Maurice Sendak

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Maurice Sendak

Born: June 10, 1928
Brooklyn, New York
Occupation: artist, illustrator, writer
Nationality: American
Writing period: 1947 - 2006
Genres: Children's literature
Debut works: Atomics for the Millions
(1947) as illustrator
Kenny's Window
(1956) as author
Influences: William Blake
Antoine Watteau
Francisco Goya

Maurice Bernard Sendak (born June 10, 1928) is an American writer and illustrator of children's literature who is best known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963. An elementary school (from kindergarten to grade five) in North Hollywood, California is named in his honor.

Sendak was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Polish-Jewish immigrant parents, and decided to become an illustrator after viewing Walt Disney's film Fantasia at the age of twelve. His illustrations were first published in 1947 in a textbook titled Atomics for the Millions. He spent much of the 1950s working as an artist for children's books, before beginning to write his own stories.

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[edit] Acclaim

Sendak gained international acclaim after writing and illustrating Where the Wild Things Are, though the book's depictions of fanged monsters concerned parents when it was first released, as his characters were somewhat grotesque in appearance. Sendak's seeming attraction to the forbidden or nightmarish aspects of children's fantasy have made him a subject of controversy.

Sendak’s book In the Night Kitchen, first published in 1970, has often been subjected to censorship for its drawings of a young boy prancing naked through the story. The book has been challenged, and in some instances banned, in several American states including Illinois, New Jersey, Minnesota, and Texas.

In the Night Kitchen regularly appears on the American Library Association's list of "frequently challenged and banned books." It was listed as number 25 on the "100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000." [1]

[edit] Beyond illustration

Sendak was an early member of the National Board of Advisors for the Children's Television Workshop during the development stages of the television series Sesame Street. He also wrote and designed an animated sequence for the series, Bumble Ardy, based on his own book, and with Jim Henson as the voice of Bumble Ardy.

Sendak produced an animated television production based on his work entitled Really Rosie, featuring Carole King, which was broadcast in 1975 and is available on video (usually as part of video compilations of his work). An LP and later a CD of the songs were also produced. He adapted his book Where the Wild Things Are for the stage in 1979. Additionally, he has designed sets for many operas and ballets, including the award-winning (1983) Pacific Northwest Ballet production of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker , Houston Grand Opera's productions of Mozart's The Magic Flute (1981) and Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel (1997), Los Angeles County Music Center's 1990 production of Mozart's Idomeneo, and New York City Opera's 1981 production of The Cunning Little Vixen.

In the 1990s, Sendak approached playwright Tony Kushner to write a new English version of the Czech composer Hans Krása's children's opera Brundibar. Kushner wrote the text for Sendak's illustrated book of the same name, published in 2003. The book was named one of the New York Times Book Review's 10 Best Illustrated Books of that year.

In 2003, Chicago Opera Theatre produced Sendak and Kushner's adaptation of Brundibar. In 2005 Berkeley Repertory Theatre, in collaboration with Yale Repertory Theater and Broadway's New Victory Theater, produced a substantially reworked version of the Sendak-Kushner adaptation.

He illustrated Else Holmelund Minarik's Little Bear series of books, which were also made into a successful television series.

[edit] Awards

Where the Wild Things Are won the 1964 Caldecott Medal. In 1970 he won the Hans Christian Andersen Award for children's book illustration, and in 2003 he shared the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award with Christine Nöstlinger, the first time it was awarded.

[edit] Film

A live-action feature-length film of Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are is planned for 2008, to be directed by Spike Jonze and scripted by Dave Eggers, Michael Goldenberg and Jonze.

[edit] Partial bibliography

  • Very Far Away (1957)
  • The Nutshell Library
    • Chicken Soup with Rice (A Book of Months)
    • Alligators All Around (An Alphabet)
    • One Was Johnny (A Counting Book)
    • Pierre (A Cautionary Tale)
  • Where the Wild Things Are (1963)
  • In the Night Kitchen (1970)
  • Ten Little Rabbits: A Counting Book With Mino The Magician (1970)
  • Some Swell Pup or Are You Sure You Want a Dog? (written by Maurice Sendak & Matthew Margolis and illustrated by Maurice Sendak) (1976)
  • Seven Little Monsters' (1977)
  • Higglety Pigglety Pop!, Or: There Must be More to Life (1967) ISBN 0-06-028479-X
  • The Sign On Rosie's Door
  • Fantasy Sketches (1981)
  • Outside Over There (1985)
  • We Are All in the Dumps with Jack and Guy: Two Nursery Rhymes with Pictures (Harper Collins) (1983)
  • Singing Family of the Cumberlands (written by Jean Ritchie)
  • Kenny's Window
  • Maurice Sendak's Christmas Mystery (1995) (a box with a Book and a Jigsaw Puzzle)
  • Hector Protector and As I Went Over the Water: Two Nursery Rhymes
  • Caldecott and Co: Notes on Books and Pictures (1990)
  • Mommy? (Maurice Sendak's first Pop-up book) (2006)

[edit] Partial bibliography as illustrator

[edit] Collections

  • The Art Of Maurice Sendak (By Selma G. Lanes) (1980)
  • The Art Of Maurice Sendak: From 1980 to the Present (by Tony Kushner) (2003)

[edit] External links

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