Today's Guardian Newspaper, interview with Maurice Sendak. Worth a read. Honest. Funny. Shame there ain't more. I think it wasn't until I was in my first year Foundation course that I was aware of Sendak. 16 or 17 years old I saw a copy of Where The Wild Things Are, it belonged to Jonathan Briant. Of course later it became one of the influences on my work.
SOUNDTRACK: MAX RICHTER - INFRA
Thanks a ton for this Mr. Hughes. An engrossing read. Somehow better to read it in newspaper format here than the virtual page on The Guardian website.
ReplyDeleteThank you pRiyA. I agree, I am just an old fashioned guy.......glad you appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteDoes that signed copy belong to you?? What a brilliant thing to own...
ReplyDeleteJohn, the signed copy does belong to me, I was invited to meet Sendak along with other notable illustrators including if I can remember correctly, Angela Barrett, Helen Oxenbury, John Burningham and Shirley Hughes. I had driven down from Manchester with Jill Barton, I missed the cup final to go. It was for a meal hosted by Walker Books in his honour at The Ivy restaurant. He was in London to promote I Saw Esau edited by Iona & Charles Opie, beautifully designed by Amelia Edwards and decorated by his illustrations. It was all very polite and reverential until I got up from the long table and I produced my copy of Where The Wild Things Are for him to sign and then it suddenly became more relaxed and every one else also produced various Sendak books for him to sign. As he left at the end he gave me some sound advice. "Don't let the bastard's fuck you up!"
ReplyDeleteHa! what a great story. Loved the drawing he has done in it too. A true collectors item!
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