sank into the mud at the bottom of the river. The Straw Man did not have time to pull it out: the raft slipped out from under his feet. And the poor little man remained hanging in the middle of the river, clinging to a pole.

The lion plunged bravely into the water, and the Tin Woodman grabbed hold of his tail. Friends wanted to swim up to the scarecrow to help him.

Meanwhile, a stork was flying over the river; he saved the scarecrow. The Straw Man warmly thanked the stork. He was so happy to be among his friends again that he embraced them all in joy.

- Thank you! Dorothy also thanked his savior. The good stork soared into the sky and soon disappeared from sight.

The travelers walked and walked and finally saw a whole field of scarlet poppies in front of them. Everyone who inhaled the aroma of these flowers fell into a dream. And if a traveler falls asleep right on a poppy field, he will sleep forever. This is what happened to Dorothy - in a few minutes she was fast asleep.

- What do we do? asked the Tin Woodman.

“If we leave her here, she will die,” said the Lion. The smell of these flowers will kill us all. My own eyes are drooping. I better get my feet out of here as soon as possible.

Toto and Dorothy were sound asleep, but the Straw Man and the Tin Woodman were not affected by the scent of the flowers, for they were not flesh and blood. They put Toto on Dorothy's lap and carried her away. There seemed to be no end to the huge carpet of deadly flowers. And suddenly they saw the Lion: sleep fell him almost at the very edge of the field. And then stretched meadows, overgrown with thick grass.

“There is nothing we can do to help him,” said the Tin Woodman sadly. It's too heavy, we can't lift it. Have to leave him. He will sleep forever, and perhaps dream that he has found courage at last.

They carried Dorothy and Toto as far as they could and lowered them carefully to the ground, away from the dangerous flowers. Suddenly the Woodcutter heard a dull growl: a huge wild cat was chasing a small field mouse. The cat's mouth was wide open, two rows of sharp teeth flashed predatory, red eyes burned. And the Woodcutter, although he had no heart, realized that he could not allow the killing of a defenseless tiny creature. He swung his ax and cut off the cat's head.

When the danger had passed, the field mouse approached its savior and said in a trembling voice:

I am so grateful to you - you saved my life. I am the Queen of the Field Mice. Let my subjects thank you for this brave act. They will fulfill your every wish.

The Tin Woodman asked the mouse to save their friend, the Cowardly Lion. The Queen told her subjects to bring ropes to drag the Cowardly Lion from the field on a cart that the Tin Woodman had meanwhile fashioned from branches.

The mice harnessed themselves to the cart, the Straw Man and the Tin Woodman leaned in from behind - and soon the Lion was dragged out of the poppy field. Dorothy, who had already woken up from her intoxicating dream, warmly thanked the little mice for saving her friend from death.

The mice, having done their job, jumped out of the cart and darted into the grass, hurrying to their homes. Only the Queen stayed behind.

“If you ever need our help again,” she said, “come to this field and call us. We will hear your call and come. And now, goodbye.

- Goodbye! the friends answered in chorus, and the Queen disappeared into the thick grass.

Everyone sat down near the Lion and began to wait for his awakening.

At last the Cowardly Lion woke up and was very glad to be convinced that he was alive.

When Leo finally came to his senses, they continued along the yellow brick road. The land they were in was beautiful. The hedges and houses along the road were painted green. The people wore emerald green robes and the same pointed hats that the Munchkins wore.

“Looks like this is the Land of Oz,” Dorothy said. “So the Emerald City is close.”

Soon the travelers saw a wonderful green glow over the horizon.

They continued on their way, and the radiance grew brighter. At noon, the travelers approached the high wall that surrounded the city. The wall was also green.

Friends found themselves in front of a large gate, decorated with emeralds, which sparkled and shimmered in the sun. Dorothy saw a bell at the gate and rang it. The gate slowly opened, and the travelers entered a room with a high vaulted ceiling, emeralds shimmering on the walls.

In front of the friends sat a little man about the same height as the Munchkins. He was dressed in green from head to toe, even his skin had a greenish tinge. Near the man stood a large chest - also green.

– What do you need in the Emerald City? – asked the little man who came.

“We came to see the Great Oz,” Dorothy said bravely.

The man was very surprised.

“Few people get to see Oz,” he said. “But I, the Gatekeeper, will take you to the palace. Just put on those green glasses first so you don't get blinded by the glitz and opulence of the Emerald City. Even the inhabitants of our city wear such glasses day and night.

