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unit 5
4. Extension to Literature Frank Baum
The Man Behind The Curtain
You have most probably seen the famous movie The Wizard of oz. Many kids grew up watching dorothy and her strange friends’ adventures through the fairyland of oz. or maybe you’ve read one of the oz books (of the 14 original stories, or any of the dozen made afterwards). or maybe you’ve done both. But how much do you know about the man who created them?
Baum was born in Chittenango, new York, on the 15th of May, 1856. his parents were Benjamin Ward Baum and Cynthia ann Stanton. his full name is lyman Frank Baum, but he disliked his first name, and would rather be called by his middle name. he was diagnosed with a weak heart when he was very young, so he spent most of his time inside, reading and playing with imaginary friends. he didn’t go to school, but was tutored at home with his eight brothers and sisters. Since he was very shy, his parents sent him at age 12 to the Peekskill Military academy. his time there was miserable, and he was allowed to come back two years
later, because of a heart attack. The author never graduated high school, and thought college was an excuse not to work.
Baum had several jobs after leaving the military academy. he co-wrote “The rose lawn home Journal” with one of his brothers, he raised chickens, he made fireworks (many of which he would light every Fourth of July), he wrote plays, and ran a theater company. He also published his first book, “The Book of the hamburgs”, about raising hamburgs, which are a type of very rare chickens.
in 1882, he married Maud Gage after his aunt introduced them, tellig him that he would love her. Upon first sight, Baum declared, “Consider yourself loved, Miss Gage.” He proposed only a few months later, and Maud accepted.
Maud was the daughter of Matilda Gage, a suffragist (a member of an organization that fought for women’s right to vote), that convinced him to write down the stories that Frank Baum had been telling his sons.
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