I have to admit that until I heard that Maurice Sendak had passed away this week, I had never read anything related to his biography. As  I have “mused on” in a previous post, I’m not a big fan of looking for keys to understanding stories (or poems) in the authors’ biography. A piece should stand on its own merit.

“Where the Wild Things Are” most certainly stands on its own. I’ve met people who aren’t interested in children’s literature in the slightest, who may never have heard of Sendak, immediatly react to the name of the books. I encounter the book EVERYWHERE, in its Hebrew translation that is. By the way, the title in Hebrew is “In the Land of Wild Creatures”.

However, reading about Sendak in the New York Times article DID explain a few things. In particular, the part about how the abduction of the Lindbergh baby influenced him.

In short, Maurice Sendak has left a significant legacy. May his memory be blessed!