I’m Norton Juster. This is my new book, which I did with Jules Feiffer who did these wonderful illustrations, and it’s called “The Odious Ogre.” And let me start and give you a sense of what it’s about. “There was once an ogre who had a terrible reputation, not that ogres usually have good reputations, but this ones was worse than anyone could remember or cared to remember. He was, it was widely believed, extraordinarily large, exceedingly ugly, unusually angry, constantly hungry, and absolutely merciless. At least that’s what everyone thought or supposed or had heard from someone else or read somewhere or had it on good authority from the Gross’s wife’s nephew. Nobody, however, could claim to know anything about him. For sure to tell the truth. There wasn’t anyone to be found who had actually made his acquaintance and was still around to talk about it. As it was.
The very thought of him was simply too frightening to think about. And for anyone who might accidentally get close enough to see him stalking through the countryside, indescribable misfortunes were indescribed. The one thing everyone did know for sure was that they couldn’t think of anything to do about him. Every time there was even a hint, he was in the neighborhood. People stuffed their ears with stale cake, blindfolded themselves, clutched their knees and rolled up in a ball under the kitchen table. Since this was not the most effective defensive posture, the ogre would wander through the town making a leisurely buffet of the local population. His every appearance increased. His fearful reputation for all that was left after each unfortunate visit was a contented smile on the ogres unseen face. So the days passed uneventfully for him and unhappily for the towns and villages that nestled apprehensively in the countryside.
But the ogre, it was quite a relaxing life. And as happens, he grew a bit lazy and self-satisfied, maybe even smug, and definitely spoiled. Everything came so easily for him. He grew to expect it and to count on it. No one can resist me. He had to admit, I’m invulnerable, impregnable, insuperable indefatigable insurmountable. He let each satisfying word roll smoothly off his tongue. The ogre did have quite an impressive vocabulary, do mainly to having inadvertently swallowed a large dictionary while consuming the head librarian in one of the nearby towns. What can they do? No one can resist me. He sighed and leaned back, taking his morning nap. That’s the way it was for him. No doubts, no concerns, no worries. I’m invincible. He was sure himself. And then to make absolutely sure, absolutely invincible. One afternoon as he ambled down the road towards one of the nearby villages in search of dinner, he saw a small cottage way off in the distance that he hadn’t noticed before. Maybe I’ll stop for a little snack. He grunted, and then he lurched down the long narrow track to see what tasty tidbit he might find.” And from there, the adventure begins.
