The Man Who Dreamed the Curtain

The father of Oz, L. Frank Baum, was born on this day in 1856. His book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, first published in 1900 and illustrated by W. W. Denslow, has been one of the most enduring stories for children ever written. Though Baum wrote many (many, many!) other books, the first Oz book is the one that bought him immortality. Over the years, there have been hints--and sometimes more than hints--that there was a darker subtext to his best known work than might at first appear. From The Writer’s Almanac:

Baum was a socialist, and the Emerald City of Oz was his socialist utopia. He wrote, “There were no poor people in the land of Oz, because there was no such thing as money, and all property of every sort belonged to the Ruler. Each person was given freely by his neighbors whatever he required for his use, which is as much as anyone may reasonably desire. Every one worked half the time and played half the time, and the people enjoyed the work as much as they did the play, because it is good to be occupied and to have something to do.”

Frank Baum wrote, “No matter how dreary and gray our homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than in any other country, be it ever so beautiful. There is no place like home.”

Baum died when he was 62, on May 6, 1919.