Maurice Sendak dies
May 8, 2012
Maurice Sendak, the children's author and illustrator most famed for writing “Where the Wild Things Are," died of a stroke in the New England state of Connecticut on Tuesday, aged 83.
His best-selling creation “Where the Wild Things Are," a story about a boy called Max who embarks on an adventure through his imagination after he is sent to bed without dinner, was made into a film in 2009 and earned Sendak a coveted Caldecott Medal for best children's book in 1964. 1996 was also a highlight for Sendak; the then American president Bill Clinton awarded him a National Medal of the Arts in that year.
Famed for his refusal to shy away from incorporating dark and scary elements into his children's writing, not least in the form of monstrous creatures, his books sold millions of copies despite the attempts by some to ban them.
Other well-known favorites by Sendak include “Pierre,” “Really Rosie” and “In the Night Kitchen."
Sendak also showed an appetite for creative endeavors beyond children books. He made costumes for ballets and operas; designed the Pacific Northwest Ballet's televised Nutcracker production and produced a number of animated television series inspired by his drawings, including “Little Bear” and “Seven Little Monsters."
sej/msh (AFP, AP, Reuters)