The guard opened the chest. It contained glasses of all shapes and sizes. The Gatekeeper has chosen the right glasses for each of the travelers.

Then he himself put on his glasses and announced that he was ready to escort the guests to the palace. Then he removed a large golden key from a nail, unlocked another gate, and his friends followed him out into the streets of the Emerald City.

Although the eyes of Dorothy and her friends were protected by green glasses, for the first moment they were blinded by the brilliance of the wonderful city. On both sides of the streets stood green marble houses decorated with emeralds. The pavement was also paved with marble slabs; the gaps between the slabs were filled with emeralds, sparkling in the sun. The windows were made of green glass, even the sky above the city was light green, and the sun cast green rays.

The streets were full of people; all the townspeople were dressed in green robes, and all had greenish skin. All of them looked with curiosity at Dorothy and her unusual companions, and the children, at the sight of the Lion, hid behind their mothers, but no one spoke to the travelers. There were many shops and stalls on the street. Dorothy noticed that all the goods in them were green.

There didn't seem to be any horses or other animals in the city. People carried all their luggage themselves in small green carts. Everyone looked happy and quite satisfied with life.

The travelers who followed the Guardian soon reached the palace. At the door stood a guard with a long green beard, in a green uniform.

“Foreigners have come,” the Gatekeeper addressed him, “and they want to see the Great Uz.

“Come in,” the guard replied. “I will report you to the Great Oz.

Friends passed through the palace gates, the Guard led them to a beautifully furnished green room and left.

Friends had to wait a long time for his return. Finally he returned with the words:

“Oz will receive you, but you must come to him one at a time, and each will be assigned a specific day for this. In the meantime, I will show you rooms in the palace where you can comfortably sit and relax.

The next morning a maid came for Dorothy. She brought a lovely dress of green satin and helped the girl to dress. Dorothy put on a green silk apron, tied a green bow around Toto's neck, and they went to the throne room of Great Oz.

Dorothy stepped excitedly across the threshold of the hall. It was a large round room with a high vaulted ceiling, and the walls were decorated with emeralds. The sun shone through a round window in the center of the dome, and emeralds shone dazzlingly in its rays.

In the center of the hall was a green marble throne adorned with precious stones. On the throne rested a huge bald head without a body.

Dorothy looked at the head with curiosity and fear, and the eyes of the head stared at her. Then the lips moved, and Dorothy heard a voice:

“I am Oz, the Great and Terrible. Who are you and why are you looking for me?

Dorothy plucked up her courage and answered:

“I am Dorothy, Little and Meek. I came to you for help.

Her eyes gazed thoughtfully at her for a full minute. Then the voice asked:

Where did you get your silver shoes from?

“I got them from the Wicked Witch of the East when my house fell on her and crushed her,” the girl answered.

- What do you want from me? Oz asked.

“Please help me get back to Kansas, to Aunt Em and Uncle Henry,” Dorothy said pleadingly. “Aunty Em must be terribly worried that I’ve been away for so long.

“Well then,” said Oz. “But first you have to do something for me. You must kill the Wicked Witch of the West.

- But I can not! Dorothy screamed.

“You killed the Wicked Witch of the East and you are wearing her silver shoes, which contain magic power. Now there is only one Wicked Witch left in this country, and when you bring me news of her death, I will send you back to Kansas - but not before.

Saddened, Dorothy left the throne room and returned to her friends, who were eager to know what Oz had told her.

“I have no hope,” Dorothy said with a sigh. “Oz won't bring me home until I kill the Wicked Witch of the West, and I'll never be able to do that.

Her friends were very upset, but how could they help her?! Dorothy returned to her room and wept there until sleep broke her.

The next day, the Straw Man was called to Oz. Oz appeared before him in the form of a beautiful lady with light silk wings behind her back.

The next day the Tin Woodman went to Oz. Before him, Oz appeared in the form of a huge monster. And when the Lion entered the throne room, he saw a large fireball. Oz asked each of the travelers to kill the Wicked Witch of the West.

– What do we do now? Dorothy asked when they got together.

“There is only one thing left for us,” said the Lion. – Go to the Land of Winkies, find the Wicked Witch and destroy her. Maybe we can deal with it?

And they decided that the next morning they would set off.

