“Strength is the capacity to break a
chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands – and then eat just one of
the pieces.” – Judith Viorst
While the multi-talented Viorst has authored dozens of books, it's one in particular that has given her lasting fame - Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Her “Alexander” series is based on the escapades of her youngest son –
frozen forever at age 5 in Viorst’s clever stories. Alexander’s real life brothers Anthony and
Nick also are captured in time as Alexander’s brothers in the books.
Viorst
has written many other books for and about children, including the terrific The Tenth Good Thing About Barney, which
looks at the death of a beloved pet, and the often poignant Sad Underwear, a collection of poems
that examines a wide variety of feelings and experiences from a child's point
of view.
A journalist first, Viorst (who turned 86 on Groundhog Day) still writes often
for The New York Times and The Washington Post. Her “adult” books (and she’s written many)
often focus on her own life experiences, many with a humorous twist. When
Did I Stop Being 20 and Other Injustices and How Did I Get To Be 40 and Other Atrocities – are written in such
wonderfully universal language that they remain relevant decades after
publication, great examples of writers’ moments taken from the daily life that
swirls around every author, and just waiting to be shared.
“Everything I have ever written
about has been about what's going on inside of us,” she said. “I like to take all my feelings and thoughts
and put them down in different ways on paper.”
Share A Writer’s
Moment with a friend by clicking the g+1 button below.
No comments:
Post a Comment