SHEL SILVERSTEIN
Name: Shel Silverstein
Born: 25 September 1930 Chicago, Illinois
Died: 10 May 1999 Key West, Florida
Sheldon Alan "Shel" Silverstein (September 25, 1930 - May 10, 1999) was an
American poet, songwriter, musician, composer, cartoonist, screenwriter and
author of children's books. He sometimes styled himself as Uncle Shelby
especially for his early children's books.
Silverstein confirmed he never studied the poetry of others, and therefore
developed his own style: laid-back and conversational, occasionally employing
profanity, and slang.
Shel Silverstein's first book, Grab Your Socks! (1956) collected his early 1950s
cartoons for Stars and Stripes.
Silverstein's skill in writing was already largely developed by the time he
served in the U.S. army. Silverstein was stationed in Japan and Korea in the
1950s, and while in the military, he was a cartoonist for the Pacific edition of
the military newspaper, Stars and Stripes.
His name is most commonly known for writing and illustrating his children's
literature including The Missing Piece, A Light In The Attic, Lafcadio, Where
the Sidewalk Ends, Falling Up, The Giving Tree, A Giraffe and a Half, and The
Missing Piece Meets the Big O. For adults he wrote Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book, a
satirical mock children's book, and created Different Dances, a coffee table
book of wordless, adult-themed cartoons. He continued to write colloquial poetry
on occasion throughout his life, including a rap version of Shakespeare's Hamlet
that was published (on yellow-beige specialty paper) in Playboy magazine in 1998.
He also co-wrote the screenplay Things Change with David Mamet.
In 2005, Silverstein's last book, Runny Babbit: A Billy Sook, was published
posthumously. As the title suggests, every poem and illustration in the book
consists of spoonerisms. In an NPR interview, Mitch Myers, Shel Silverstein's
nephew, who wrote the liner notes for a "Best of Shel Silverstein" CD and helped
compile the new collection of poems, said, "I think he wasn't sure about how it
would be received. It is and was very different. And it's not easy, even for
adults to read. I think, actually, younger children have a better time at it
because they're not so preconceived in their notions of how words work. And the
playfulness of it really comes across." Silverstein said "I did not have any
inspirations, my talent formed, because that was what I loved to do....(and
forever will)" "Many kids should know their talents from in their heart and soul."
Name: Shel Silverstein
Born: 25 September 1930 Chicago, Illinois
Died: 10 May 1999 Key West, Florida
Sheldon Alan "Shel" Silverstein (September 25, 1930 - May 10, 1999) was an
American poet, songwriter, musician, composer, cartoonist, screenwriter and
author of children's books. He sometimes styled himself as Uncle Shelby
especially for his early children's books.
Silverstein confirmed he never studied the poetry of others, and therefore
developed his own style: laid-back and conversational, occasionally employing
profanity, and slang.
Shel Silverstein's first book, Grab Your Socks! (1956) collected his early 1950s
cartoons for Stars and Stripes.
Silverstein's skill in writing was already largely developed by the time he
served in the U.S. army. Silverstein was stationed in Japan and Korea in the
1950s, and while in the military, he was a cartoonist for the Pacific edition of
the military newspaper, Stars and Stripes.
His name is most commonly known for writing and illustrating his children's
literature including The Missing Piece, A Light In The Attic, Lafcadio, Where
the Sidewalk Ends, Falling Up, The Giving Tree, A Giraffe and a Half, and The
Missing Piece Meets the Big O. For adults he wrote Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book, a
satirical mock children's book, and created Different Dances, a coffee table
book of wordless, adult-themed cartoons. He continued to write colloquial poetry
on occasion throughout his life, including a rap version of Shakespeare's Hamlet
that was published (on yellow-beige specialty paper) in Playboy magazine in 1998.
He also co-wrote the screenplay Things Change with David Mamet.
In 2005, Silverstein's last book, Runny Babbit: A Billy Sook, was published
posthumously. As the title suggests, every poem and illustration in the book
consists of spoonerisms. In an NPR interview, Mitch Myers, Shel Silverstein's
nephew, who wrote the liner notes for a "Best of Shel Silverstein" CD and helped
compile the new collection of poems, said, "I think he wasn't sure about how it
would be received. It is and was very different. And it's not easy, even for
adults to read. I think, actually, younger children have a better time at it
because they're not so preconceived in their notions of how words work. And the
playfulness of it really comes across." Silverstein said "I did not have any
inspirations, my talent formed, because that was what I loved to do....(and
forever will)" "Many kids should know their talents from in their heart and soul."