A guard with a green mustache escorted his friends through the streets of the Emerald City to the entrance gate. The gatekeeper took off their glasses, put them in the chest and graciously opened the city gates to the friends.

“Which road leads to the Wicked Witch of the West?” Dorothy asked.

“There is no such road,” said the Gatekeeper. “No one would dare to set out on this road.

“But how can we find the Witch then?” - the girl was confused.

“It will be easy,” the Guardian said. “As soon as the Sorceress finds out that you have come to the Land of Winkies, she herself will find you and make you her slaves. Be careful: she is cunning and cunning - you are unlikely to be able to defeat her. Go west, where the sun sets, and you will certainly find it.

Soon the Emerald City was left behind. Our travelers went farther and farther; the terrain they were walking on became more and more hilly.

By noon the sun began to bake; there was not a single tree around to hide in its shade. Long before nightfall, Dorothy, Toto, and the Lion were completely exhausted, lay down on the grass and fell asleep. The Woodcutter and the Straw Man remained on guard.

The Wicked Witch of the West has long noticed Dorothy and her friends from the window of her castle. She became furious when she saw them in her country. The Evil Witch raised the silver whistle that hung around her neck to her lips and blew into it.

A whole pack of wolves immediately rushed to her. They had strong legs, ferocious eyes and sharp teeth.

“Seize the strangers,” the Sorceress ordered, “and tear them to shreds.

“Willingly,” growled the Wolf Leader and rushed forward, the whole pack rushed after him.

Luckily, the Straw Man and the Woodcutter were awake and heard the wolves coming towards them.

The woodcutter grabbed an ax and began to chop off the heads of all the wolves that pounced on him. When the Witch saw that all the wolves were dead, and the strangers were safe and sound, she became even more angry. And she again blew the whistle twice.

A huge flock of ravens flocked to her. The Evil Witch ordered the Raven King:

“Fly now to these strangers, gouge out their eyes and tear them to shreds.

The ravens flew towards Dorothy and her companions. At their approach, the Straw Man jumped up and spread his arms, blocking his friends sleeping on the ground. Seeing him, the crows were frightened: after all, scarecrows are needed to scare away birds. They did not dare to fly closer. But the Raven King said:

“Yes, it’s just a man stuffed with straw!” Now I'll gouge out his eyes!

And the Raven King rushed forward, but the Straw Man grabbed his head and twisted his neck. The same fate befell the entire flock.

The Evil Witch looked out the window, saw that all the crows were dead, and went into a terrible rage. She summoned a dozen of her Winky slaves, gave them sharp spears, and told them to kill the intruders.

The Winkies went to follow orders. But as soon as they approached Dorothy, the Lion growled menacingly and rushed at them. The poor Winkies were so frightened that they ran away.

The Wicked Witch was beside herself with rage. She put on her head the Golden Helmet, which had magical powers. The one who put it on could three times - but only three times! - call the Winged Monkeys, who were ready to fulfill any order. Twice the Monkeys have already served. This was the last time the Wicked Witch could count on the help of the Winged Monkeys. There was a noise of many wings, and soon the Wicked Witch was surrounded on all sides by the Winged Monkeys.

The witch ordered:

“Fly to the strangers who have come to my country, and destroy them all, except for the Lion. Bring the lion to me, I will make him walk in a harness and work like a horse.

The Winged Monkeys flew to Dorothy and her friends. Some monkeys grabbed the Tin Woodman, took him to the mountains and threw him into the abyss. The unfortunate Woodcutter fell on sharp stones, where he remained lying, broken and crumpled.

The other monkeys clung to the Straw Man and yanked all the straw out of his head and clothes. The monkeys tied the Lion with ropes, lifted him into the air and carried him to the Witch's castle. There he was thrown into a small courtyard surrounded by a high iron fence; The lion couldn't get out of there.

But no one dared to touch Dorothy: after all, the kiss of the Good Fairy was imprinted on her forehead. The Winged Monkeys carried Dorothy to the Wicked Witch's castle and lowered her to the ground. The leader of the Monkeys said to the Sorceress:

We have carried out the order. The Tin Woodman and the Straw Man are destroyed, and the bound Lion lies in the yard behind the fence. But we dare not harm this little girl or the little dog she holds in her arms.

And the Winged Monkeys soared into the air with a noise and disappeared from sight.

