R.I.P. Maurice Sendak

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

I know it's a few days late, but I just realized that no one has made a thread on Maurice Sendak's death, best know for Where the Wild Things Are. I admit I have never read any of his books, but his impact on children's literature cannot be denied.

[Calidore]

Glad you posted this. You're never too old for Where the Wild Things Are, so head to the nearest bookstore or library and have a look. It's short enough to read standing up at the shelf (though most bookstores these days have chairs as well).

[Silas Thorne]

We should all read that book in tribute. I'm quite surprised you haven't read it. Wonderful book that. It shouldn't take too long either. You can do it while standing up in the bookstore.

:) We had the same idea, Calidore

[Calidore]

:) We had the same idea, Calidore

Great minds...

[stlukesguild]

MM... thanks for posting. I was going to make such a thread myself after reading his obit in the paper the other day, but somehow it slipped my mind. I was lucky enough to attend a performance of Mozart's opera, The Magic Flute, for which Sendak designed the stage sets and the costumes. The overall atmosphere was a wonderful, whimsical bit of fantasy and fairy-tale perfectly suited to the opera:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-90wZgQNn988/T6qDXkPazfI/AAAAAAAADcc/SKmdzVsCbVg/s1600/il_fullxfull.287472811.jpg

http://chicagotheaterbeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/01.-Charles-Castronovo-THE-MAGIC-FLUTE-RST_0495-c.-Dan-Rest.jpg

http://chicagotheaterbeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/16.-Stephane-Degout-Jennifer-Jakob-THE-MAGIC-FLUTE-DAN_3165-c.-Dan-Rest.jpg

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

That looks like it was an awesome production.

Maurice Sendak did his final interview with Stephen Colbert. Of course, they were hilarious, and really showed off his personality.

Colbert/Sendak Interviww Pt. 1 (http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/406796/january-24-2012/grim-colberty-tales-with-maurice-sendak-pt--1)

Colbert/Sendak Interviww Pt. 2 (http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/406902/january-25-2012/grim-colberty-tales-with-maurice-sendak-pt--2)

[Calidore]

Wasn't Sendak also the main designer on the Nutcracker movie from the '80s? Not much of a movie IIRC, but it looked great.

[Declan]

lol @ Calidore & Silas - the bookshop owners won't approve of you enjoying their stock for free and, even though Sendak is now above the earthly pleasure of benefiting from royalties, and he's probably still too fresh in his grave for turning in it just yet...still, I'm sure he'd be happier if you bought his book. He'd push up an extra couple of daisies in gratitude.

[qimissung]

You really should read "Where the Wild Things Are," MM, especially since you're a wild thing yourself.

It is almost the perfect book. It's my favorite, and I have many.

My students were given a prompt this last winter; it read something like 'write a story about the power of imagination.' A crappy prompt if you ask me, but nobody did. Since we were preparing them for a new state-mandated test we did not have much to select from, so this was it.

I read them "Where the Wild Things Are" which is almost a perfect example of what the prompt was asking for. My students wrote some good stuff. It was similar in nature to WTWA, but imitation and flattery and all that, you know. :D

"In the Night Kitchen" is another good read.

So all things considered, Maurice Sendak was almost a perfect writer and artist. Thank you, Mr. Sendak, for giving us Max, the perfect character in the perfect book to read to all the wild little boys of the world.