by Whitney Jarreld | May 9, 2012 | Opinion
Maurice Sendak, died May 8, 2012, at the age of 83 from complications of a stroke according to The New York Times. The name might not be familiar, but his work is. Sendak, is most famous for his book “Where The Wild Things Are.” Other works by Sendak include “In The Night Kitchen,” “Bumble-Ardy” and “Outside Over There.” NPR’s show Fresh Air dedicated the entire program to Sendak by airing previous interviews with him. Past the subdued fog and alluring designs of his books, his writings deal with deeper issues. Sendak created a protagonist child that battled the conditions of being a well-mannered and groomed character who triumphed in an attractive manner. His characters, which would exist in creative dreamlike circumstances, would bring the reality of life into childhood. Sendak broke boundaries with his writings and illustrations that brought the reality of monsters into children’s book. Sendak grew up in a Jewish home, where Yiddish was spoken, and lived with his relatives that were brought over by his parents because of the Holocaust. In a 1986 NPR audio interview, Sendak spoke about his childhood. As a child, Sendak said he had fears that were different than others. The vacuum cleaner, when turned on, became a huge monster that billowed and was very frightening. After watching the 1933 movie, “The Invisible Man,” he became petrified of the Invisible Man who became “[the] most terrifying [fear] and led to being an insomniac for rest of life.” As a child he saw adults as “…big and grotesque… and couldn’t see it happening to him.” Later in the interview, he suggested that being...
