When last we called upon the erudite, ever-reliable mathematical genius Monsieur Random Integer Generator, he was feasting on veal piccata in Milan. As you can imagine, it is not easy tracking down this raconteur connoisseur globe-trotting flaneur restaurateur. Wherever he goes, people want him to pick his nose numbers and winners.
He’s always in demand. Yes, he’s that good.
And for you, dear readers, we would never settle for anything less.
So we sent him a special telegram requesting his services.
Just around then, Maira was scheduled to appear at Monticello and at Politics and Prose in Washington, D.C., and I was all set to travel three hours to Charlottesville just to see her. I’ve adored her work since the early 90’s, and it’s safe to say she’s one of my top three favorite picture book creators ever. Whether she’s chronicling the life of a President or contemplating cake, she speaks to our common humanity like no one else.
But. Her events were cancelled due to inclement weather (bad polar vortex, bad). And then when I had to rush off to Hawai’i at the end of March, I assumed if she was rescheduled I would probably miss her. Oh well.
Can’t think of a better way to celebrate the holiday than by singing the praises of Maira Kalman’s brand new picture book biography about Thomas Jefferson.
I pretty much adore everything Maira does, and I’ve been fascinated by our red-haired, violin-playing, wine-guzzling, pea-loving, Renaissance Man foodie President ever since I first visited Monticello years ago.
Her disarming conversational narrative, peppered with just the kind of offbeat detail kids love, is fueled by a contaigious enthusiasm for her subject. She begins:
Thomas Jefferson had red hair and some freckles (about 20 I think), he grew to be very tall and oh yes, he was the third President of the United States . . .
What was he interested in?
EVERYTHING.
I mean it.
EVERYTHING.
She mentions Jefferson’s love of books, music, flora and fauna, and that he could speak seven languages. She spotlights the ingenious design of his beloved Monticello,”a Museum of his Mind” with its famed vegetable garden, citing Jefferson’s advocacy of a mostly vegetarian diet. Though he lived a good life, “full of work and love,” it was tinged with sadness: his wife Martha died young and four of their six children didn’t live to adulthood.
She details Jefferson’s role as a Founding Father and author of the Declaration of Independence,brilliantly humanizing other illustrious figures like Franklin, Adams and Washington via singular details: Ben’s crazy great hat, John’s fiery temper, George’s false teeth. Then it’s all about Jefferson’s presidency (Louisiana Purchase, Lewis & Clark Expedition), before sensitively introducing the topic of slavery.
The man who said of slavery
“This ABOMINATION MUST END”
was the owner of about 150 slaves.
The MONUMENTAL MAN had MONUMENTAL FLAWS.
She tells it straight and true, and does not shy away from mentioning that Jefferson likely had children with Sally Hemings, and what a sad thing it was when people felt the need to hide their background by passing for white. Her despair over these painful issues and puzzlement over Jefferson’s hypocrisy are deftly conveyed in a way that respects young readers and will likely win their trust.
I love how Maira’s hand-lettering alternates with the standard font to highlight asides, personal thoughts and select facts. These words just brim with personality, keeping things from sounding too textbook-y, ultimately strengthening the intimate bond between author and reader.
Illuminated and expanded by vibrant and whimsical gouache paintings rendered in striking jewel-tones, Kalman’s account of Jefferson as President, scholar, statesman, architect, scientist, botanist, connoisseur, author, inventor, and plantation owner is recommended for readers of all ages who appreciate spirited storytelling and creative nonfiction infused with wit, wisdom, and the excitement of discovery.
Who better to tell about the man who was interested in “everything” than a writer and artist who herself is endlessly curious and so brilliant at curating the idiosyncratic ‘everythings’ she encounters in her own life?
If you want to understand this country and its people and what it means to be OPTIMISTIC and COMPLEX and Tragic and Wrong and Courageous, You Need to go to Monticello.
Walk around the house and the gardens.
The linden trees might be in bloom, filling the air with their delicious perfume.
Maybe you will lie down under a tree
and fall asleep thinking about
LIFE, Liberty and the Pursuit of EVERYTHING.
#8 in an eclectic collection of notable noshes to whet your appetite and brighten your day.
