URI SHULEVITZ PAPERS

de Grummond Children's Literature Collection
The University of Southern Mississippi

	Creator:	Uri Shulevitz
	Title:	Uri Shulevitz Papers
	Dates:	1973-1974
	Quantity:	0.30 cubic feet (1 box)
	Identification:	DG0893

Biographical Note

Uri Shulevitz was born in Warsaw, Poland, on February 27, 1935. His family fled Poland at the start of World War II and wandered for eight years before eventually settling in Paris in 1947. Encouraged by his artistic parents, Shulevitz drew prolifically as a child and was fascinated particularly with French comic books. He moved to Israel with his family in 1949, where he worked a variety of jobs while attending high school. Shulevitz studied at the Teachers Institute and the Art Institute, both in Tel Aviv, between 1952 and 1956. He trained with the Israeli army during the Sinai War of 1956 before spending a year on a kibbutz near the Dead Sea. He performed military service and worked as a freelance artist before moving to New York City in 1959.

Shulevitz studied painting at the Brooklyn Museum Art School before taking a job as an illustrator for a publisher of Hebrew books for children, where his work was strictly regulated. He published his first self-written and -illustrated children's book, The Moon in My Room, in 1963. An inadequate speaker of English, Shulevitz told his story primarily through evocative illustrations, using only the most necessary words. His work was well received and gave him the opportunity to illustrate more books written both by himself and by others. Shulevitz's talents were recognized most significantly when he received the Caldecott Medal in 1969 for The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship: A Russian Tale adapted by Arthur Ransome.

Sources:
Something About the Author, ed. Alan Hedblad (Detroit: Gale Group, 1999), 106:179-185.

Scope and Content Note

The Uri Shulevitz Papers contain an illustration, printed material, and photographic material created by Uri Shulevitz in 1973 and 1974. Shulevitz's papers were created from his composition of two published books and from publicity generated by the publisher Farrar, Straus & Giroux. The material is organized into two series: Biographical Material and Books.

The Biographical Material Series consists of a publicity flyer and a bookmark bearing biographical information on Shulevitz. Farrar, Straus & Giroux issued both items around 1973. The Books Series contains a watercolor illustration, printed material, and photographic material for two titles: Dawn (1974) and The Fools of Chelm and Their History (1973). The papers in the Books Series are arranged alphabetically by title and the material for each book is arranged chronologically in order of creation.

Restrictions

Restrictions on Use

Noncirculating; available for research.

Copyright Restrictions

The collection is protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code). Reproductions can be made only if they are to be used for "private study, scholarship, or research." It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and to obtain all necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials, other than that noted above.

Related Material

Production material for Who Knows Ten? Children's Tales of the Ten Commandments (1965) is kept in the Molly Cone Papers (DG 0212). A galley and page proofs for The Silkspinners (1967) is kept in the Jean Russell Larson Papers (DG 0582).

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

(Identify the item), Uri Shulevitz Papers, de Grummond Children's Literature Collection, University of Southern Mississippi Libraries, (Cite the item's box/folder numbers).

Provenance

The watercolor illustration from Dawn was donated to the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection of the University of Southern Mississippi Libraries by the Bush family in July 1988. The provenance of the rest of the material is unknown.

Processing Information

Processed by Hans Rasmussen, June 2003. Encoded into EAD Version 1.0 by Danielle L. Bishop. This finding aid is the product of a grant funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Container Listing

Contact:
The de Grummond Children's Literature Collection
The University of Southern Mississippi
118 College Drive, #5148
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001
(601) 266-4349
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