07 November 2007
In the Night Kitchen
Recently i read Maurice Sendak's In the Night Kitchen. You may more easily recognize him as author of Where the Wild Things Are. In the Night Kitchen is a short "children's book", so it's a quick read, and i highly recommend it. It was also a banned book, which is one reason i checked it out from the library to begin with--besides the fact that it just looked awesome. (near banned book week they had a shelf of books that had at some point caused controversy/been banned). AND! The artwork is GREAT!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
I definately need to pick that one up...not surprised you recommended this one considering how you feel about nudity...
The artwork in this IS really great, but as a kid I was always very uncomfortable with the nudity in it. I mean, the whole time he's flying around in that plane he's not wearing clothes! His penis is encased in dough! I'm sorry, but that's freaky! Especially since he seems so gosh-darn happy about it the whole time!
There's a restaurant, I think in Seattle, that's called The Night Kitchen, and is all decorated with larger-than-life, Disneylandeque statues of Mauriece Sendak characters. I ate a very uncomfortable lunch there knowing that a 1.5 scale eight-year-old boy was suspended above our table, naked and baked into a breadplane.
IT'S JUST WEIRD! What if he farts in there? What if he pees??
I just feel that is closer to bread than any person needs to be and as a child I was convinced that Mr. Sendak was VERY screwed up and that everyone was just smiling and nodding, pretending that nothing was wrong. Given the opportunity to meet him, I would have probably run away.
Not that I think the book should be banned or anything -- I simply could not comprehend where the author was coming from and was a little horrified by it.
Actually, I still am!
p.s. this seems weird to write now, but ... thanks for the cookies... they are ghostly delicious!
p.p.s. I looked it up on wikipedia and apparently the restaurant is in San Francisco!! I'm not sure if it's still there or not, but I think you should try and go, as you are not plauged my strange neurosis the same way that I am.
i didn't know this book was banned anywhere!
everyone is nude! ... under their clothes.
...or baked batter.
edward! amen!
yes, but you DON'T EAT CLOTHES!
... most of them.
Wow. You guys are still making me laugh, 7 years later. I just purchased a German translation of this from Powell's. Sierra & Anton love it: In der Nachtküche. I enjoy it too, though am not sure it is as good as the original. The differences are still growing on me.
Aro, i got really excited and thought it was a sign when i read your comment that The Night Kitchen (restaurant) was in Seattle, then got sad when your further research revealed it is in SF. Anyway, i guess we'll have to make time to go next we're in SF.
Amen, Ed!
Wait, what clothes DO you eat? (Besides baked batter clothes?)
Post a Comment