The Wicked Witch was both surprised and alarmed when she saw the mark on Dorothy's forehead and her magical silver shoes: even she could not do anything with the magical power protecting the girl. But she immediately realized that Dorothy herself did not know anything about the magical power of the shoes. “But I can turn this girl into a slave,” thought the Sorceress. “She doesn’t know what power she has.”

And the Wicked Witch hissed:

- Follow me! You do whatever I tell you, or I'll deal with you the same way I dealt with the Tin Woodman and the Straw Man.

The witch forced the girl to work in the kitchen. Dorothy decided to work hard: she was also glad that the Witch let her live. The lion was kept in the yard; it was ordered not to feed him until he became meek and obedient.

Every night, when the Witch fell asleep, Dorothy secretly brought food to the Lion from the pantry. When he had satisfied his hunger, he would lie down on a bed of straw, and Dorothy would sit beside him, resting her head on his soft, shaggy mane; they shared their troubles with each other and discussed the escape plan. But it was impossible to find a way to escape: the castle was guarded by Winkies, who were subjugated by the Evil Witch. They were so afraid of their mistress that they did not dare to disobey her orders.

The Wicked Witch dreamed of taking possession of the silver shoes that Dorothy wore without taking off: after all, they had great power. To get the shoes, the Witch set a trap for the girl. She placed an iron bar on the threshold of the kitchen and bewitched it so that it became invisible to human eyes. As soon as Dorothy crossed the threshold, she stumbled over an invisible beam and fell. She was not hurt, but one of the silver slippers fell off her foot as she fell. Before Dorothy had reached out her hand to the slipper, the Witch grabbed the slipper and pulled it over her foot.

Dorothy, seeing that one of her lovely slippers had been taken from her, became very angry. She grabbed a bucket and doused the Witch with water from head to toe.

And at the same moment the Wicked Witch screamed in horror and melted before the eyes of the astonished Dorothy.

Dorothy picked up the silver slipper - all that was left of the evil old woman - wiped it dry and put it on her foot. Then she ran out into the yard, freed the Lion from his imprisonment, and informed him that the Wicked Witch of the West was dead. Together they went to the castle. Dorothy called all the Winkies and announced to them that the power of the evil sorceress had come to an end and from now on they were free.

That was the joy of the yellow Miguns! After all, they have worked hard for the Wicked Witch for so many years.

As a token of their gratitude, the Winkies found and repaired the Tin Woodman and Straw Man, who had been crippled by the Monkeys. How glad the friends were to get together again!

The next day they said goodbye to Migunami. Now that they had fulfilled Oz's condition, it was time for them to return to the Emerald City so that Oz would fulfill his promises. The Winkies loved the Tin Woodman so much that they asked him to return to them and become the ruler of the Yellow Country of the West.

Donning the Witch's Golden Helm, Dorothy summoned the Winged Monkeys and ordered them to take her and her friends to Oz. In the Emerald City, they were immediately taken to the wizard. Each of the friends thought that they would see Oz in the form in which he appeared before, but, to their surprise, there was no one in the room.

Attention! This is an introductory section of the book.

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Lyman Frank Baum

Oz

To the consummate glorious fellow and outstanding comedians David Montgomery and Fred Stone, whose talented portrayal of the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow on stage delighted thousands of children across the country, this book is gratefully dedicated

After the publication of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, I began to receive letters from children telling me that they had enjoyed reading the story and asking me to "write more" about the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman. At first I regarded these little letters, sincere and honest, as simply pleasant compliments. But the letters kept coming for months and even years.

And one little girl made a long journey just to see me and personally ask me to write a sequel to this book ... The girl, by the way, was called Dorothy. I promised her that when a thousand little girls wrote me a thousand little letters and asked for another story about the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman, I would write such a book. I don’t know whether the real fairy took the form of little Dorothy and waved her magic wand, or whether the success of the theatrical production of The Wizard of Oz was to blame, but in the end this story made many new friends. Time passed, a thousand letters found me - and many more followed them.

And now, admitting my guilt for the long delay, I fulfill my promise and present this book.

L. Frank Baum

Chicago, June 1904

1. Type creates Pumpkinhead

In the land of the Gillikins, in the north of the Land of Oz, there lived a boy named Tip. True, his real name was much longer. Old Mombi often said that his full name was Tippetarius. But no one had the patience to utter such a long word, so everyone called the boy simply Tip.

