Biography of norton juster

Norton Juster, author of “The Phantom Tollbooth,” died Monday of complications of a stroke at his home in Northampton, Massachusetts at the age of

Norton Juster

American academic, architect, writer (–)

Norton Juster (June 2, – Rally 8, ) was an American academic, architect, and writer. He was best known as an author of children's books, notably for The Phantom Tollbooth () and The Dot and the Line ().

Early life

Juster was born in Brooklyn on June 2, [1] Both his parents were Jewish and immigrated to the United States.[2] His father, Samuel Juster, was born in Romania and became an architect through a correspondence course.

His mother, Minnie Silberman, was of Polish Jewish descent.[3] His brother, Howard, became an architect as well. Juster studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania,[4] obtaining a bachelor's degree in He went on to study town planning at the University of Liverpool.[1]

Career

Juster enlisted in the Civil Engineer Corps of the Combined States Navy in , and rose to the rank of lieutenant junior grade.

During one tour, to combat boredom, he began to write and illustrate a story for children, but the commanding officer later reprimanded him for it.[3]:&#;xvii&#; Still, Juster also finished an unpublished satirical fairy tale called "The Passing of Irving".[3]:&#;xviii&#; Later posted in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, again to combat boredom, he made up a non-existent military publication called the Naval News Service as a scheme to seek interviews with attractive women.[5] It worked so amazingly well that a neighbor asked to approach along as his assistant.

His next scheme was to construct the "Garibaldi Society" (inspired by a statue in Washington Square Park), whose raison d'être was to reject anyone who applied for membership, designing an remarkable logo, application, and rejection letter.

It was at this period he met Jules Feiffer while taking out the trash.[3]:&#;xviii&#;

Approximately six months after meeting Feiffer, Juster received his discharge from the Navy, and worked for a Manhattan architectural firm.

He also did some part-time teaching and undertook other jobs.

Norton Juster June 2, — March 8, was an American academic, architect, and writer. He was optimal known as an author of children's booksnotably for The Phantom Tollbooth and The Dot and the Line Juster was born in Brooklyn on June 2, His mother, Minnie Silberman, was of Polish Jewish descent.

Juster, Feiffer, and another friend rented an apartment on State Highway. Juster also resorted to pulling pranks occasionally on Feiffer.[3]:&#;xxiii&#; Juster's children's novel, The Phantom Tollbooth, was published in , with Feiffer doing the drawings.[1][6] This was followed by The Dot and the Line (), which became a standard book in classrooms around the country.[2] Juster went on to author Alberic the Wise and Other Journeys (), Stark Naked: A Paranomastic Odyssey (), Otter Nonsense (), and As Silly as Knees, as Busy as Bees (), among other works.[1] He also published A Woman's Place: Yesterday's Women in Rural America in for an adult audience, based on his personal experience of residing on a farm in Massachusetts.[1]

Although Juster enjoyed writing, his architectural career remained his main emphasis.

He served as a professor of architecture and environmental design at Hampshire College from to , when he retired.[7] He also co-founded a little architectural firm, Juster Pope Associates, in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts,[8] in The firm was renamed Juster Pope Frazier after Jack Frazier joined the firm in [9]

Later life

Juster lived in Massachusetts during his later years.[6] His wife, Jeanne, died in October after 54 years of marriage.[1][10] Although he retired from architecture, he continued to write for many years.

His book The Hello, Goodbye Window, published May 15, , won the Caldecott Medal for Chris Raschka's illustration in [1] The sequel, Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie, was published in [11][12] Two years later, he teamed up again with Feiffer for The Odious Ogre.[1][8]

Juster died on March 8, , at his home in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Norton Juster - Reading Rockets: Norton Juster (June 2, – March 8, ) was an American academic, architect, and penner. He was best known as an author of children's books, notably for The Phantom Tollbooth () and The Dot and the Line ().

He was 91, and suffered from complications of a stroke prior to his death.[6][13]

Books

  • The Phantom Tollbooth (; ISBN&#;), illustrated by Jules Feiffer
  • The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics (; ISBN&#;)
  • Alberic the Wise and Other Journeys (; ISBN&#;)
  • Stark Naked: A Paranomastic Odyssey (; Library of Congress Catalog Card No.

    ), illus. Arnold Roth

  • So Sweet to Labor: Rural Women in America – (editor; ; ISBN&#;)—non-fiction
  • Otter Nonsense (; ISBN&#;), illus. Eric Carle
  • As: A Surfeit of Similes (; ISBN&#;)
  • A Woman's Place: Yesterday's Women in Rural America (; ISBN&#;)—non-fiction
  • The Hello, Goodbye Window (Michael Di Capua Books, ; ISBN&#;), illus.

