Shel Silverstein - (1932-1999)
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I. Personal Biography Involved in many areas of the "literary world," Shel Silverstein is deeply admired by people of all ages. Children know him as the
author of various juvenile books; adults recognize him as an accomplished playwright, Playboy cartoonist, and songwriter. Even though his busy life entailed various professions,
Silverstein still possessed a zest for life. However, due to his laid-back personality, Silverstein wrote humorous books in hopes that his audience would realize that life was better when accompanied with laughter.
In 1932, Silverstein was born to Nathan and Helen Silverstein in Chicago, Illinois. He spent his childhood living in Chicago where all of his relatives resided. He was not the typical
teenage boy who played sports and went out with his friends. In an interview with Publisher's Weekly in 1975, he stated, "When I was a kid--12, 14, around there--I would
much rather have been a good baseball player or a hit with the girls. But I couldn't play ball, I couldn't dance. Luckily, the girls didn't want me; not much I could do about that.
So, I started to draw and to write....By the time I got to where I was attracting girls, I already was into work and it was more important to me."
By the age of 21, Silverstein was an aspiring cartoonist and was drafted into the newspaper staff of Stars and Stripes. The Stars and Stripes was a Pacific-based U.S. military
publication. He was drafted in 1952 and served until 1955. This term proved to be the years that he was able to begin and develop his career in the literary world. Since he was
not used to the experience that the job provided, it proved to be an immense opportunity for Silverstein. Even though the position required a high level of seriousness, he felt as if
he had to add his own witty humor. One April Fool's Day, Silverstein submitted a cartoon of a soldier holding out a mess kit with a piece of toast. In the cartoon, the cook splashed
dark matter over it, saying, "Today, it really is." When the managing editor looked over Silverstein's cartoons before they were printed, he asked, "Shel, what does this mean?"
Silverstein replied, "Well, you know, powdered milk, powdered eggs. Today it's the real thing. April Fool! Get it?" The prank landed Silverstein in trouble with the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
As soon as he finished his military term in 1955, Silverstein returned to Chicago and took a job with Playboy as a cartoonist, where he was able to publish several collections of his
comical drawings. In 1956, Hugh Hefner, Playboy's founder and editor, featured Silverstein's cartoons, stories, and poems in editions of Playboy. And of course,
Silverstein showed his satirical sense of humor in each piece that he wrote. After becoming an accomplished cartoonist, Silverstein quickly found another area in
literature where he was able to add his witty style. After he began writing songs, he recorded with people such as Brenda Lee and Jerry Lee Lewis. Singing with Johnny Cash,
he made a number one hit out of his song "A Boy Named Sue" in 1969. Silverstein then recorded a country music album in 1980 named The Great Conch Train Robbery. This
country album quickly spread through the country music world. During Silverstein's time as a songwriter, Tomi Ungerer suggested that Silverstein
continue using his wit by writing and illustrating a book for young readers. However, Silverstein had doubts that he could take on such a task. Editor Ursula Nordstrom
convinced him to try, and at the age of 31, Silverstein wrote his first book, Uncle Shelby's Story of Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back. Silverstein enjoyed using his clever, silly
ideas in this book and decided that he wanted to write another children's book. The next year, he wrote his childhood classic, The Giving Tree. This book became very
controversial as critics tried to decipher the meaning behind his book. However, Silverstein decided to stay out of the debates and avoid the negative criticism. Unfortunately, his next book, A Giraffe and a Half
, produced as much criticism from his audience. This was definitely the hardest point in his literary career. In the next few years, a huge amount of success came to Silverstein. In 1974, he produced
Where the Sidewalk Ends: Poems and Drawings. And next in 1981, he wrote another juvenile book, A Light in the Attic, which spent 182 weeks on the best-seller list. His last
book was published in 1996, just three years before his death. This collection of poems was modeled on his two earlier famous poetry books. Thankfully, this received many
positive reviews and his last contribution to literature was quite a success. All together, Silverstein was the author of four best-selling children's books: The Giving
Tree, Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, and Falling Up. The four books sold over eighteen million copies and have been translated into twenty different
languages. Silverstein also received many notable awards for his humorous style. In 1974, he received the New York Times Notable Book Designation and in 1981 the Michigan
Young Readers Award. However, his most honorable award was the International Reading Association's Children's Choice Award for his excellence in his literary works.
Silverstein was known because he was an expert in several areas of his life. As a comical cartoonist and a satirical children's books writer, he was embraced by a lot of people. In an
interview with Silverstein, a reporter asked, "How do you think your present image as a world traveler, bawdy singer, etc, combine with your image as a writer of children's
books?" Silverstein quickly replied, "I don't think about my image." By not caring about his image he lived his life to bring laughter and happiness to others--and he was happy doing what he did.
On May 10th, 1999, the poet died of a heart attack at his winter home in Key West, Florida. However, Silverstein is still admired by many. HarperCollins, Silverstein's publisher since
1963, has seen a doubling in sales of his children's books since his death. The publisher also receives a tremendous number of emotional letters from his readers. Indeed,
Silverstein left a lasting impression on the literary world. II. Place Shel was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1932. He grew up in Illinois and stayed there until he
was twenty-one years old. Leaving his family behind, Silverstein served a two-year term with the staff of Stars and Stripes, a U.S. military publication. Afterwards, he immediately
returned to Chicago where he took a job with Playboy. He also lived in the Playboy mansion in Chicago. Silverstein liked to travel. He lived in Greenwich Village and owned a houseboat in
Sausalito, California. He spent time in Los Angeles at the Playboy mansion and Martha's Vineyard. He spent the last twenty years of his life in Key West, where he died in May of 1999.
III. List of Literary Works Take Ten(1955) IV. Interviews with Silverstein
"Breaking Open Silverstein's Shell" by Lynn Van Matre This is an interview that appeared in the Chicago Tribune
on March 4, 1973. The interview talks about the careers which Shel focused on. He evaluates himself as a cartoonist, songwriter, recording artist, and writer. Also, he talks about acceptance by the people that
he worked with. "Shel Silverstein: An Interview by Publisher's Weekly"
This interview was written by Jean F. Mercier and was conducted on February 24, 1975. The interview starts off by talking about Shel's relationship to Ursula Nordstrom, his
editor. He talks about Nordstrom and says that she was a perfect editor because she knew when to leave him alone and when to be there for help with his works. Then it talks about his success with The Giving Tree
. Finally, he talks about his childhood and how he grew up and found success. "Cartoonist Silverstein called Stripes his Catapult to Success" By: Senior Writer Hal Drake
This interview was written in 1995. This interview talks about Silverstein's "early days" and what he did before he attained all his titles in the literary world. At the end, it gives
one example of how Silverstein almost got in trouble with the Uniform Code of Military Justice. V. Audio Excerpts
There are audio excerpts of Shel Silverstein reading a couple of his poems. VI. Links
"Celebrating the Works of Shel Silverstein" This is a valuable website because it focuses on Silverstein's works in all of his literary
careers. It is more than that just a little biography or information on his children's books. Also, there is an expert, Carol, that you can e-mail if you want more information on Silverstein.
"The Shel Silverstein Archive" This website is a tribute to Silverstein from a personal friend, Sarah Weinman, who greatly
admired him. There are categories such as interviews, the books, the dedications, and it even provides a famous interview with the Chicago Tribune. "Shel Silverstein Teacher Resource File" The website is for teacher use, providing a lot of information about his career on a more professional level. Links that branch off of this page, so that you can locate other
information that the authors of this page find useful. "Stars and Stripes" This is a great website by Hal Drake. Silverstein was a draftee with the Pacific Stars and Stripes
in the 1950s. The website is because it provides quotations from Silverstein about how he began his career. VII. Works Cited
Commire, Anne., ed. Something About the Author. Vol 33. Detroit: Gale Research CO., 1983. Derrow, Michelle, et al. "Died. Shel Silverstein." Time (24 May 1999): 35. Online. Proquest Direct. 6 April 2001.
Drake, Hal. "Cartoonist Silverstein Called Stripes His Catapult to Success." Stars and Stripes (1 Oct. 1995): 7 April 2001. http://www.pstripes.com/pss50c.html.
McElmeel, Sharron. "Shel Silverstein." 100 Most Popular Children's Authors. Vol. 1. Englewood: Libraries Unlimited, Inc. 1999.
Myers, Mitch. "Shel Silverstein 1930-1999." Rolling Stone (24 June 1999): 26. Online. Proquest Direct. 2 April 2001. Norby, Shirley., ed. Famous Children's Authors. Vol. 1. Minneapolis: T.S. Denison & Co.,
Inc., 1988. "Shel Silverstein 1932-199." Publisher's Weekly (17 May 1999): 32. Online. Proquest Direct. 7 April 2001. Weinman, Sarah. "Silverstein Archive." sarah@weinmans.com. 18 April 2001.
Weinman, Sarah. "The Shel Silverstein Archive." 28 Feb. 2001: 11 April 2001. http://members.tripod.com/~ShelSilverstein/.
This essay was submitted by a student of Susan Davis, a teacher at St. Timothy's School in Stevenson, Maryland.
Grab Your Socks(1956)
Now Here's My Plan: A Book of Futilities(1960)
Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book: A Primer for Tender Minds(1961)
Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back(1963)
The Giving Tree(1964)
A Giraffe and a Half(1964)
Uncle Shelby's Zoo: Don't Bump the Glump!(1964)
Where the Sidewalk Ends(1974)
The Poems and Drawings of Shel Silverstein(1974)
The Missing Piece(1976)
Different Dances(1979)
The Missing Piece Meets the Big O(1981)
A Light In the Attic(1981)
Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros?(1964)
Falling Up: Poems and Drawings(1996)
http://members.tripod.com/~ShelSilverstein/Interviews.html
http://members.tripod.com/~ShelSilverstein/ShelPW.html
www.pstripes.com/pss50c.html
http://www.cdnow.com/cgi-bin/mserver/pagename=/RP/CDN/FIND/album.html/ddcn=SD-7 4646+39412+2/from=cr-6135437.
www.banned-width.com
http://members.tripod.com/~ShelSilverstein/
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/silverstein.htm
http://www.pstripes.com/pss50c.html