Post by Dante on Nov 19, 2012 12:03:36 GMT -5
Lemony Snicket's The Baby in the Manger is the stuff of legend in the Snicket fandom. Commissioned and rejected by the Washington Post, receiving only a sixty-five-copy print run in association with a college program, it seemed set for a true print run with McSweeney's in 2007 which as far as anyone can tell abruptly didn't happen. I have finally found a couple of sites listing a promotional synopsis apparently associated with that abortive edition, though, which I'd certainly never seen before. Read, enjoy, and hope that one day this most elusive of Snicket texts will fall into the public's hands.
---
When a scrappy traveling family - costume designer dad, herbal specialist mom, and very grabby baby boy - is turned away from Ye Olde Cozy Inn, they decide to make do for the night in a nearby barn. And when the innkeeper discovers the baby nestled in the hay, it makes perfect sense to her to claim him as a young Savior (and thus a good candidate for "rescuing"). Mother and Father are naturally unhappy about this kidnapping. Getting their baby back takes a frantic mix of superstition and ingenuity, as well as several whirlwind costume changes. Through it all, the Christmas spirit persists, mangled but alive. For years, this heartwarming holiday tale by the acclaimed children’s writer was the stuff of legend. Allegedly commissioned and then rejected by a major national publication, and then existing in a shadowy, limited edition glimpsed only in auctions and private libraries, the story has been lauded as an inspiring allegory and derided as irreligious frivolity. Decide for yourself.
---
---
When a scrappy traveling family - costume designer dad, herbal specialist mom, and very grabby baby boy - is turned away from Ye Olde Cozy Inn, they decide to make do for the night in a nearby barn. And when the innkeeper discovers the baby nestled in the hay, it makes perfect sense to her to claim him as a young Savior (and thus a good candidate for "rescuing"). Mother and Father are naturally unhappy about this kidnapping. Getting their baby back takes a frantic mix of superstition and ingenuity, as well as several whirlwind costume changes. Through it all, the Christmas spirit persists, mangled but alive. For years, this heartwarming holiday tale by the acclaimed children’s writer was the stuff of legend. Allegedly commissioned and then rejected by a major national publication, and then existing in a shadowy, limited edition glimpsed only in auctions and private libraries, the story has been lauded as an inspiring allegory and derided as irreligious frivolity. Decide for yourself.
---