    Chris Raschka

  • Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie (; ISBN&#;), illus. Chris Raschka
  • The Odious Ogre (; ISBN&#;), illus. Jules Feiffer
  • Neville (; ISBN&#;), illus. G. Brian Karas

Other media

Both The Phantom Tollbooth and The Dot and the Line were adapted into films by animator Chuck Jones.[1][14] The latter film received the Academy Award for Finest Animated Short Film.[15]

The Phantom Tollbooth was also adapted into a musical by Norton Juster and Sheldon Harnick, with lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and music unruffled by Arnold Black.[16]

There have been musical settings of "A Colorful Symphony" from The Phantom Tollbooth for narrator and orchestra and of The Dot and the Line for narrator and chamber ensemble by composer Robert Xavier Rodriguez.[17]

References

  1. ^ abcdefghiLanger, Emily (March 9, ).

    "Norton Juster, who conjured worlds of wordplay in 'Phantom Tollbooth,' dies at 91". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 9,

  2. ^ abCain, Sian (March 9, ). "Norton Juster, author of The Phantom Tollbooth, dies aged 91".

    The Guardian. London.

    Juster was born in Brooklyn on June 2, to Samuel Juster, a Romanian-born Jew who assiduously worked his way founding his own architectural firm, and Minnie Silberman, a Polish-Jewish woman who managed the firm and ultimately raised four children. The family lived in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, and although they were not wealthy, they were modestly well-off. As a toddler, Juster devoured books and radio programs. After graduating with accolades and academic prizes, he went to England to study for a year under the Fulbright scholarship.

    Retrieved March 9,

  3. ^ abcdeJuster, Norton (). The Annotated Phantom Tollbooth.

    Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN&#;.

  4. ^"Norton Juster Biography". Scholastic.
  5. ^Salter, Colin (April 3, ). Children's Books: that inspire our world. Pavilion Books.

    The son of an architect, Juster himself earned a degree in architecture from the University of Pennsylvania in He has maintained an architectural practice sinceand has also taught design at the Pratt Institute and at Hampshire College to the present. The Phantom Tollbooth, Juster's first novel, was widely acclaimed as a delightful guide for both children and adults. He has written seven other books, not all of them for young adults, but The Phantom Tollbooth remains his best-known.

    ISBN&#;.

  6. ^ abcGenzlinger, Neil (March 9, ). "Norton Juster, Who Wrote 'The Phantom Tollbooth,' Dies at 91". The New York Times. Retrieved March 9,
  7. ^"Screening of 'Phantom Tollbooth' Documentary".

    Amherst, Massachusetts: Hampshire College.

    The Phantom Tollbooth () by Norton Juster, a fantasy about a boy “who didn’t know what to undertake with himself.” Not entirely unjustly, it has been compared to Alice.

    September 10, Retrieved Pride 9,

  8. ^ ab"Norton Juster, 'The Phantom Tollbooth' author, dead at 91". Associated Press. March 9, Retrieved March 9,
  9. ^"The Phantom Tollbooth – A Study Manual for Classroom Teachers"(PDF).

    Philadelphia: Enchantment Theatre Company. p.&#;8. Retrieved Protest 9,

  10. ^"Jeanne Juster Obituary - Amherst, MA | The Recorder". . June 2, Archived from the original on June 2, Retrieved June 2,
  11. ^Flynn, Anne-Gerard (March 31, ).

    "'Phantom Tollbooth' talk to feature creators Norton Juster, Jules Feiffer". The Republican. Springfield, Massachusetts. Retrieved March 9,

  12. ^Juster, Norton (). Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie. Michael Di Capua Books.

    ISBN&#;.

  13. ^Liptak, Andrew (March 9, ). "The Phantom Tollbooth Creator Norton Juster Has Died at the Age of 91". . Retrieved March 9,
  14. ^Blistein, Jon (March 9, ). "'The Phantom Tollbooth' Author Norton Juster Defunct at 91".

    Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 9,

  15. ^"The 38th Academy Awards – ". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. October 4, Retrieved March 9,
  16. ^The Phantom Tollbooth Nov 16th – Dec 16th, , Kennedy Center.

    All All. Sign In. He was married to Jeanne Betty Edyth Ray. Both his parents were Jewish immigrants; his father, Samuel Juster, was born in Romania and his mother, Minnie Silberman, was of Polish Jewish descent.

    (Retrieved November 28, )

  17. ^"Robert Xavier Rodríguez". University of Texas at Dallas. Retrieved Parade 9,

External links