''Was'' (or ''Was''... in the UK edition) is a WFA nominated 1992 novel by Canadian author

Geoff Ryman Geoffrey Charles Ryman (born 1951) is a Canadian writer of science fiction, fantasy, slipstream and historical fiction. Biography Ryman was born in Canada and moved to the United States at age 11. He earned degrees in History and English at UCLA ...

, focusing on themes of

L. Frank Baum Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's books, particularly ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and its sequels. He wrote 14 novels in the ''Oz'' series, plus 41 other novels (not includ ...

's 1900 novel ''

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' is a children's novel written by author L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. It is the first novel in the Oz series of books. A Kansas farm girl named Dorothy ends up in the magical Land of Oz afte ...

'', and the 1939 musical film version, ranging across time and space from 1860s

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

to late 1980s California. ''Was'' is an adult parallel to the magical

Land of Oz The Land of Oz is a fantasy world, magical country introduced in the 1900 children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by William Wallace Denslow, W. W. Denslow. Oz consists of four vast quadrants, th ...

that never existed as a real place. The novel explores the tragic but very moving life of "Dorothy Gael" in 1800s Kansas, whose traumatic experiences with Aunt Emily and Uncle Henry after her mother's death leads her to create an imaginary and idealized world in her mind based on some of her real-life experiences as a way of coping with her bleak reality. Due to a tragic and unfortunate upbringing in Kansas, Dorothy's terrible life turns her into a Vile, "wicked" girl, who is unable to be saved. Unlike Baum's fairy tale book, she never gets to experience the magic of Oz, thus turning her into an insane and bitter old woman. The book goes into depth about the importance of a healthy, stable childhood, and the heartbreaking consequences of the lack of one. The book also explores the life of

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

as she plays

Dorothy Gale Dorothy Gale is a fictional character created by American author L. Frank Baum as the protagonist in many of his ''Oz'' novels. She first appears in Baum's classic 1900 children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and reappears in most of it ...

in the 1939 movie, a homosexual obsessed with the Wizard of Oz and dying of

HIV/AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...

, and tells the stories of these characters and how they are all connected to one another without even realizing it.

Plot summary

The novel is separated into three parts, "Winter Kitchen", "Summer Kitchen", and "Oz Circle". The primary focus is on Jonathan, a gay actor with AIDS who goes on a obsessed pilgrimage of sorts to

Manhattan, Kansas Manhattan is a city and county seat of Riley County, Kansas, United States, although the city extends into Pottawatomie County. It is located in northeastern Kansas at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. As of the 2020 c ...

, and on the "real" (in the novel) Dorothy. Other characters include

, who makes an appearance as a substitute teacher in Kansas and who meets Dorothy, and is so inspired and touched by their encounter, he then later decides to make her the main character of his classic fantasy novel. We also meet Millie, a makeup artist on the set of the original 1939 musical

film version A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...

and narrates an encounter with Judy Garland who plays the fictional version of Dorothy.

Themes

''Was'' discusses a number of complex themes, including the importance of a stable childhood. Much of the novel is devoted to the dreary life that Dorothy Gael (surname different from Baum's character) leads with her aunt and uncle, Emma and

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

Gulch. Neither parental figure is capable of providing Dorothy with the affection or the attention she needs. As a result, she becomes silent at home and aggressive in school. Jonathan's childhood, in contrast, involves his dependence on the imaginary characters from the first airing of ''The Wizard of Oz'' on television. A fictionalized version of Judy Garland's difficult life as a child actress is also shown, speculating on the marriage of her parents. ''Was'' has been described as more somber than Baum's ''The Wizard of Oz'', and an attempt to correct the deceptive fantasy of that work, illuminating the realistic implications of having a fantasy world to retreat to. It has also been called a critique of American society.

Reception

''Was'' is listed in '' The Gay Canon'' as one of the great books that every gay man should read.The Gay Canon: Great Books Every Gay Man Should Read, by Robert Drake, Edition: illustrated, Published by Anchor Books, 1998<, , , page 456

The Publishing Triangle The Publishing Triangle, founded in 1988 by Robin Hardy, is an American association of gay men and lesbians in the publishing industry. They sponsor an annual National Lesbian and Gay Book Month, and have sponsored the annual Triangle Awards prog ...

named the book number 79 on its list of best gay and lesbian novels, and it was republished as a part of Orion's Masterworks series.

Awards and nominations

*Finalist for the

World Fantasy Award The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year at the eponymous ann ...

, 1993 *Shortlisted for the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, 1993 *Inducted into the Gaylactic Spectrum Awards Hall of Fame, 2002

Musical adaptation

A musical production of the book, sponsored by the American Musical Theatre Project, premiered at the Ethel M. Barber Theatre at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

in October 2005. It was directed by Tina Landau, with libretto and lyrics by Barry Kleinbort, and music by Joseph Thalken. An earlier version of the musical appeared at the Human Race Theatre in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...

References

External links

''Was''
at Worlds Without End {{DEFAULTSORT:Was (Novel) 1992 British novels 1992 fantasy novels Novels by Geoff Ryman Oz (franchise) books Novels about HIV/AIDS Parallel literature LGBT speculative fiction novels HarperCollins books 1990s LGBT novels British LGBT novels Novels with gay themes