Shel Silverstein
Few writers of the twentieth century have made nearly the same impact on the literary society than Sheldon Allan Silverstein. His writing encompasses a broad range of styles, from adult to children 's, comical to unusual. One of his most common styles was that of fantasy: actions and events that cannot logically happen. This style was evident in his works, the Loser, Thumb Face, Warning, Squishy Touch, and Skin Stealer. Through the description of these absurd circumstances, Silverstein was able to entertain readers of all ages.
In Sely Friday 's reference to a biography, Shel Silverstein was quoted as saying, " . . . 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." Because of his rejection by some of his peers, he found his own hobby: entertaining others. During the 1950 's, Silverstein even served as a member of the United States Armed Forces. While in this position, he was employed as a cartoonist to help cheer up the troops during the Korean War. In 1956, the writer worked again as a cartoonist, but this time for a little-known magazine called Playboy. Despite this wide range of literary audiences, Silverstein 's main purpose was to entertain.
Two of his major collections of works of literature are the critically acclaimed Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic. They have no real historic significance; they were written to entertain. These two books contain some of Silverstein 's most accredited work. Since the books are children 's literature, not many critics have taken the time to review the works. However, Shel Silverstein Book Reviews reference to a review of Silverstein 's A Light in the Attic said, "Despite such moments of banality, and there aren 't many, Mr. Silverstein 's work remains a must for lovers of good verse
In Sely Friday 's reference to a biography, Shel Silverstein was quoted as saying, " . . . 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." Because of his rejection by some of his peers, he found his own hobby: entertaining others. During the 1950 's, Silverstein even served as a member of the United States Armed Forces. While in this position, he was employed as a cartoonist to help cheer up the troops during the Korean War. In 1956, the writer worked again as a cartoonist, but this time for a little-known magazine called Playboy. Despite this wide range of literary audiences, Silverstein 's main purpose was to entertain.
Two of his major collections of works of literature are the critically acclaimed Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic. They have no real historic significance; they were written to entertain. These two books contain some of Silverstein 's most accredited work. Since the books are children 's literature, not many critics have taken the time to review the works. However, Shel Silverstein Book Reviews reference to a review of Silverstein 's A Light in the Attic said, "Despite such moments of banality, and there aren 't many, Mr. Silverstein 's work remains a must for lovers of good verse
Cited: Friday, Sely. "Biography." Shel Silverstein Collected Information. 1999. http://195.114.233.19/Silverstein/bio.html (25 Oct. 1999). (Author unknown). "Shel Silverstein Book Reviews." Shel Silverstein 's Adult Works. 1999. http://www.banned-width.com/shel/misc/breviews.html (25 Oct. 1999). Silverstein, Shel (1974). Where the Sidewalk Ends. New York: Harper and Row. Silverstein, Shel (1981). A Light in the Attic. New York: Harper and Row.