When I was four years old we moved away from my first home, where the family gathered for lunch each Saturday singing songs around the table. We flew over the ocean to this hard gray city, and one of the first things I smelled was onionsfrying. I FELL IN LOVE with the coffee shop. The squeak of the stool. The shine of the aluminum. The stainless steel. The griddle. The toaster. The steam that rises. The noise. The choice. The confidence. And presiding over the frenzy? An eight-armed octopus called the short-order cook whose name is Barney March. Half a yawn past dawn, Estelle the waitress throws out the orders loud and fast. “ADAM AND EVE ON A RAFT. WRECK ‘EM!” (Could I kindly havescrambled eggs on toast?) “WHISKEY DOWN WITH A STRETCH!” (Rye toastwith a Coke, please.)HE GRABS EGGS. (360 a day.) He poaches, fries,scrambles, boils soft, boils hard. He flips flapjacks. Sizzles bacon. He is the morning greeter, counter whizzer, white-apron wearer who toasts that white,rye, whole wheat,bagel, bialy. He is a hash slinger, potato masher, egg-cream whipper, onion chopper, plate stacker, burger slider. People say, “Hello, how yadoin’? Hiya. Howarya?” It’s a jazz combo.The soup slurper. The doughnutdunker. The pickle cruncher. The cash register rings. The phone rings. “CHICKEN SOUP, BOOTS!” (Chicken soup to go.) The deliveryman grabs the brown-bagged soup, dashes out past the accordion player on the corner and rings the bell of the finicky and persnickety . . .
MAIRA KALMAN RESUME
OBJECTIVE:
To pursue a career in the growing field of donut product marketing
STATEMENT:
I believe I am highly suited to this career because I’m eager to taste many kinds of fillings and I’m very curious about sprinkles.
EDUCATION:
Harvard University summa cum laude
Major: Leisure Food Technology
Minor: Beverage Management
Junior Year Abroad: Bomboli Program, Florence, Italy
Senior Thesis: “Crullers: The Myth and Meaning”
~ from Chicken Soup, Boots by Maira Kalman (Viking, 1993)
***
This tasty tidbit is brought to you by a blogger who also likes chicken soup, boots, taking naps, snacking, donuts and cafés, and who took time off from balancing an egg on its end to type this post. Still trying to figure out how to grow up to be Maira.
We agreed that reading Maira’s Max books (Max Makes a Million, Ooh-la-la (Max in Love), Max in Hollywood, Baby, Swami on Rye) pretty much changed our lives. It made her want to study children’s literature; it made me want to write stories. Safe to say that when it comes to Maira’s work, whether it’s her children’s books, NewYorker covers, or her much beloved New YorkTimes illustrated essays, most people fall madly in love.
“Easter Parade”(April 1996)
It’s rarely just, “I like Maira Kalman.” It’s usually, “I LOVE Maira Kalman,” or, “I ADORE Maira Kalman.” Few contemporary author/illustrators can provoke such a strong reaction across such a broad range of readers — both genders, all ages, ethnicities, political persuasions. Maybe it’s because she speaks to the adult in the child and the child in the adult. Or because she’s perfected the art of seamlessly blending typography with images. Maybe it’s because of all those hats and cakes!
I think it’s because her work is a candid expression of her essential self, always fresh and exciting. She chronicles what she sees, hears, and feels as she moves about the world with her own brand of sophisticated innocence. With Maira, there’s a surprise around every corner. When you read one of her pieces, you get the sense she’s creating something right there on the spot just for you. Suddenly and spontaneously, ordinary things are beautiful, you see connections between seemingly random, disparate objects, thoughts, and ideas. Her view is expansive, her energy, infectious, her humor, off-the-wall and clear through to the other side. Of course there’s also the pure unadulterated joy and hope she brings to a complicated, uncertain, troubled world. And she does it with crazy cool style and panache (and pie)!
So, Jules and I said, “Wouldn’t it be the ultimate kick to interview Maira?” Jules, who was born with an extra helping of gumption, emailed Maira but didn’t hear back. Perfectly understandable. She must receive a million such requests and like it or not, cannot accommodate everyone.
Fast forward to 2012, when Maira’s new picture book, LookingAt Lincoln, is released by Penguin. We both review it, talking again about our “dream interview.” Jules, who has friends in all the right publishing places, tries again and this time Maira says yes!
Holy Wow! After we stopped screaming, we came up with a few questions which Maira answered right away. Pinch me. I’m dreaming, right? Jules and I are cross-posting this interview at our blogs today, because if anything bears repeating, it’s Maira’s words and pictures. Stereo à la Kalman. So, gather ye Cheez Doodles, zing your rubber bands, bless Abraham Lincoln, and read on.
(Yes, of course there’s cake.)
Please help yourself.
You’ve described yourself as a five layer jelly cake, a festive moment when you’re not following the rules. What do you consider to be the five most significant milestones of your career thus far?
There were many wonderful moments. The first children’s book that I illustrated and wrote, HEY WILLY, SEE THE PYRAMIDS. It is about my family and short unconnected moments. Digressions. Which I love. And since I love short, unconnected moments, THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE and THE PRINCIPLES OF UNCERTAINTY are also very important works for me.
How challenging was it, if at all, to adapt your well-loved and well-received NYT blog post on Lincoln into the 32-page picture book form?
Lincoln presents no problems. Every story with Lincoln tells itself really well. He is Lincoln, after all.
What Pete Ate from A-Z and Smartypants (Pete in School) are hysterical. Did the real Pete regularly devour things he should not?
