Princeton University Press has just released a new edition of the 1923 novel Bambi: A Story of Life in the Forest, translated from the original German by Jack Zipes and with new illustrations by Alenka Sottler. Written by the Austrian-Jewish journalist (and Zionist) Felix Salten, the novel is a grim tale originally directed toward adults rather than children. As Zipes puts it in his introduction, it is “an allegory about the weak and powerless in the world.” Judy Gruen notes the parallels between Salten’s experiences as a Jew and those of the hunted creatures he depicts in Bambi.
Many of the animal characters in Bambi have colorful personalities, but also live with the understanding that life can end in an instant. . . . Bambi’s harsh experiences in life, facing constant threats and frequent losses, turn him into a loner.
Bambi’s mother teaches him from his earliest days always to be aware of danger, to watch her movements before following. She warns him that he must learn to live alone one day, remaining ever vigilant of the often invisible and silent dangers surrounding him. When young Bambi cannot understand why his mother will only allow frolicking in the meadow during the nighttime, she explains that daytime is a time of grave danger. Though we all love daylight, his mother says, “we must live this way and be on the alert whenever we move about.”
It is easy to see this as a parable about endangered minority members — particularly Jews—also having to keep watch of their surroundings.
Felix Salten learned this lesson personally. He was born in Pest, Hungary in 1869 as Siegmund Salzmann, descended from a long line of rabbis on his father’s side. Thousands of Jews lived in the Austro-Hungarian empire during that time. . . . Despite their efforts to assimilate and adapt as much as they knew how, Zipes observes, “adaptation never meant full acceptance.”
Read more on Aish: https://aish.com/bambi-was-jewish/