Sheldon Oberman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sheldon Oberman (May 20, 1949 - March 26, 2004) was an award-winning Canadian children's writer who lived in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
[edit] Works
- A Mirror of a People: Canadian Jewish Experience in Poetry and Prose - 1985
- TV Sal and the Game Show from Outer Space - 1993
- The Business with Elijah - 1993
- The White Stone in the Castle Wall - 1994
- The Always Prayer Shawl - 1999
- By the Hanukkah Light - 1997
- The Shaman's Nephew - 1999 (nominated for a Governor General's Award)
- The Wisdom Bird: A Tale of Solomon and Sheba - 2000
[edit] Brief Bio
Born on May 20, 1949 in Winnipeg, Sheldon (known to friends as Obie) grew up in Winnipeg's North End.
After graduating from St. Johns High School, Sheldon studied literature first at the University of Winnipeg and then at the University of Jerusalem. His wandering spirit took him on adventures through Canada, Europe and the Middle East before he returned to Winnipeg in 1973 where he received his teaching degree. In 1975, Sheldon started working as an English and Drama teacher at Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate, a job he held and loved for nearly 30 years, inspiring generations of students.
Sheldon started writing in the mid-seventies, inspired by bedtime stories he told his children. An important development in his career as a writer was the summer he spent at the Banff School of Fine Arts where he studied under the great Canadian author W.O. Mitchell. Sheldon's creativity knew no bounds. He published 12 books, including: The award winning Always Prayer Shawl, The Shaman's Nephew (short-listed for the Governor General's Award) and, most recently, The Island of the Minotaur. A two-volume collection of Jewish folk tales will be published posthumously.
He acted and directed in both film and stage plays. He toured North America as a professional storyteller. He wrote columns and freelance articles for the Winnipeg Free Press and published children's songs, stories and poems in a number of magazines, journals and anthologies. Sheldon was also a garage sale fanatic who used 'found objects' to create art installations which he displayed in his home and writing studio.
He died of stomach cancer on March 26, 2004.
