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Shel Silverstein, 1930-1999: Poet, Writer, Composer, Singer, Musician and Artist |
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One of his best known books is ''Where the Sidewalk
Ends.'' Transcript of radio broadcast: |
VOICE
ONE:
This is
Phoebe Zimmermann.
VOICE
TWO:
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And
this is Steve Ember with People in America in VOA Special English. Today we
tell about Shel Silverstein. He was a poet, writer, composer, singer,
musician and artist.
(MUSIC)
VOICE
ONE:
Shel
Silverstein wrote hundreds of poems and published many books. He is most
famous as a writer of books for children. He won several awards for his
children’s books. But he also wrote many stories and created many
drawings for adults.
Shel
Silverstein was born in Chicago, Illinois in nineteen thirty. His birth
name was Sheldon Allan Silverstein. Sometimes he called himself Uncle
Shelby. He never planned to write children’s books. Still, he is
most famous for writing them.
Shel
Silverstein once told a reporter that when he was growing up, he wanted to be a
good baseball player. He also said he wanted to be popular with girls.
But he could not play baseball, and girls did not like him. So he started
to draw and write. Shel Silverstein said he developed his own way of
writing. By the time girls were interested in him, he found that work was more
important.
VOICE
TWO:
Shel
Silverstein served in the United States Army in the early nineteen
fifties. He worked as an artist for the American military newspaper,
Pacific Stars and Stripes. eHe He wrote his first book in nineteen
fifty-five. “Take Ten” was about life in the army, and included drawings.
After
leaving the army, he worked for Playboy magazine for almost twenty years.
He wrote stories and drew funny pictures for the publication.
Shel
Silverstein was also a musician. He released his first album in nineteen
fifty-nine. It is called “Hairy Jazz.” He began writing folk music
in the nineteen sixties. Famous artists have recorded his songs.
The Irish Rovers, Johnny Cash, and Loretta Lynn have sung his songs. Ten
years later, he released “A Boy Named Sue and His Other Country Songs.”
The most famous song from the album is called “A Boy Named Sue.” It is
about a boy whose father gave him a name usually given to girls. Johnny
Cash made the song famous.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Shel
Silverstein is best known for his books for children. However, people of
all ages like his poems and stories. He published his first children’s
book in nineteen sixty-three. It is called “Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot
Back.” It is about a lion that eats hunters and lives like a human.
The lion has to make some important decisions.
One
year later, Shel Silverstein published what may be his most popular book.
It is called “The Giving Tree.” This story is about a boy and a tree that
loved him. The tree gives the boy everything until it can give no
more. Both adults and children have enjoyed reading this book. This
book is still very popular today. It has sold more than five million
copies. Listen as Faith Lapidus reads from the beginning of “The Giving
Tree.”
FAITH
LAPIDUS:
There
was once a great apple tree and a little boy. They would spend hours and
hours together. The boy would play in the tree’s branches, sleep at her
roots and eat of her apples. And the tree loved the boy.
One
day, the boy came to the tree. The tree was delighted and beckoned, ‘Come
and play!’ But the boy was no longer a boy; he was now a young man, and he was
interested in making a living, but he didn’t know how.
‘Here,’
the tree said, ‘take my apples and sell them.’ The young man did just
that, and the tree was happy.
VOICE
TWO:
In the
nineteen seventies, Shel Silverstein produced music for several movies.
His first movie soundtrack was for the film “Ned Kelly.” It is based on a
true story about a famous Australian criminal. Here is a song from the
album. It is called “Ned Kelly.”
(MUSIC)
VOICE
ONE:
Shel
Silverstein is also famous for his poetry. His first children’s poetry
book was “Where the Sidewalk Ends.” It was published in nineteen
seventy-four. It contains more than one hundred poems, and many drawings.
The poems and drawings are creative, funny and wise. In the book, readers
meet a boy who turns into a television set. They meet a girl who eats a
whale.
Imaginary
creatures like the Unicorn and the Bloath live there. So does a girl
called Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout who will not take the garbage out. “Where the
Sidewalk Ends” is a place where you can wash your shadow. You can plant a
garden of diamonds. It is a place where shoes can fly. And a crocodile
goes to the dentist because his tooth hurts. Silverstein reads one of the
poems in his book, called “Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me, Too.”
(SOUND)
Shel
Silverstein’s second children’s poetry book is called “A Light in the
Attic.” It also contains many funny poems and drawings. This book
was so popular that it was on the New York Times newspaper’s list of
best-selling books for more than three years. Listen as he reads his poem
“Ations.”
(SOUND)
VOICE
TWO:
In the
nineteen eighties, Shel Silverstein began writing plays. He wrote about
twenty of them. His first play is called “The Lady or the Tiger
Show.” It is a funny play about a game show. The game show player
has to choose between two doors. Behind one door is a beautiful woman,
and behind the other door is a tiger.
VOICE
ONE:
Shel
Silverstein died of heart failure in nineteen ninety-nine. He was
sixty-eight years old. Some of his works were released after his
death. Shel Silverstein once said: “I would hope that people, no
matter what age, would find something to identify with in my books.” He
hoped people would “experience a personal sense of discovery.”
Shel
Silverstein once said that he wanted to go everywhere, look at and listen to
everything. He said people could go crazy with the wonderful things in
life. And he communicated this in all of his writings, drawings and
songs. We leave you now with a song by Shel Silverstein that was a huge
hit around the world. The Irish Rovers sing “The “Unicorn.”
(MUSIC)
VOICE
TWO:
This
program was written by Chi-Un Lee and produced by Lawan Davis. Our studio
engineer was Bill Barber. This is Steve Ember.
VOICE
ONE:
And
this is Phoebe Zimmermann. Listen again next week for People in America
in VOA Special English.