We all know the jolly old fellow (white beard, red suit, loves to laugh) who annually totes satchels of toys worldwide on his sleigh pulled by a pack of reindeer. But how often do you think of Santa Claus as a young man – or even a boy? A new book, Young Claus by James Magnuson, imagines the origin story of the mysterious Christmas character with a clever and colorfully told fable about Lars Claus, a 12-year-old Swedish boy whose life takes some fateful twists and turns as he journeys through adolescence.
Magnuson, a literary heavyweight who directed UT’s James A. Michener Center for Writers for 23 years before retiring in 2017, has written countless pages for stage and screen and published nine well-received novels. Prior to Young Claus, his last was 2014’s Famous Writers I Have Known, a satirical crime caper about writers, clearly inspired by his decades with the Michener Center. Ransom Center Magazine, in an announcement about the center acquiring Magnuson’s extensive archives, stated that although the author always made time for his own work, he had to retire in order to finish books he had in mind as he approached his 80s. With the freedom and time to create, Magnuson has crafted a vivid world filled with creatures and characters to tell the story of young Lars Claus.
Lars is a simple boy, filling his days by ice skating with friends, helping his mother and Grandma Nanu with chores like tending chickens, and tagging along to assist his beloved father, a woodsman tasked with felling massive pine trees in the forest. It’s a hazardous job, and soon enough it leads to a tragedy that sets the Claus family off on a journey north, to a place unknown. Lars faces hardship and loss as he navigates his new world, a place ruled with an iron fist by Mayor Wolfpaw, a tyrant literally raised by wolves. No toys are allowed here, and punishment for playing includes death. They’re dangerous: After all, you could put an eye out!
Characters rooted in Scandinavian folklore appear along the way, with the dark figure of Nacht Ruprecht holding sway over Wolfpaw, whose strange fish factory is operated by tomten, gnomelike helpers who process the skarn liver oil that keeps the townspeople subdued. Lars meets bullies but also friends, and mystical creatures such as the famous flying reindeer, though there’s no mention of any blinking red nose. As the enchanting story progresses, Lars overcomes countless hardships in a hard world and connects with his past by crafting wood-carved figures like his father used to make for him. Quietly offering these crafts as gifts to his friends is a simple gesture that ends up changing everything for everyone.
Magnuson’s fable for all ages is timely for the holiday season but not too Christmassy to enjoy anytime: And although it deals with grief and loss, the scaries aren’t too scary for young ones. This charming, engaging fantasy will take you back to a simpler time and awaken childlike imaginations, making it a lovely book to explore together with the family before visions of sugarplums dance in your heads.
Young Claus
by James Magnuson, TCU Press, 335 pp., $24.95 (paper)This article appears in December 22 • 2023.