L. Frank Baum 
A Kidnapped Santa Claus 

“A Kidnapped Santa Claus is a short story by L. Frank Baum, author of the Oz stories. In it, The Daemons of the caves, resentful of Santa Claus, who rebuffs their attempts to subvert him by temptation, capture him in his sleigh on Christmas Eve and imprison him in their caves. Santa’s helpers: a fairy, pixie, knook, and ryl, finish his deliveries with a few comical mishaps. Assembling a magical army of good beings, the queen of the fairies leads an attempt to rescue Santa Claus from the clutches of the evil Daemons. Published in 1904, the story has a somewhat darker tone than its predecessor, The Life and Adventures of Santa Clause.

Circa l’autore

Lyman Frank Baum (1856 – 1919) was an American author, actor, and independent filmmaker best known as the creator, along with illustrator W. W. Denslow, of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, one of the most popular books in American children’s literature. He wrote thirteen Oz sequels, nine other fantasy novels, and scores of other works; 55 novels, 82 short stories, over 200 poems, an unknown number of scripts, as well as many miscellaneous writings.