R.I.P. Jan Wahl, 87, ("The Furious Flycycle," 1968)

[leno...@yahoo.com]

He lived in Toledo, Ohio and died on Jan. 27th.

I'd always thought he was born in 1933!

https://www.toledoblade.com/news/deaths/2019/02/01/toledo-blade-obituaries-jan-wahl-childrens-author/stories/20190131162
(with photo)

First half:

Jan Wahl, whose award-winning books for children were read and read again, silently and aloud, starting with his first in 1964, Pleasant Fieldmouse, died Tuesday in Heartland at ProMedica Flower Hospital. He was 87.

Mr. Wahl, most recently of Sylvania Township, had prostate cancer, his brother Michael Wahl said.

That first published work featured illustrations by Maurice Sendak, already acclaimed for the 1963 book, Where the Wild Things Are.

“I began at the top. It didn’t stay that way,” Mr. Wahl told The Blade in 2006. “But I did have a lovely, lovely beginning with a very fine artist.”

More than 100 of Mr. Wahl’s books were published, most of them written for young readers. Other illustrators included Norman Rockwell, Edward Gorey, Lee Lorenz, and Toledo’s Wil Clay.

“For me, when reading his work, his words also painted an illustration of the book itself,” said Benjamin Sapp, director of the Mazza Museum at the University of Findlay, which features art from children’s picture books. Mr. Wahl made presentations through the years at the Mazza museum about his own books. He also could speak with affection about other authors of children’s literature.

“The idea that he was in our own state of Ohio — just a wealth of knowledge and information,” Mr. Sapp said. “I just love his body of work and the creation he shared with those who love children’s literature.”

Mr. Wahl, who grew up in the Westmoreland neighborhood of central Toledo, continued to write. Scheduled for release Tuesday is Hedy and Her Amazing Invention, illustrated by Morgana Wallace, about Hollywood film star Hedy Lamarr and her off-screen technological innovations.

Mr. Wahl was supposed to read from the book at 2 p.m. March 2 in the Toledo Museum of Art, preceded at noon by a children’s collage and instrument-making event.

The program will continue, but “will become a celebration of his writing, and especially his new book,” said Scott Boberg, the museum’s manager of programs. “His books are amazing, and there are people around the world who have really enjoyed and loved his writing and enjoyed the work of artists who illustrated his books.

“While it’s sad news he is no longer with us,” Mr. Boberg said, “we want to celebrate what he has given to the world.”...

(snip)

https://louisebrookssociety.blogspot.com/2019/02/rip-jan-wahl-author-extraordinaire-and.html
("R.I.P. Jan Wahl - author extraordinaire and friend of Louise Brooks")

First paragraph:

With great sadness, the Louise Brooks Society marks the passing of Jan Wahl (1931-2019), author extraordinaire and friend of Louise Brooks. The Toledo Blade noted the esteemed children's author passed away on January 29 at the age of 87. (Read the Blade newspaper obit HERE.) As all fans and devotees of Louise Brooks know, Wahl and Brooks were longtime friends and correspondents. A generous, 200 page collection of letters from the actress to the author (with helpings of Wahl's commentary) can be found in Wahl's Dear Stinkpot: Letters from Louise Brooks (Bear Manor Press, 2010)...

(snip)


His last book, it seems, is "Hedy and Her Amazing Invention" - yes, THAT Hedy!

He was a Fulbright scholar in Copenhagen, from 1953-54.

From the Goodreads description of "Through a Lens Darkly":

Noted children's author Jan Wahl has led a storybook life-much of it connected to Arts and Movies. THROUGH A LENS DARKLY invites you to share personal encounters with many luminaries from the Golden Age of Entertainment. You are treated to revelations about Gloria Swanson, Isak Dinesen, Robert Mitchum, Rita Hayworth, and more. His essays will charm and mesmerize. Join him as he sheds light on the artistic contributions of lesser-known personalities like animators Hugh Harman and Rudy Ising-and legendary dancer Paul Swan. Navigating his life is truly an adventure. Journey to Denmark with him as he participates in the now classic film Ordet by the great director Carl Th. Dreyer. Come along as Jan relives a poignant twenty-year friendship with Louise Brooks. Enjoy his sense of humor as Mae West chases him out of her dressing room-and feel his shock as he almost kills Greta Garbo. You will come away from this book knowing why Jan Wahl is, as one child has put it, "America's Best Otter."

https://www.google.com/search?q=jan+wahl+books&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiWosGet6PgAhVsUN8KHeWzBuMQ_AUIECgD&biw=1920&bih=922
(book covers)

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/author/jan-wahl/
(Kirkus reviews)

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5303.Jan_Wahl
(reader reviews)

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/rec.arts.books.childrens/jan$20wahl$2080th/rec.arts.books.childrens/WpxaKJdI_FM/2FVtwcX8KVEJ
(birthday post from 2013)

First half:

Not to be confused with the female San Francisco film critic.

He has four entries in the "Something About the Author" encyclopedias. The last one was in 2002.

His first book, the 1964 “Pleasant Fieldmouse,” was illustrated by Maurice Sendak.

About "The Furious Flycycle":

"In order to rescue his uncle's family from imminent danger, Melvin Spitznagle, kid genius, puts his latest invention to the ultimate test."

