Bambi, a Life in the Woods

Bambi, a Life in the Woods

First edition cover of the original publication
Author	Felix Salten
Original title	Bambi: Eine Lebens­geschichte aus dem Walde
Translator	Whittaker Chambers
Illustrator	Kurt Wiese
Language	Austrian German
Genre	Fiction
Publisher	Ullstein Verlag
Publication date	1923
Publication place	Austria
Published in English	1928
Media type	Print (hardcover)
OCLC	2866578
Followed by	Bambi's Children

Bambi, a Life in the Woods (German: Bambi: Eine Lebensgeschichte aus dem Walde) is a 1923 Austrian coming-of-age novel written by Felix Salten, and originally published in Berlin by Ullstein Verlag. The novel traces the life of Bambi, a male roe deer, from his birth through childhood, the loss of his mother, the finding of a mate, the lessons he learns from his father, and the experience he gains about the dangers posed by human hunters in the forest. It is also, in its most complete translation, seen as a parable of the dangers and persecution faced by Jews in Europe.^[1]

An English translation by Whittaker Chambers was published in North America by Simon & Schuster in 1928,^[2] and the novel has since been translated and published in over thirty languages around the world. Salten published a sequel, Bambi's Children, in 1939.

The novel was well received by critics and is considered a classic, as well as one of the first environmental novels. It was adapted into an animated feature film, Bambi, by Walt Disney Productions in 1942, as well as two Russian live-action adaptations in 1985 and 1986, a ballet in 1987, and a stage production in 1998. Another ballet adaptation was created by an Oregon troupe, but never premiered. Janet Schulman published a children's picture book adaptation in 2000 that featured realistic oil paintings and many of Salten's original words.