''The Bear Went Over the Mountain'' (1996) is a

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

William Kotzwinkle William Kotzwinkle (born November 22, 1943) is an American novelist, children's writer, and screenwriter. He was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. He has won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel for ''Doctor Rat'' in 1977, and has also wo ...

. The movie rights for the book were

optioned In the film industry, an option is a contractual agreement pertaining to film rights between a potential film producer (such as a movie studio, a production company, or an individual) and the author of source material, such as a book, play, or s ...

The Jim Henson Company The Jim Henson Company (formerly known as Muppets, Inc., Henson Associates, Inc., and Jim Henson Productions, Inc.; commonly referred to as Henson) is an American entertainment company located in Los Angeles, California. The company is known for ...

Plot introduction

Arthur Bramhall isolates himself in a forest cabin to write a novel; once it is complete, he goes off to buy champagne in celebration, after first burying the manuscript to protect it from fire. In his absence, a

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...

digs up his manuscript. The bear reads the manuscript, decides it is good, and brings it to New York City, where he is accepted as a talented author and desirable party guest.

Reception

The book was nominated for the 1997 World Fantasy Award.

References

External links

Interview with Kotzwinkle
about the book. 1996 American novels American fantasy novels Books about bears Novels set in New York City Novels by William Kotzwinkle {{1990s-fantasy-novel-stub