His other books – nearly 120 - have been illustrated by (in chronological order), Edward Ardizzone, Adrienne Adams, Garth Williams, Uri Shulevitz, Blair Lent, Lilian Hoban, Feodor Rojankovsky, Robin Jacques, Mercer Mayer, Trina Schart Hyman, Erik Blegvad, Ray Cruz, Cyndy Szekeres, Marc Brown, James Marshall, Tomie dePaola, Lee Lorenz, Margot Tomes, Antonio Frasconi, Charles Mikolaycak, and Leonard Weisgard. For starters.

For some reason, though, the only book of his I ever read was “Cobweb Castle,” which I treasure because it’s a light, short (29 pages), and very funny anti-fairytale. (Ironically, it may also be the best Wahl book to read aloud on his birthday, when you remember what day this is!)

"Flemming Flinders, a latter-day Don Quixote who sells onions and potatoes in a greengrocery, dreams of princesses and hidden treasures. One day he leaves the greengrocery, armed only with his imagination and a kerchief on a stick in which to put his gold when he finds it, in search of his dream-world. Thus begins a series of cockeyed misadventures that will make everyone laugh."

It’s also, IMHO, a wonderful way to introduce small children to Edward Gorey’s artwork before they’re old enough to stomach Gorey’s writing.

From “Major Authors and Illustrators for Children and Young Adults”: “It was Tasha Tudor who first encouraged me, not by having read any of my little stories but rather by looking directly into my eyes and then seeing that, apparently, I had a 'spark' and the determination! 'You will be published--I'm sure of it,' she promised me; and I knew that she was telling the truth. Could Tasha Tudor ever lie? When I meet children, or grown-ups now too, who tell me that such-and-such is their favorite book among all books they have read, it is the best payment possible.”...


(snip)


Lenona.

[leno...@yahoo.com]

And here's the NY Times obit:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/08/obituaries/jan-wahl-dies.html

First half:

By Daniel E. Slotnik Feb. 8, 2019

Jan Wahl, a children’s author known for his nimble prose whose work over many decades was illustrated by eminent artists like Maurice Sendak, Norman Rockwell and Edward Gorey, died on Jan. 29 at a hospice facility near his home in Toledo, Ohio. He was 87.

His brother Rob said the cause was complications of metastatic cancer.

Mr. Wahl was an extraordinarily prolific author who published more than 100 books, many of which found favor with children and parents alike. His collaborating with leading book artists was one measure of the esteem with which his work was held; they can be notably selective about what children’s book authors they’ll work with.

His career began in 1964 with “Pleasant Fieldmouse,” a series of pastoral fables featuring anthropomorphic animals drawn by Mr. Sendak, who had published his classic “Where the Wild Things Are” the year before. Several of Mr. Wahl’s later books featured his field mouse protagonist, although none of the sequels were illustrated by Mr. Sendak.

Many of his books were lighthearted. In “Push Kitty” (1968) — illustrated by Garth Williams, known for his work on E. B. White’s “Charlotte’s Web” and “Stuart Little” — a girl dresses her disgruntled cat as a baby, then shows the cat off in a stroller.

Others took on serious issues like warfare, which Mr. Wahl addressed in “How the Children Stopped the Wars” (1969), about children who parade onto a battlefield to demand peace.

All of his books were characterized by lucid writing, which he said he honed constantly. In “Lorenzo Bear & Company” (1971), the story of a bear determined to travel to the moon, illustrated by the Chilean cartoonist Fernando Krahl, he wrote:

“Lorenzo Bear one shiny evening gazed hard at the silver full moon above. ‘If man can get there, animal can too!’ he claimed. Therefore he decided he would build the first animal rocket.”...

(snip)


And:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Wahl
(includes long, categorized booklist)


Excerpt:

...Wahl quickly developed a reputation for playful, empowering narratives with intriguing characters. Over time, his works demonstrated mastery of a wide variety of topics and styles. He gave many readings and presentations of his books as well as lecturing on writing. Hedy and Her Amazing Invention (2019); the story of actress Hedy Lamarr's co-invention of what is now known as Frequency-hopping spread spectrum is his latest publication.

Included among his other exploits was spending several months working with noted filmmaker Carl Theodor Dreyer during the filming of Ordet (The Word); the story of which Wahl recounted in the book Carl Theodore Dreyer and Ordet. Later he was the personal secretary to Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen) as she worked on what became Last Tales[1]. He was also involved with Keith Lampe in the early days of the Yippies. In addition, he befriended actress Louise Brooks and some of his correspondence with Brooks was collected in the volume Dear Stinkpot: Letters from Louise Brooks. While in Mexico, he was an on-set script doctor (uncredited) for The Wrath of God (1972) starring Robert Mitchum and Rita Hayworth during its filming. Later, he was also an early consultant on what became Fraggle Rock.[citation needed]

In addition, Wahl was well known as a film historian and collector of films and film history related artifacts and gave lectures and presentations for numerous venues over many years. On March 15, 1996, Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio awarded Wahl the honorary degree Doctor of Letters in recognition of his continuing work in children's literature and in the history of film.[1] Around that time he began presenting introductory lectures for the Sunday Classic Film Series at the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Film Theater and Gallery at BGSU, with over one-hundred-fifty presentations to his credit there through the Spring Semester of 2018 when the series ended. Most of the programs consisted of films from his private collection...



Lenona.

[leno...@yahoo.com]

Btw, "Cobweb Castle" was where, as a kid, I first heard the expression "I will give her a piece of my mind."

Of course, I had to have it explained that that was a threat!



Lenona.