The boy did not remember his parents. When he was still very young, the old woman Mombi convinced him that it was she who raised him. And I must tell you that Mombi's reputation was not very good. The Gillikins were afraid of her sorcerous power and tried not to meet her.

Mombi was not a real witch, because the Good Fairy - the ruler of this part of the Land of Oz - forbade witches to live in her domain. Therefore, Type's guardian, according to the law of witchcraft, had no right to do more than an ordinary petty sorceress.

The old woman often sent Tip into the woods to fetch branches to boil her pot. She forced the boy to collect grains, corncobs and cultivate the land with a hoe. He herded pigs and milked a cow with four horns, which was a special pride of Mombi.

But do not think that the boy did nothing but work for the old woman. He didn't want to follow Mombi's orders all the time. When she sent him into the woods, Tip would climb trees for bird eggs or chase fast white rabbits. Sometimes, with the help of ingeniously curved hooks, he fished in streams. Having walked a lot, the boy set to work and carried the branches home. And when work fell out in the field and tall stalks of cereals hid him from Mombi's eyes, Tip climbed into the holes of gophers. If there was no mood, then he simply lay on his back and dozed off. He grew strong and agile.

Mombi's witchcraft scared her neighbors. They treated her timidly and respectfully, fearful of her mysterious power. And Tip simply did not love her - and did not even hide it.

Gourds grew in the fields of Mombi, shimmering golden crimson among the green stalks. They were carefully looked after so that the four-horned cow had something to eat in winter. One day, when the bread was cut and stacked, Tip took the pumpkins to the barn. He wanted to make a scarecrow - "Jack Lantern" - and play a trick on the old woman.

The boy chose a beautiful orange-red gourd and began to cut it with a small knife. He carved two round eyes, a triangular nose and a mouth that looked like a moon on a new moon. It cannot be said that the face turned out to be very beautiful; but there was so much charm in his expression, and his smile was so wide that Tip even laughed. He was very pleased with his work.

The boy had no friends, so he did not know that other boys often take out the insides of the Jack-pumpkin, and insert a lit candle into the resulting cavity to make the pumpkin face more expressive. But Tipu came up with another thought that seemed very tempting to him. He decided to make a little man who would wear this pumpkin head. And then put it in some suitable place so that Mombi would suddenly run into him and be frightened.

That's when, - Tip said cheerfully to himself, - she will squeal louder than a brown pig when I push him in the side. And he will shake with fear more than I did last year from malaria!

The boy had a lot of time to carry out his plan, because Mombi went to the neighboring village for provisions. Such a journey usually took her two full days.

Tip chose several slender young trees in the forest, cut them down and cleared them of branches and leaves. From them he made arms and legs for his little man. And he made the body from the bark of a mighty tree growing nearby. He managed to give a piece of bark the shape of an almost regular cylinder. Satisfied with his work, the boy collected all the parts and connected them into one whole. It turned out a torso, from which pegs protruded - arms and legs. A sharp knife gave them the desired shape.

Having completed the work in the evening, Tip remembered that he still had to milk the cow and feed the piglets. He grabbed the wooden man and carried him into the house.

In the evening, by the light of the kitchen hearth, Tip carefully rounded all parts of his creation and smoothed out rough places. The outlines of the little man took on a pleasant and even graceful, according to Tip, look. He leaned the figure against the wall and admired it. The figure seemed tall even for an adult.

Looking at his work in the morning, Tip saw that he had forgotten to attach the little man's neck. But only with its help it was possible to connect the pumpkin head with the body. The boy again ran into the nearest forest and cut down some strong branches. When he returned, he began to complete his work. Tip put on the pumpkin head, slowly pressing down on the wand-neck until the connection was strong enough. As he intended, the head could now easily turn in all directions. And the rods of the arms and legs made it possible to give the body any position.

I got a wonderful man, - rejoiced Tip. - And he can scare Mombi. But it will become even more alive if you put it on!

Frank Baum (Lyman Frank Baum)(May 15, 1856 - May 6, 1919) was an American writer and journalist, playwright, author of children's stories, and a classic of children's literature. Until recently, his works were known in our country only from the retellings of A. Volkov (“The Wizard of the Emerald City”).

Born in Chittenango, New York. Frank and his family moved to South Dakota in 1888, where he worked for a newspaper. Then in 1891 the family moved to Chicago, Frank Baum and there began to work as a journalist.

