Most of us have probably seen the Disney film Bambi at least once as children. However, far fewer are likely to have read the book on which it is based. Its author not only came from Austria, but also lived in Vienna for most of his life and created this international export hit here. Alongside the Hermesvilla in the Lainzer Tiergarten, Cottagegasse in the 18th district is another place of pilgrimage that true Disney fans should visit in Vienna.
A life story from Austria
Photo: Melloo/Unsplash
Felix Salten was born in Pest in 1869 and moved to Vienna with his family four weeks later, where he spent most of his life. At the age of 20, he published his first poem in the magazine “An der schönen blauen Donau” (On the Beautiful Blue Danube) and lived as a writer from then on. He got to know the Jung-Wien (Young Vienna) movement around Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Arthur Schnitzler, and Karl Kraus in the coffee houses, but fell out with the latter years later. Salten worked as a newspaper editor and theater critic and later wrote screenplays and libretti, including Reiche Mädchen (Rich Girls ) to music by Strauss.
He eventually turned to novels. In the 1920s, he succeeded in publishing several successful works, including Der Hund von Florenz (The Dog of Florence), Die Jugend des Eichhörnchens Perri (The Youth of Perri the Squirrel), and Bambi. A Life Story from the Forest. Allthree of these novels were made into films by Walt Disney, with Bambi being by far the most successful. Salten himself was a hunter and had his own hunting ground outside Vienna, which is reflected in his animal stories.
Bambi: The Legacy of Felix Salten
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The novel Bambi was published at the end of 1922 (predated to 1923) and was translated into English in 1928. Five years later, director Sidney Franklin acquired the film rights and immediately began work on the adaptation. After two years, he abandoned the idea of a live-action film and turned to Disney to adapt the story as an animated production instead. In 1942, the time had finally come and Bambi flickered across the screen. While the book was primarily aimed at adults, the film was intended for children and turned out to be less gloomy, even though Bambi is considered one of the most serious Disney films. In addition, Bambi is a fawn in the novel, but becomes a stag in the film.
When Salten wrote his book, he lived at Cottagegasse 37 in Währing. The villa still stands today and attracts Disney fans and sightseers alike. A small deer statue adorns the wall in front of the house and a plaque commemorates its famous resident: “Felix Salten wrote Bambi in this house in 1923. “ The Vienna Cottage Association offers tours of the neighborhood in German and English. Here you can learn more about the famous residents of the neighborhood, including Arthur Schnitzler.
In addition to the “Bambi House” in the 18th district, Saltenstraße in the 22nd district also commemorates the famous Viennese author. In 1939, Salten, born Salzmann, moved to Zurich to escape the Nazi regime. He spent the last years of his life here until his death. Today, a Bambi fountain stands in the city in memory of the writer. So if you ever visit Zurich, you can also find traces of Bambi here.