Having recently paid tribute to the memory of Jim Henson, I now have to acknowledge the death of a similar creative visionary. Maurice Sendak, American writer and illustrator, passed away yesterday aged eighty-three.
Born in Brooklyn to Polish Jewish immigrants, Sendak endured a childhood clouded by the shadow of death. The majority of his extended family had perished in the Holocaust, exposing Sendak to the bleak reality of human cruelty, suffering and death from a very early age. The young Sendak would find escape in the works of Walt Disney, and his fascination with animation led to his career as an author and illustrator.
Of course, Sendak's most famous work is that landmark of children's literature, Where The Wild Things Are. This story, almost wordless, has proved timeless due to Sendak's vivid, fantastical, and rather dark imagery, which was clearly influenced in no small part by his sombre upbringing. Wild Things tells the tale of Max, a rebellious little boy in a white wolf costume who, having been banished to his bedroom without dinner, dreams up the magical world of the Wild Things - lumbering beasts with vicious teeth and huge staring eyes - and joins them in a "wild rumpus". Though deemed controversial at the time due to the scary appearance of Sendak's creations, Where The Wild Things Are went on to gain great acclaim, not merely for the skill of the author's hand but for its ability to engage children and convey the darker emotions of childhood.
Wild Things saw many adaptations, including an operatic stage show and a live-action movie directed by Spike Jonze. Jonze's film, despite greatly expanding upon Sendak's original story, nevertheless captured the imagery and emotions that infused it. Jonze had worked closely with Sendak in developing the film - Sendak himself had approved of the director, stating that "he was young and interesting and had a spark that none of the others had" - and the author was tremendously pleased with the end result, hailing Jonze as "a real artist who's not afraid of himself and lets it come through in his work" and stating that "he's touched me very much". Jim Henson would certainly have approved of the finished film which favoured elaborate costumes and puppetry over CGI (Henson and Sendak had actually worked together previously in the early days of Sesame Street).
After a string of other successes and a generally very colourful career, Sendak died on the morning of May 8th 2012 due to complications from a stroke. He was praised in The New York Times' obituary as "the most important children's book illustrator of the 20th century".
After a string of other successes and a generally very colourful career, Sendak died on the morning of May 8th 2012 due to complications from a stroke. He was praised in The New York Times' obituary as "the most important children's book illustrator of the 20th century".
And so, sadly the world loses another creative genius whose work transcends generations and will continue to do so. Rest in peace Maurice Sendak and may your wild rumpus forever continue.
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