The sick boy was healthier than his brothers and sisters

However, if Benjamin and Cynthia Baum had been told in the middle of the 19th century that their seventh child would live so long, they would hardly have believed this prophecy. If only because Frank, who was born on May 15, 1856, had very little chance of ever surviving to three years. Doctors already in the first year of his life did not hide the truth from his parents: the baby had a congenital heart disease. And only a calm, measured and happy life can save him, preferably not in a big city, but in the countryside.

By the time Frank was born, Benjamin was a cooper, making barrels for oil. It was those that were called "barrels" due to the fact that just so much oil was placed in them. But the seventh child became like a happy talisman - soon dad Baum from a cooper became a seller of black gold, and his business went uphill so rapidly that he became rich in a short time.

But the children were his headache. Four died before they lived a few years, and five, in the end, became adults, but, alas, only Frank lived to an advanced age. But then, at the dawn of Benjamin and Cynthia's youth, it seemed to them that their main task was to help the sick seventh child.

A typewriter is the best gift

They didn’t just blow off dust particles from him. He lived on a ranch, although his father had his own house in New York, devoted most of his time to walks, and equally endured both heat and cold. Ben could let the teachers come to Frank, he didn't go to school. He was such a bookworm that he soon overcame the entire by no means small library of his father. Most of all the boy liked Charles Dickens and William Thackeray. Dickens was still alive at this point, so all the novelties that came out from the pen of the classic were immediately delivered to Frank. By the way, such a passion for his son was a special pride of Ben. He told everyone: “My Frank these books are like nuts!” Although you must admit that Dickens, the master of the psychological novel, is “too tough” by far not every adult ...

Frank's 14th birthday was probably one of the happiest days for him! The father came to his son's room in the morning and brought him a very large gift. When the boy unfolded the paper, he gasped: it was a typewriter! Quite a rarity at the time. Needless to say, on the same day, Frank and his little brother already delighted their parents with the first family newspaper. And then the newspaper, which later grew into a magazine, began to be published regularly. In addition to the family chronicle, it also contained fiction - Frank often wrote fairy tales for the younger ones ...

Restless Frank

At the age of 17, the future writer began to publish a completely adult magazine. Since his second hobby after books was philately, the pages of the new edition were devoted to the history of stamps, various auctions, and travel. Frank himself was truly restless - whoever he just did not work in his youth. He started as a reporter, was the director of a bookstore, studied for two years at a military school, where he experienced an almost physical disgust for the drill. Then he decided to become a farmer, raised poultry, and at the same time published a magazine dedicated to poultry farming. But soon this rather "unesthetic" work bored him. He returned to the city, became a producer of a number of theaters, went on stage several times, playing in performances.

He was easy on words, and his great erudition and erudition made him an interesting, memorable interlocutor. Ben and Cynthia were very proud of their son, believing that their Frank would not be lost in life. Moreover, he was quite purposeful and stubborn, the Scotch-Irish sourdough had an effect ...

In 1881, Frank fell in love with the charming Maud. The “candy-bouquet” period dragged on a little, a somewhat frivolous young man, hovering in the clouds, did not seem to Maud's parents an exceptionally successful party. But, firstly, the girl said that she would not marry anyone other than Frank, and, secondly, he was, after all, the son of a wealthy oil tycoon, so he could well ensure the future of their daughter. If they knew that the stubborn Frankie would rather go begging than take money from his parents, they might have thought. But young Baum adhered to such positions that he should take place on his own, because his father also once started from scratch ...

Baum's children were very fond of fairy tales.

Be that as it may, on November 9, 1882, Frank and Maud got married. They had four children, for whom, Baum, in fact, began to write fairy tales. Or rather, they were originally oral. Needless to say, the children listened to Frank with their mouths open, because he was very fond of writing good fairy tales, in his stories good always took over evil. And, besides, Frank admitted to Maud that he really did not want children to learn life from the "evil tales of the Brothers Grimm."

His first book for children was Mother Goose in Prose (1897). It was followed by Father Goose: His Book (1899), which quickly became a bestseller. In memory of how he raised Christmas geese in his youth. The children liked the fairy tales very much, but since the elders were no longer babies, they pointed out to the parent a certain discrepancy. Like, we want to know about magical adventures, and Uncle Gusak is "tied" to the poultry yard.

Frank took the remark into account and began to write a "saga" about the magical land of Oz, about a little girl Dorothy from Kansas, who was "transported" by a hurricane along with her little dog to a country that none of the adults had any idea about.

