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Shel Silverstein

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Shel Silverstein

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Also known as Uncle Shelby, Sheldon Allan Silverstein

American poet, cartoonist, songwriter, and children's writer (1930-1999)

Person · Open Library

Works
151

Top works

  • Prentice Hall Literature--Silver
  • Prentice Hall Literature--Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes--Reader's Companion--Silver
  • The Missing Piece Meets the Big O
  • Imagine
  • Prentice Hall Literature--Bronze

via Open Library + Wikidata

Film & TV

Sound · Chicago, Illinois, USA

Sheldon Allan Silverstein (September 25, 1930 – May 10, 1999) was an American writer, poet, cartoonist, songwriter, and playwright. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Silverstein briefly attended university before being drafted into the United States Army. Though perhaps best known for his children's books, Silverstein did not limit his audience to children. During his rise to prominence in…

Known for

  • The Giving Tree — Narrator1973
  • Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? — Bernie1971
  • The Moving Finger — Party Attendee1963

via TMDB

Listeners · Last.fm

Listeners
33,316
Total plays
374,868

Tags

spoken wordfolkcomedysinger-songwriterchildren

Sheldon Alan "Shel" Silverstein (25th September 1930 – 10th May 1999) was an American poet, songwriter, musician, composer, cartoonist, screenwriter, and author of children's books. Silverstein's passion for music was clear early on as he studied for a while at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. As a songwriter, Silverstein kept a low profile but cast a long shadow. He tended to shun publicity and even photographers. <a href="https://www.last.fm/music/Shel+Silverste

via Last.fm · Shel Silverstein

Academic profile · OpenAlex

4h-index
Works
19
Cited by
126

Research areas

PoetryArtPsychologyLiteratureHistory

Most cited works

  • A Light in the Attic1981 · 55 cit
  • The Missing Piece1976 · 39 cit
  • Where the sidewalk ends: The poems & drawings of Shel Silverstein1974 · 9 cit
  • A Giraffe and a Half1964 · 5 cit
  • Runny Babbit: A Billy Sook2005 · 3 cit

via OpenAlex · CC0

Quotes

  • There's a Polar BearIn our Frigidaire -He likes it 'cause it's cold in there.
  • Once there was a tree, and she loved a little boy.
  • Once I spoke the language of the flowers,Once I understand each word the caterpillar said,Once I smiled in secret at the gossip of the starlings,And shared a conversation with the housefly in my bed.
  • When the light turns green, you go. When the light turns red, you stop. But what do you do when the light turns blue with orange and lavender spots?
  • If you have to dry the dishes (Such an awful boring chore)If you have to dry the dishes('Stead of going to the store)If you have to dry the dishesAnd you drop one on the floorMaybe they won't let youDry the dishes anymore
  • How do you do! My name is Sue! Now you gonna die!

via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA

Key facts

Born
Sheldon Allan Silverstein , ( 1930-09-25 ) September 25, 1930, Chicago , Illinois, U.S.
Died
May 10, 1999 (1999-05-10) (aged 68), Key West, Florida , U.S.
Resting place
Westlawn Cemetery , Norridge, Illinois , U.S.
Pen name
Uncle Shelby
Occupation
Author poet cartoonist songwriter playwright
Genre
Children's fiction dark comedy
Children
2 (1 deceased)
Allegiance
United States
Branch
United States Army
Service years
1949–1955
Conflicts
Korean War

via Wikipedia infobox

Official website

Welcome to Shel Silverstein - Shel Silverstein

shelsilverstein.com

Link to the official site · 4,430 chars · not written by Vinony

~26 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Sheldon Allan Silverstein (/ˈsɪlvərstiːn/; September 25, 1930 – May 10, 1999) was an American writer, cartoonist, songwriter, and musician. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Silverstein briefly attended college before being drafted into the United States Army. During his rise to prominence in the 1950s, his illustrations were published in various newspapers and magazines, including the adult-oriented Playboy. He also wrote a satirical, adult-oriented alphabet book, Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book.

As a children's author, some of his most acclaimed works include The Giving Tree, Where the Sidewalk Ends, and A Light in the Attic. His works have been translated into more than 47 languages and have sold more than 20 million copies. As a songwriter, Silverstein wrote the 1969 Johnny Cash track "A Boy Named Sue", which peaked at number 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. His songs have been recorded and popularized by a wide range of other acts including Tompall Glaser, The Irish Rovers, Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, and Marianne Faithfull. He was the recipient of two Grammy Awards, as well as nominations for both a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Shel Silverstein” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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