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Biography of L. Frank BaumName: L. Frank BaumBirth Date: May 15, 1856 Death Date: May 6, 1919 Place of Birth: Syracuse, New York, United States Nationality: American Gender: Male Occupations: writer, author L. Frank Baum L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) wrote 69 books beloved by children, including The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which became a classic movie.Lyman Frank Baum was born on May 15, 1856, near Syracuse, New York. His father, Benjamin, was a wealthy oil businessman, and young Frank (who disliked his first name and never used it) grew up in comfort. Because he had a weak heart, Frank led a quiet life as a child and was educated largely by tutors. A brief stay at a military academy was not successful, and Frank returned home to indulge his taste for reading, writing, stamp collecting, and chicken breeding. He also published two different monthly newspapers during his teenage years.Baum grew up to become a man of great charm and many interests, yet he had little direction. He pursued a variety of careers ranging from acting to newspaper reporting to theatrical management to writing plays. One of his …showed first 150 words…
…showed last 150 words…first to view Baum's work as an important contribution to American literature, and by James Thurber, whose 1934 essay reveals him to have been a big Oz fan. Aljean Harmetz's 1977 book The Making of the Wizard of Oz, focusing more on the production of the 1939 musical film, contains "Appendix B: About L. Frank Baum," a detailed overview of the major events in Baum's life. See also Henry M. Littlefield, whose essay (reprinted from The American Culture, 1968) posited the theory of Oz as a populist fable; Fred Erisman (essay from American Quarterly, Fall 1968), who views the Oz books as Baum's reaction to the Progressive dilemma; and Osmond Beckwith (Children's Literature, 1976), who views Oz through Freudian eyes. Also helpful are Marius Bewley's Masks and Mirrors (1970), which contains a chapter on "The Land of Oz: America's Great Good Place," and the chapter "L. Frank Baum and Oz" in Roger Sale's Fairy Tales and After (1978). |