The Snow Goose

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The Snow Goose: A Story Of Dunkirk is a novella (it is only 64 pages long) by the American author Paul Gallico, which was first published in 1940 by The Saturday Evening Post. The Snow Goose was one of the O. Henry Prize Winners in 1941.

[edit] Synopsis

The Snow Goose is a simple, short written parable on the regenerative power of friendship and love, set against a backdrop of the horror of war. It documents the growth of a friendship between Philip Rhayader, an artist living a solitary life on the marshlands of wartime Essex because of his disabilities, and a young local girl, Fritha. The Snow Goose, symbolic of both Rhayader (Gallico) and the world itself, wounded by gunshot and many many miles from home, is found by Fritha and, as the human friendship blossoms, the bird is nursed back to flight. Rhayader and his small sailboat are lost in the British retreat from Dunkirk, having saved several hundred men. The bird, which was with Rhayader, returns briefly to Fritha on the marshes. She interprets this as Rhayader's soul taking farewell of her.

The book was a huge success in England where it remains popular with, and recommended for, readers of all ages.

[edit] Film Version

A TV film of The Snow Goose was produced by the BBC and Hallmark, starring Richard Harris and Jenny Agutter.

[edit] Trivia

• The story was used as the inspiration for an LP by the British progressive rock band Camel. Fearing the band was related to the tobacco product of the same name, Gallico initially refused permission to feature the novella's name in the LP title. Accommodation was eventually reached and the album, now titled "Music inspired by The Snow Goose", was released in 1975.
• In about 1947, Nat Wolff produced an album of three 78rpm records of music by Victor Young, subtitled "A drama with with sound effects and music". It was re-released in the fifties as an LP.
• An LP of music by Ed Welch was recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra. It was narrated by Spike Milligan and came out in 1976 on the RCA label. The same music was released as a CD in 1990 in Australia, narrated by Ruth Cracknell. According to the CD cover, Ruth Cracknell's voice was mixed separately from the rest of the album; this is the same recording with a new narration track laid over.
• A UK folk singer, Tom Bliss, has written and recorded a song called God Speed.
• A composer called Eric Funk has written a one-movement piece for piano and orchestra called Rhayader.
• A New Zealand composer called John Ritchie has written a short piece for flute and orchestra, called The Snow Goose; he has also written an adaptation of this piece for flute and piano.
• A composer called Stephen Murray has written a piece for piano trio and narrator, called The Snow Goose.
• There was also an audio book (which also contained Ludmila and The Small Miracle) on EMI Listen for Pleasure. It was narrated by Sir John Mills, and came out in 1979, and was re-released in 1984. It is no longer available, but copies turn up from time to time on eBay.
• A show called Storm's Child, inspired by the story, was created by Moving World Theatre. It is described as An Exploration in Eurythmy, Dance and Theatre.
• There has also been a puppet adaptation of the book by John Harvey and The Puppet Lab in Edinburgh, which toured the UK in 2003.
• A book called The Snow Geese has recently been published by William Fiennes; it is a travel book about the Snow Goose and its migrations. The author was inspired by reading The Snow Goose as a child.