Perhaps, when finishing the first book, Baum did not even think that the “series” would stretch for as many as 14 episodes. But the children demanded "the continuation of the banquet", and the writer's fantasy worked with redoubled energy.

Although Frank Baum wrote more than 70 children's books, his fame is based mainly on the book about the wizard and other 13 stories about Oz, including "Ozma of Oz" (Ozma of Oz, 1907) and "The Scarecrow of Oz» (The Scarecrow of Oz, 1915), all of which emphasize the American virtues of practicality, self-reliance, tolerance, and egalitarianism.

How Dorothy became Ellie...

And how quickly Baum's magical story spread around the world! It was translated into several languages, and only in a country far from the United States of victorious socialism, almost no one heard about the author of Dorothy and the Land of Oz. Because there was one smart person, by the name of Alexander Melentievich Volkov, who, taking Baum's "saga" as a basis, shifted it in his interpretation, "shamefully" keeping silent about the fact that Frank's book is at least 40 years old. Volkov's work was called "The Wizard of the Emerald City" and appeared on the bookshelf in 1939.

I must say that Volkov, a mathematics teacher in the Urals, was a good translator. And when in 1938 Lazar Lagin's book "Old Man Hottabych" was published, which immediately gained wide popularity, Alexander Melentievich realized that, probably, a book in which even the most magical miracles would be "exposed" would be no less successful.

However, God did not offend Volkov's conscience. After the release of the fairy tale about the girl Ellie, he did not undertake to continue the story for almost a quarter of a century. At first, he slightly shoveled his own version - in 1939 Ellie, like Baum, an orphan raised by an aunt and uncle, and in 1959 - already an ordinary girl who has a mother and father. And there were dozens of such discrepancies. And as soon as the deadline for Baum's copyright had passed, Volkov was "born" with numerous sequels, which are still fewer than Baum's. Volkov simply did not have enough time - he died in 1977, shortly after writing The Secrets of the Abandoned Castle.

19 years of full glory!

But back to Baum. In 19 years of writing, Frank has written 62 books. Moreover, 14 of them, as I said, were devoted to the "Magic Land of Oz", 24 books were written exclusively for girls and 6 for boys. And let not all of us know, but in the USA the beginning of the 20th century was marked by "Baum's boom" - it was decided to film his book, moreover, Frank personally participated not only in writing the script, but also in directing the film. In total, during the life of the writer, 6 films based on his "saga" were made. In addition, from 1902 to 1911, the musical based on this book was staged on Broadway 293 times!

To be closer to the set, Frank Baum and his family moved to Hollywood. This is where he died...

A dramatization of Frank Baum's book was made in 1902, and a hugely popular motion picture was made using the story in 1938.

Screen adaptations

• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz 1910 film based on the 1902 musical directed by Otis Turner
• The Wizard of Oz A 1939 MGM musical film directed by Victor Fleming and starring Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr and Jack Haley.
• Journey Back to Oz 1971 animated film, official sequel to The Wizard of Oz
• The Wizard 1978 musical film based on the 1975 Broadway musical directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Michael Jackson and Diana Ross
• Return to Oz 1985 Walt Disney Pictures film, unofficial sequel to The Wizard of Oz, directed by Walter Murch and starring Fairuza Balk
• Iron Man (miniseries)

On May 15, 1919, 90 years ago, the numerous relatives of the famous American writer Lyman Frank Baum were supposed to gather for his next birthday. It was not a round date, but about a month before the event, invitation cards were sent to the guests, and by the end of April they had already been received by the addressees.

Then none of the invitees knew yet that they would gather at Baum's house a little earlier, and for a completely different reason - on May 6, 1919, Frank's heart stopped. The writer, beloved by many generations of children, did not live to see his 63rd birthday.

Oz

The name of this magical land, according to the Baum family legend, was born by accident. On a May evening in 1898, Baum was telling his and the neighbor's children another fairy tale, composing it on the go. Someone asked where all this is happening. Baum looked around the room, looked at the home filing cabinet with drawers A-N and O-Z, and said, "In the Land of Oz."

