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.
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[edit] Plot summary
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 in an abandoned lighthouse in 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. Afterwards, a German pilot destroys Rhayader's lighthouse and all of his work.
The book was a huge success in England where it remains popular with, and recommended for readers of all ages.
[edit] Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
A TV film of The Snow Goose directed by Patrick Garland was produced by the BBC and Hallmark, starring Richard Harris and Jenny Agutter, winning a Golden Globe award.
[edit] Trivia
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- The character Rhayader is loosely based on ornithologist, conservationist and painter Peter Scott, who also did the illustrations for the first illustrated English edition of the book, using his first wife Elizabeth Jane Howard as the model for Fritha. (Scott 1961, p.543)
- Rhayader is a town in Wales and also the Welsh word for waterfall.
- 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.
[edit] References
Scott, Peter. (1961). The Eye of the Wind. An Autobiography. Hodder & Stoughton: London.
