When we hear the name of that fictional forest creature today, images from the 1942 Disney animated classic fill our minds, but the fuller story is older and richer.
The book appeared in 1923, written in German, by a Hungarian Jew living in post-war Vienna. Writing under the pen name Felix Salten, Siegesmund Salzmann was a life-long journalist active in Viennese literary circles long before 1914. Entitled "Bambi: a Life Story in the Woods", the book quickly found an audience with its natural and environmental tone. In 1928 it was translated into English by none other than the young Whittaker Chambers and became a Book-0f-the-Month Club selection.
By 1938 Vienna was a dangerous place for a prominent Jew. Helped by some American contacts Salten travelled to Switzerland when he died at the end of the war. An American purchased the film rights to Bambi and sold them to Walt Disney Studios, and the rest is history. Some years ago there was talk of a Portland ballet version which never materialized. Perhaps someone can tell us.