"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" was published in 1900 and was so loved by readers that Baum decided to continue the story of a wonderful country. Readers were looking forward to new stories, but, having released the sixth tale in 1910, the author decided to take a break. He published two tales about the girl Trot and Captain Bill, which were generally well received by readers, but they could not think that the story of Oz was completed. Letters were sent with protests, with proposals to return to their favorite characters. Actually, the fans of Sherlock Holmes reacted about the same when Conan Doyle rebelled and decided to part with his hero. The insidious plans of both writers were doomed to failure. Readers took over - both Conan Doyle and Baum returned to their series.

Baum left fourteen Oz stories. Perhaps he would have written even more, but death from a heart attack confused all the cards of the Court Historian of Oz. However, reader love has turned the dot into an ellipsis. Also in 1919, Reilly & Lee, a publishing house specializing in the Oz story, commissioned Ruth Plumley Thompson, a twenty-year-old journalist from Philadelphia, to continue the series.

Ruth Thompson fulfilled her task well, and as for the number of titles that came out from under her pen, here she surpassed Baum himself. The tradition of "continuance" did not die out - a variety of writers took over the baton. Tried his luck in this area and the illustrator of most of Baum's lifetime editions, John Neal, who offered readers three of his stories.

A new surge of interest in Baum came at the end of the fifties. At the initiative of a thirteen-year-old schoolboy from New York, in 1957, the International Club of the Wizard of Oz was created. The club exists to this day and has its own periodical, which, as you might guess, deals with the details of life in the magical Land of Oz and the latest publications on this burning topic.

In the same 1939, when Americans lined up outside movie theaters to watch the Hollywood version of The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland as Dorothy, Alexander Volkov retold the series' first tale in Russian. On the whole, he kept to the original quite carefully, although he omitted a few scenes (the episode with the Warring Trees, the story of the Flying Monkeys, the visit to Porcelain Land). Subsequently, Volkov proposed his own series, inspired by Baum's motives.

The real discovery of Baum in Russia, however, falls on the nineties. The first sign was a book published in 1991 in the Moscow Worker, which included the second, third and thirteenth tales of the series, and a little later a translation of the Wizard was proposed, where Volkovskaya Ellie gave way to Baumov Dorothy and the text appeared in its original form - without cuts and additions.

Lyman Frank Baum Date of birth: May 15, 1856 Place of birth: Chittenango, New York, USA Date of death: May 6, 1919 Place of death ... Wikipedia

Baum, Lyman Frank- (15.V.1856, Chittenango, New York 6.V.1919, Hollywood, California) prose writer. He found his true calling as a storyteller relatively late. By the age of 40, he managed to be a salesman and a traveling salesman, a reporter and newspaper editor, an actor, ... ... US writers. Brief creative biographies

Lyman Frank Baum Date of birth: May 15, 1856 Place of birth: Chittenango, New York, USA Date of death: May 6, 1919 Place of death ... Wikipedia

- (German Baum) German surname, translated meaning tree. Notable bearers: Baum, Anton (1830-1886) Czech archaeologist and architect. Baum, Wilhelm (1799?) German physician, professor of surgery. Baum, Joseph (? 1883) Polish ... ... Wikipedia

- (Long-bearded Soldier) one of the main characters of A. M. Volkov's fairy tale cycle about the Magic Land. Works in all six books of the fairy tale series. Contents 1 Dean Gior in Volkov's books 2 Dean Gior and Faramant ... Wikipedia

This term has other meanings, see Ramina (meanings). The queen of field mice Ramina is a constant heroine of A. M. Volkov's fairy tales about the Magic Land. Valid in all six books of the fairy tale cycle. Contents 1 Ramina in ... ... Wikipedia

Doggie Totoshka (real name Toto, English Toto) is a character in Alexander Volkov's fairy tale cycle about the Magic Land. It occupies a significant place in the plots of the books "The Wizard of the Emerald City", "Urfin Deuce and His Wooden Soldiers" and ... ... Wikipedia

Here, for reference purposes, is a list of famous literary figures whose works have been filmed in cinema and animation ... Wikipedia

Books

• The Wonderful Land of Oz, Lyman Frank Baum. In the second book about Oz, readers will meet a boy named Tip. With the help of magic powder, he revives Jack the Pumpkin, the wooden Goat and the Flyer, and the whole company sets off ...
• Funny hippo. American Fairy Tales, Lyman Frank Baum. When the American storyteller Lyman Frank Baum (1856-1919) came up with the idea of ​​Oz, he was loved by children all over the world. His books have spawned many adaptations and imitations, including…