The dear dog Pete ate MANY things that he should not. Yes, he ate my camera. But I loved him and could not get mad.
You’ve cited Ludwig Bemelmans and Charlotte Salomon as sources of creative inspiration. What do you love most about their work, and how have they influenced you as an illustrator? Also, are there specific experiences that formed the essential basis, the fundamental building blocks, of your artistic vision? Books, movies, artists (in addition to Bemelmans and Salomon), events, images, anything else?
Bemelmans and Salomon share a sophistication and love of beauty and place. And they also have a childlike exuberance. AND they write and paint. That appeals to me.
Of course there are many influences on my work. From literary, Nabokov, to films — The Marx Brothers, to music — St. Matthew’s Passion. And then there is architecture and fashion and and and. I have a basic curiosity about things and people. And I tend to listen and look. That goes a long way. Then I have many things to write and draw. And I day dream and dream. That also helps.
We love your humorous, surprising, whimsical, elegant, free associative style. You personalize objects and imbue them with cosmic significance, approach historical subjects with childlike wonder and curiosity, captivating us with your love of humanity. How do you sustain and nurture your creative life without becoming jaded, cynical or overexposed? How do you overcome self doubt?
All of these questions are complicated. There is a lot of hope involved. And hoping for the best. And just plain doing your work. I can’t emphasize that enough. Just sitting there and doing it — persevering. being patient. and seeing the long view. I am lucky in that my mother and aunts — the women in my family — were funny and irreverent. They told wonderful stories and baked cakes and generally had an optimistic view of the world, while knowing that tragic things happened all the time. And they loved to read. Reading was highly prized. And it gets passed on. I am immensely lucky, and it would really be awful if I were jaded or cynical.
On that note, what do you, as an artist, find most challenging and satisfying in the creative processes that you employ?
The best part is the surprise. I take many walks and wander. And in that wandering so much is revealed. And I find so much clarity and inspiration. Like a journalist reporting on what I have seen. And then in the studio, to not think too much. To let the work happen and to find the unexpected. To allow mistakes to be part of it. To not get it right, but just to get it.
Food figures prominently in your work, everything from cherry pies, strawberry shortcakes, onion rings, pink ice pops, veal roasts to Cheez Doodles. Could you please explain the significance of Cheez Doodles in your family history?
I came to the U.S. when I was little, in the 1950’s. It was a very can-do time, in a can-do country. And the playfulness of products and the names really struck me. I delight in candy names and in the fun of those products. Not that I eat Cheez Doodles that often. But I know that they have a place in our world.
We love Max. Will there be any more Max books?
Maybe. Maybe.
Any projects you’re working on now that you can tell us about?
A book about Thomas Jefferson. A book about my favorite things that will be a catalog of a show I am curating for the Cooper-Hewitt Museum. Articles for various magazines. Teaching. Walking. Traveling. Many wonderful things.
What’s one thing that most people don’t know about you?
I would like to dance in a show. Or be an extra in an opera.
*
Thanks so much for visiting Alphabet Soup and 7-Imp today, Maira! When you dance in a show or appear in an opera, Jules and I will be in the front row. ☺
“Quick Question. Would you love a dog who ate your lucky quarter, the Q from your alphabet collection, your porcupine quill? Even if for the quadrillionth time you said, “Quit It. Don’t EAT that,” and he Did, would you still love that dog? Quite a lot.” ~ Maira Kalman (What Pete Ate from A-Z)
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This post is being linked to Beth Fish Read’s Weekend Cooking, where all are invited to share food-related posts (recipes, fiction, nonfiction, cookbook, movie reviews, photos, musings, etc.).
Just around then, Maira was scheduled to appear at Monticello and at Politics and Prose in Washington, D.C., and I was all set to travel three hours to Charlottesville just to see her. I’ve adored her work since the early 90’s, and it’s safe to say she’s one of my top three favorite picture book creators ever. Whether she’s chronicling the life of a President or contemplating cake, she speaks to our common humanity like no one else.
I think it’s because her work is a candid expression of her essential self, always fresh and exciting. She chronicles what she sees, hears, and feels as she moves about the world with her own brand of sophisticated innocence. With Maira, there’s a surprise around every corner. When you read one of her pieces, you get the sense she’s creating something right there on the spot just for you. Suddenly and spontaneously, ordinary things are beautiful, you see connections between seemingly random, disparate objects, thoughts, and ideas. Her view is expansive, her energy, infectious, her humor, off-the-wall and clear through to the other side. Of course there’s also the pure unadulterated joy and hope she brings to a complicated, uncertain, troubled world. And she does it with crazy cool style and panache (and pie)!
What Pete Ate from A-Z and Smartypants (Pete in School) are hysterical. Did the real Pete regularly devour things he should not?
On that note, what do you, as an artist, find most challenging and satisfying in the creative processes that you employ?
Jama's Alphabet Soup 