'Where the Wild Things Are' author Sendak wrote to 'communicate profound truths'
| Los Angeles
Iconic author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, who died聽Tuesday morning, never had children. But he understood the power of the parent-child bond, and the relationships that avid readers young and old had with his book were as intimate and聽passionate as any between parent and offspring.
鈥淢aurice Sendak, for me,鈥� says Joseph Heithaus, a DePauw University professor, poet,聽and father of four via email, 鈥渆mbodied the pleasure of curling in next to your child and reading something that could delight both of you.鈥� His youngest, now 10, he says, 鈥渟till wants her childhood story books read aloud at night, and just last week we read again 鈥楥hicken Soup with Rice.鈥� 鈥�
That Sendak poem, he says, 鈥渆ven outside its hilarious illustrations, does just what a poem should do.聽It sets up a pattern and then surprises you again and again.鈥�
Professor Heithaus says the Sendak work, working similarly to a ghazal, an ancient Persian poetic form, incites the reader to play along. 鈥淲hat child hearing that book aloud doesn't join you in the refrain 鈥� Chicken Soup with Rice?鈥� he says.
Mr.聽Sendak himself always rued the fact that he聽did not have children of his own, however, and toward the end of his career created the Sendak Fellowship. This month-long retreat brought authors to his remote Connecticut compound聽for weeks of intense artistic inquiry 鈥� and genuine fellowship, say those fortunate enough to have partaken in one of the only two held.
鈥淗e wanted to pass along what he knew and felt to be important,鈥� says award-winning children鈥檚 book author Antoinette Portis (鈥淣ot a Box鈥�), adding, 鈥淚 think he felt we were his children in a way.鈥�
What struck her so keenly聽was the gap between the persona聽Sendak himself took a certain pleasure in cultivating 鈥� that of a gruff and crusty grouch 鈥� and the man she experienced聽and came to love. 鈥淗e was very passionate and completely honest,鈥� she says, 鈥渂ut that was because I really think he was seeking a deep relationship with his fellow artists.鈥�
She recalls her first day, arriving at the countryside聽home and wondering along with聽the three fellows聽if they would see much of the esteemed author, other than the formal talks and colloquia. 鈥淏ut then, the first night he came and had dinner with us and just hung out with us,鈥� she says, 鈥渁nd that was how it went after that.鈥�
This closeness did not聽exclude blunt critiques of their work, Ms. Portis聽says with a laugh, recalling聽Sendak鈥檚 own rages against what he considered the growing聽commercialism of the publishing world.
鈥淗e just had this high sense of聽the truth聽these聽picture books should tell,鈥� she says, and he felt that the pressure to make books to sell 鈥� rather than communicate profound truths 鈥� was ruining the world of children鈥檚 literature. 鈥淗e was always telling聽us聽to go out and change the world,鈥� she says, adding, 鈥淗e felt that was the job of literature.鈥�
Sendak rebelled聽against the label of 鈥渃hildren鈥檚 author,鈥� often saying 鈥淚 don鈥檛 write children鈥檚 books. I聽write.鈥�
His seminal 1963 work, 鈥�Where the Wild Things Are,鈥� threw down that challenge to an聽industry for which聽children鈥檚 books with dark themes were frowned upon, says Susan Mackey-Kallis, associate professor of聽film and media studies at Villanova University in Philadelphia.
The book was聽criticized聽by parents and聽withheld聽from libraries for being 鈥渢oo dark,鈥� she notes. But, it then went on to win the coveted Caldecott Medal for children鈥檚 literature in 1964 and has 鈥渂ecome a beloved classic of children and parents who grew up with Max and his wild rumpus,鈥� she adds.
The power of Sendak鈥檚 works stem from his own聽intense connection with his own early fears and fights.
The monsters in the 鈥渨ild things鈥� are modeled on Eastern聽European relatives聽who fled the Holocaust聽and ended up in his childhood Brooklyn neighborhood. Sendak never revealed this connection聽while any of these figures were still alive.
鈥淏ut this visceral response to the terrors of strange people hugging him and speaking聽in languages聽he didn鈥檛聽understand is something every child can relate to,鈥� points out聽Professor Mackey-Kallis.
Sendak never lost this closeness to his own childhood, she adds, 鈥渁nd that is what gives his works so much power.鈥�
