“I wanted to pass on a link to an interview with author Maurice Sendak by Terry Gross of NPR’s Fresh Air,” wites Slog tipper Daniel. “Maybe one of the most moving radio interviews I’ve ever heard. I learned from this particular interview that Maurice just lost his life partner of fifty years, which was both sad but inspiring. (The stability of that relationship!) In case you have an extra 20 minutes, I wanted to cue you in to this.”

14 replies on “Maurice Sendak on Fresh Air”

  1. Anna Minard and Dan Savage, plus SlogTippers Kitri, Yoder, rob! and Daniel. I’d say this is the closest thing to a do-not-miss in the history of Slog.

  2. Thanks for making me cry at work. Sitting in my cubicle with my earbuds in, crying like a small child.
    Sendak was always one of my favorites as a kid. His books were so lovely – yes, they had monsters and goblins and fighting and sibling rivalry – but they were still all so lovely. I’m glad there’s one more Sendak book out there in the world.

  3. @5 – I think I read it maybe once as a kid, but it had a bigger impact on me as an adult. A few years ago, my dog died, and that weekend, my boyfriend gave me a copy of Where the Wild Things Are. Ah hell. Now I’m getting all teary-eyed just thinking about it, and it’s been three years since that happened.

  4. i was lucky enough to meet the man at the PNB Nutcracker 10th anniversary in 1993. he’s tiny and cute and was very gracious while i gushed about reading his books as a child. a real mensch.

  5. Wow, you’d think all these comments would be warning enough that I’d be getting misty-eyed in my cubicle.

    God, beautiful interview.

    I’m ready, I’m ready, I’m ready.

  6. The part about him fantasizing that he had a daughter to take care of him in his old age really got to me. I know an elderly gay man on another continent who is alone and struggling with health and poverty issues. If I lived anywhere near him I’d try to give him practical support.

    We need a gay-straight alliance for seniors.

  7. along with other commenters, i too cried listening to this in my cubicle. and i’ve listened to it 3 times since. i was also a fan as a child, but that admiration pales in comparison to how i feel now. i don’t even know where to begin. what he offers here is SO unprotected and raw. his work goes so far beyond the pages of his illustrated books, and my ability to communicate his impact on me goes so far beyond this blue box i’m typing into.

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