Oz behind the Iron Curtain : Aleksandr Volkov and his Magic land series /

In this fascinating addition to the growing critical scholarship on L. Frank Baum and his Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Haber (Syracuse Univ.) introduces Aleksandr Volkov (1891-1977), a popular Soviet children's literature author, to an English-speaking audience. Volkov's 1939 Wizard of the Emerald City is a translation of Baum's 1900 Wizard of Oz but it was marketed in the Soviet Union as Volkov's original work. Volkov went on to publish several more titles in what became the "Tales of Magic Land" series. Haber divides the book equally between the two authors and their most famous works, providing biographical details, based on her exhaustive archival research in both the US and Russia, and substantive critical analysis of the literary texts. Most compelling are the numerous similarities between Baum's and Volkov's journeys toward becoming one of the most beloved children's authors in their respective countries and the struggle their most popular works faced in gaining critical scholarly attention and respect. Haber presents insightful interpretations of sources and texts largely unknown to most English-speaking scholars of Baum and children's literature, providing an exciting resource for further research. Although academic, the writing is accessible to nonspecialists. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty; general readers. --Diana V. Dominguez, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley