Felix Salten
Felix Salten, born Siegmund Salzmann in Budapest on September 6, 1869, was a prominent writer renowned for his evocative animal stories that resonated with both children and adults. Coming from a Jewish family of modest means, he was largely self-taught and began his career as a journalist at the age of seventeen, contributing significantly to the influential Viennese newspaper, Neue Freie Presse. Initially recognized for his historical and satirical novels, Salten gained worldwide fame with his book "Bambi," which was originally intended for adults but later adapted into a beloved animated film by Walt Disney in 1942. This poignant narrative explores themes of innocence and the perils posed by humanity to the natural world. Throughout his life, Salten produced a variety of works, including children's stories like "The Hound of Florence," "Florian," and "Perri," each highlighting his unique ability to convey complex emotions and allegorical messages through animal characters. His literary contributions also encompassed travel writings and nearly forty novels, many of which remain untranslated. Following the Nazi invasion of Austria, Salten sought refuge in Switzerland, where he lived until his passing on October 8, 1945, in Zurich.
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Felix Salten
Hungarian novelist and short-story writer
- Born: September 6, 1869
- Birthplace: Budapest, Hungary
- Died: October 8, 1945
- Place of death: Zurich, Switzerland
Biography
Felix Salten (SHAHL-tuhn), the pseudonym of Siegmund Salzmann, was internationally known in his later years for his animal stories that delighted children and adults alike. Salten was born in Budapest on September 6, 1869. His family was Jewish and poor, and, according to his own account, he was largely self-taught. A journalist at seventeen, he was for many years associated with the Viennese Neue Freie Presse, the most influential newspaper in Austro-Hungary before World War I. He began his literary career as a writer of historical, romantic, and satirical novels widely read throughout Central Europe. President of the Austrian PEN Club at the time of the Nazi invasion, he took refuge in Switzerland in 1939. He died in Zurich, after a long illness, on October 8, 1945. {$S[A]Salzmann, Siegmund;Salten, Felix}
Bambi, translated in 1928 and published in the United States and England with a foreword by John Galsworthy, became a popular children’s book (although it was originally intended as an adult novel) and brought its author wide fame when it was made into a feature-length cartoon by Walt Disney in 1942. This lucidly written and moving story of a red deer growing up in the innocence of the great forest describes also the threat by humans (creatures of the “third arm”) to the freedom of life in the wilds. By delicately transferring human ideals to his animals, the writer succeeds in a kind of allegory which preserves a delicate balance between a world of reality and one of fancy. Salten once referred to Gottfried Keller as a primary influence on his work.
The Hound of Florence had been Salten’s first children’s book. Later, Florian, the story of a horse, and Perri, the story of a squirrel, appeared. Perri is perhaps as haunting a book as his story of the deer; in it, he created the character of an inarticulate three-year-old girl who understands animals better than humans. Books such as Good Comrades and A Forest World confirmed Salten’s peculiar talent as an imaginative observer who could capture the flow of sympathy between the natural orders of humans and animals. However, Jibby the Cat and Little World Apart, the former published after his death, added little to his achievement. Salten also wrote travel books about the United States and Palestine and nearly forty novels, most of them untranslated, as well as short stories, dramas, and essays.
Bibliography
Blount, Margaret. Animal Land: The Creatures of Children’s Fiction. New York: W. Morrow, 1975. An excellent critical study about Salten’s children’s fiction.
Commire, Ann, ed. Something About the Author. Detroit: Gale Research, 1971. Contains a short biographical article on Salten.
May, Jill, and Gordon Mark. “Felix Salten.” In Writers for Children: Critical Studies of the Major Authors Since the Seventeenth Century, edited by Jane M. Bingham. New York: Scribner’s, 1987. The most accessible overall account of Salten’s work.