Maurice Sendak
Maurice Sendak
Maurice Bernard Sendakwas an American illustrator and writer of children's books. He became widely known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, first published in 1963. Born to Jewish-Polish parents, his childhood was affected by the death of many of his family members during the Holocaust. Besides Where the Wild Things Are, Sendak also wrote works such as In the Night Kitchen, Outside Over There, and illustrated many works by other authors including the Little Bear books by Else...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionChildren's Author
Date of Birth10 June 1928
CityBrooklyn, NY
CountryUnited States of America
Finding out that I was gay when I was older was a shock and a disappointment.
The world is twice as crazy as it's ever been.
What I do as best I can is out of a deep respect for children, for how difficult their world is.
As a kid, all I thought about was death.
All I wanted was to be straight so my parents could be happy.
I'm not obsessed with angels but I do adore angels.
The distinctions of fine art bore me to death.
Grown-ups are afraid for children. It's not children who are afraid.
A book is a book is a book.
He was the strangest little bird I'd ever seen. He had fluttered into the world of the studios and, could he not be swatted dead, I knew he would manage. I had total faith in him.
What most people wanted was a reproduction of the book, because the book made money,
My work is not great, but it's respectable. I have no false illusions.
My work is not great, but it's respectable.
My parents were ignorant peasants from the Old World.