produced the myth of childhood innocence. This was
reflected in his books. Where the Wild Things Are
caused much controversy when it was first published.
Many critics believed that children should not be
exposed to its darkness. Sendak’s philosophy,
providing the title of the film, is: “Tell them anything
you want.” Because children already know these
things. And they also know how to keep them to
themselves, because they aren’t supposed to know
them. It is the child who protects the adult, in
Sendak’s view. He sought to bring that to light
through his work.
Sendak speaks of his “permanent dissatisfaction.”
He grudgingly admits that he has found some
happiness in his work.
find any consolation in the thought that artistic
achievement will confer immortality. He recalls that
even the artists he admired most had to face oblivion:
“The day after Paul Newman died, he was twice
as dead!”
He dreads the shambling decrepitude that is
bound to take hold of him.
“It hasn’t happened yet,” Jonze reassures him.
"I did some very good books. They were the only
true happiness I've ever enjoyed in my entire life."
He is not content to rest on his laurels as creator
of Where the Wild Things Are. Even near the end of
his life, he still hopes to write something more simple
and powerful than anything he has produced before.
His creative ambition is not flagging.
Sendak died a few years later, in 2012. His death
“But it’s gonna!” Sendak fires back.
was sudden, not the lingering decrepitude that he
His grim humour, as well as his honesty, are
feared. And he was working to the end – his last book
irresistible.
His dark themes stem from a troubled childhood.
was published posthumously, the hauntingly
mysterious and beautiful My Brother’s Book. This
The most spellbinding moments of the film are when
film will stand as a unique tribute to his extraordinary
he speaks of his childhood traumas. He was involved
talent and personality. I found it to be one of the most
in the accidental death of one of his boyhood friends.
insightful and moving portraits of any author I have
He was also haunted by the kidnapping and murder of
seen.
the Lindbergh baby. These events shaped his outlook
Nazam Anhar is a children’s author published by
on life, and his approach to his work.
Scholastic Australia.
For Sendak, childhood could never be innocent.
It was only the misunderstanding of adults that
www.hbo.com/documentaries/tell-them-anythingyou-want-a-portrait-of-maurice-sendak#/