Maurice Sendak’s Nutcracker
A Dark Tale of Whimsical Magic for Young & Old
Maurice Sendak is best known as the author and illustrator of children’s books such as “Where the Wild Things Are.” His fantasy is playful yet psychologically astute. In “The Nutcracker” — the classic children’s tale by E.T.A. Hoffmann — Sendak contributes an illustrated edition with artwork that amplifies Hoffmann’s dark fairy-tale and translator Ralph Manheim upholds the original’s passionate tone.
Sendak’s illustrations grab the reader from page one. There is no shying away from the weird, the haunting or the slightly unsettling. The snarling Mouse Queen. The dolls with their unquiet eyes. Hoffmann’s story is wondrous and at the same time, unnerving. This makes it a tale readers remember. Sendak’s art helps young and old readers see and feel both wonder and unease woven into one.
Reimagined Nutcracker On The Page
Sendak was a set and costume designer for Pacific Northwest Ballet’s wildly successful production of “The Nutcracker.” It debuted in Seattle in December 1983, but it was markedly different from most Nutcracker productions at the time. Sendak embraced the original Hoffmann themes, incorporating the darker elements that had been removed in family-friendly, sanitized versions. The illustrations in this edition extend that vision: provocative, poetic, atmospheric.
Illustrations That Are Daring; A Tale That Is Bold
Sendak is an interpreter as well as an illustrator. He evokes childhood fear in a chilling scene in which Madam Mouserinks is looming over a cowering Princess Pirlipat. Sendak also goes out of his way to position children as the heroes of the tale. “I like kids to be heroes… you want to remind them that they have courage”, he states. Story and image reinforce the idea of children — with all their courage and imagination — as the victors.
A True Homage to Hoffmann’s Original Nutcracker
This book restores Hoffmann’s complete original story, offering a fuller, darker, more complex version of “The Nutcracker” than the simplified ballet version. Sendak’s distinctive style illuminates the old fairy tale anew. The “New York Times Book Review” stated, “this is a classic, new and complete.” The edition is an equally engaging introduction to Hoffmann’s tale as it is to Sendak’s art.
Sendak’s edition brings to life Hoffmann’s timeless classic with audacious art and an emotional range to match. The edition grasps Hoffmann’s darkness, wonder, and layered emotion, which make the original so memorable. Whether your taste is for fairy-tale magic, Sendak’s particular brand of whimsy, or Hoffmann’s riveting original tale, this edition will not disappoint.