Maurice Sendak: Still alive, adorably grumpy

Important clippings from a Guardian profile of the WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE author and illustrator:

• "The monsters from WILD THINGS were based on his own relatives. They would visit his house in Brooklyn when he was growing up ('All crazy – crazy faces and wild eyes') and pinch his cheeks until they were red."
• Sendak on childhood: "I refuse to cater to the bullshit of innocence."
• "If he had come from a happy home, says Sendak, he would never have become an artist, at least not the kind of artist he is."
• Sendak on work: "I have to accept my role. I will never kill myself like Vincent Van Gogh. Nor will I paint beautiful water lilies like Monet. I can't do that. I'm in the idiot role of being a kiddie book person."