The Magic Pudding
Norman Lindsay's classic tale about a cranky pudding is about to celebrate its 90th birthday. Kate Hamilton chats with Helen Glad, Lindsay's granddaughter
Did your grandpa ever read you The Magic Pudding? Like
many Australian children it was read to me first by my father, and I
later read it to my son. To do it right you've got to put on voices for
all the characters.
What do you remember most about your grandfather? He was
quite a character to be around. He never talked down to children and
when he thought I was interested we had wonderful conversations. I
remember also that he was always writing letters.
Since the book was first published in 1918 it has never been out of print. Why is it so popular? It's
the illustrations first off. Charming characters like Bunyip Bluegum
the koala, who is dressed in a boater and a blazer. It's also a story
about adventure, and what Australian child doesn't love adventure?
Where did the idea for a naughty, haughty, everlasting pudding come from? Grandpa made a bet that children preferred stories about food over
fairies. He said that "infantile concepts of happiness are based on the
belly" and then he wrote a book to prove it.
The book has been turned into puppet shows and even a film. What did you think of those? One problem for the puppet makers was that all of the story's original
drawings were done in black and white but after some initial grumbling
Lindsay helped out by painting watercolours of all the characters. The
most important thing for any adaptation is to ensure it reflects what
the original was. I think the animated film managed to do that with its
larrikin quality.
So what's Pudding Day all about? We're celebrating the 90th
anniversary edition of the book with a special day at Springwood,
Lindsay's home in the mountains. There'll be a pudding hunt, bushwalks,
billy tea and damper, Australian animal face painting, kids craft, bush
storytelling, and a new exhibition of Lindsay's drawings.
Pudding Day happens on Sun 12 Oct at the Norman Lindsay Gallery.