The Original Bambi: The Story of a Life in the Forest
Translated by
Jack Zipes
Introduction by
Jack Zipes
Illustrated by
Alenka Sottler
Published by Princeton University
Most of us think we know the story of Bambi—but do we? The Original Bambi is an all-new, illustrated translation of a literary classic that presents the story as it was meant to be told. For decades, readers’ images of Bambi have been shaped by the 1942 Walt Disney film—an idealized look at a fawn who represents nature’s innocence—which was based on a 1928 English translation of a novel by the Austrian Jewish writer Felix Salten. This masterful new translation gives contemporary readers a fresh perspective on this moving allegorical tale and provides important details about its creator.
Originally published in 1923, Salten’s story is more somber than the adaptations that followed it. Life in the forest is dangerous and precarious, and Bambi learns important lessons about survival as he grows to become a strong, heroic stag. Jack Zipes’s introduction traces the history of the book’s reception and explores the tensions that Salten experienced in his own life—as a hunter who also loved animals, and as an Austrian Jew who sought acceptance in Viennese society even as he faced persecution.
Originally published in 1923, Salten’s story is more somber than the adaptations that followed it. Life in the forest is dangerous and precarious, and Bambi learns important lessons about survival as he grows to become a strong, heroic stag. Jack Zipes’s introduction traces the history of the book’s reception and explores the tensions that Salten experienced in his own life—as a hunter who also loved animals, and as an Austrian Jew who sought acceptance in Viennese society even as he faced persecution.
A new, beautifully illustrated translation of Felix Salten’s celebrated novel Bambi—the original source of the beloved story
This two-minute video film entitled ALENKA SOTTLER - THE ILLUSTRATOR OF THE ORIGINAL BAMBI was shot in the studio of Alenka Sottler by director Igor Matijević for the online presentation of the new issue of the literary magazine PAPER BRIGADE from New York. In this video, Alenka briefly comments on the creation of illustrations for Bambi.
