Introduction
Legendary American children’s book writer and illustrator, Maurice Sendak, reflects on his work, legacy and influences.
Script
Maurice Sendak: Why is Wild Things so much the book of my life? Who knows? I don’t know. People wonder “What’s there?” I don’t know. Mystery is there, maybe life less fierce. People say “Why don’t you do a Wild Things 2? Wild Things 1 was such a success.” Go to hell! Go to hell! I’m not a whore. I don’t do those things.
Herman Melville said that artists have to take a dive and either you hit your head on a rock and you split your skull and you die or that blow to the head is so inspiring that you come back up and do the best work you ever did. But, you have to take the dive. And you do not know what the result will be.
I do not believe that I have ever written a children’s book. I don’t know how to write a children’s book. How do you write about? How do you set out to write a children’s book? It’s a lie. I don’t believe in these awards, I don’t believe in these clubs… So I’m much luckier than Herman Melville ever was, much luckier than William Blake ever was, but I still suffer from what they suffered from.
I’m reading an interesting book now, The Life of William Blake. I’ve read many of them. That whole row back there is Blake. I can’t figure out what it is but… I mean what draws me to him so much? I don’t understand him. I still cannot read through one of his Illuminated Books, I can’t. I don’t know what the hell he’s talking about. But I love him. Like, if I were religious I would feel that way about whatever. He’s an illustrator, I am an illustrator. He illustrates poems, his own poems, the mythical dream poems. I guess it’s the way… his profound belief in something… sounds kinda idiotic, but I believe him. I believe in his passion.
My books are really books that are impressed and loved with the memory of comics and how important they were to me as a child. You know I did live, across the street from a patisserie. I didn’t live… see any famous person. I didn’t see Michelangelo go to work in the morning, I just lived in Brooklyn where everything was ordinary, and yet enticing, and exciting, and bewildering. The magic of childhood, the strangeness of childhood, the uniqueness that makes us see things that other people don’t see.
My work has always been considered inappropriate. But the ones that I love, the ones that I think work, as works of art and books are inappropriate. The most important one to me is the one Outside Over There. It’s my most important work – to me. It was after a trip to Europe – Germany. I was illustrating Grimm, and I fell in love with the German Romantics, passionately.
The Outside Over There is like a bad Runge* painting. And it also brought on a nervous breakdown of monumental force. It slapped me to the ground. I got that close to the fire. I got that close to the fire. We will have to find our way. If I could find a way through picture making, book illustration, or whatever you want to call it, I’d be okay.
Quiz
1. When the factory closed, it was a big _______________ to the town, especially to the people who lost their jobs.
Discussion
- What authors are you familiar with that are popular with both children and adults?
- Some authors are very opposed to writing “sequels” or creating series based on their successful work. Why do you think that might be?
- Are you familiar with Maurice Sendak’s books and his most famous work: Where the Wild Things Are?