The Wizard of the Emerald City | |
Title Orig: | Волшебник Изумрудного Города |
Author: | Alexander Volkov |
Illustrator: | Leonid Vladimirsky |
Country: | Soviet Union |
Language: | Russian |
Genre: | Fantasy/Children's book |
Release Date: | 1939, 1959 (revised) |
Media Type: | |
Followed By: | Urfin Jus and his Wooden Soldiers (1963) |
The Wizard of the Emerald City (Russian: Волшебник Изумрудного Города) is a 1939 children's novel by Russian writer Alexander Melentyevich Volkov. The book is a re-narration of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.[1] Baum's name is sometimes credited in the book (in the appendix by Volkov, which is found in some editions, where Volkov describes the origins of his book). The names of most characters are changed, some elements of Baum's novel are removed, and some new elements are added.
In 1959 a new edition of the book was published, significantly revised by the author.[2] This edition first featured illustrations by artist L.V. Vladimirsky and became popular in the 1960s, leading to five sequels: Urfin Jus and his Wooden Soldiers (1963), The Seven Underground Kings (1964), The Fiery God of the Marrans (1968), The Yellow Fog (1970), and The Secret of the Abandoned Castle (1975, published in 1982).[3] These sequels were written by Volkov himself and are not based on Baum's plot elements, although we do encounter the powder of life, a character called Charlie Black who is not unlike Cap'n Bill, intelligent foxes, and the use of a Sandboat similar to Johnny Dooit's, albeit with wheels.
Volkov's Magic Land series, as it was called, was translated into many languages and was popular with children all over the Eastern Bloc. Volkov's version of Oz seems to be better known than Baum's in Russia, China, and the former East Germany. The books in the series have been translated into English by Peter L. Blystone, and were published by Red Branch Press in three volumes (two books per volume) in 1991, 1993, and 2007. A revised edition of the first two-book volume was published in 2010.[4]
Name | Russian | Baum equivalent | |
---|---|---|---|
Ellie Smith | Элли Смит | Dorothy Gale | |
Totoshka (Little Toto) | Тотошка | Toto | |
Bogeyman | Страшила | Scarecrow | |
Iron Lumberjack | Железный Дровосек | The Tin Woodman | |
Cowardly Lion | Трусливый Лев | Cowardly Lion | |
James Goodwin | Джеймс Гудвин | The Wizard | |
Bastinda, the Witch of Violet Land | Бастинда | Wicked Witch of the West | |
Villina, the Sorceress of Yellow Land | Виллина | Good Witch of the North | |
Stella, the Sorceress of Rose Land | Стелла | Glinda the Good Witch of the South | |
Gingema, the Witch of Blue Land | Гингема | Wicked Witch of the East | |
Din GeeOr | Дин Гиор | Soldier with the Green Whiskers | |
Faramant | Фарамант | Guardian of the Gates | |
Ramina | Рамина | Queen of the Field Mice | |
Charlie Black | Чарли Блэк | Cap'n Bill |
The following are notable differences between The Wizard of the Emerald City and the original book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: