"Path-setting children’s author Maurice Sendak dies" by Dan Wasserman |
Globe Staff, May 09, 2012
Maurice Sendak, who wrote and illustrated beloved and
beguiling children’s books, most notably “Where the Wild Things Are,’’
died at 83 in Danbury, Conn., on Tuesday, four days after suffering a
stroke....
Mr. Sendak
acknowledged what every child knows: The world is a scary and
unpredictable place, and adults aren’t always reliable.
Neither are newspapers.
The heroes and
heroines who populate his books - Max, Mickey, Pierre, and Rosie among
them - set out to put the adult world to the test. Drawn with bold
confident lines, the kids strut, stomp, and holler their defiance. They
pout and disobey and loudly proclaim to their parents, in the words of
Pierre, “I don’t care!’’
All good for a children's book, but try applying that later in life, kids.
Can you say Occupy beat down?
But of course they do care, and they are
testing to see if their caring is reciprocated....
When it comes to the government it most definitely has not.
Born in Brooklyn in 1928, Mr. Sendak, by his own account, was
miserable as a child. His family, diminished and scarred by the
Holocaust, had little tolerance for play or creativity....
Oh, now I know why he gets page-one coverage.
In January, Mr. Sendak appeared on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert
Report’’ to talk about the book and bemoan the sorry state of most
contemporary books written for kids....
I'm sorry, but years later it is just not funny anymore.
Upon learning of Mr. Sendak’s death, Colbert said in a statement,
“His art gave us a fantastical but unromanticized reminder of what
childhood truly felt like. We are all honored to have been briefly
invited into his world.’’
Mr. Sendak wrote “Bumble-Ardy’’ as his companion of 50 years,
psychoanalyst Eugene Glynn, was dying....
Oh, so he was gay, too.
--more--"
Related: Sendak and Yauch: Two forms of rebellion
Maurice Sendak: No backstory required
Where the Wild Things Are: Animal Cruelty
