Norton Juster
Encyclopedia
Norton Juster is an American architect
and author
. He is best known as an author of children's books
, including The Phantom Tollbooth
and The Dot and the Line
.
. His father was an architect, and Juster's brother became an architect as well. Juster served with the United States Navy
before also becoming an architect; he studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania.
Juster wrote the The Phantom Tollbooth
in the early 1960s while living in Brooklyn. Jules Feiffer
, a neighbor of Juster's, did the illustrations.
Although Juster enjoyed writing, his architectural career remained his primary emphasis. He served as a professor of architecture
and environmental design
at Hampshire College
from its first trimester in 1970 until his retirement in 1992.
Juster co-founded a small architectural firm, Juster Pope Associates, in Shelburne Falls
, Massachusetts
, in 1970. The firm was renamed Juster Pope Frazier after Jack Frazier joined the firm in 1978.
Juster currently lives in Amherst, Massachusetts
with his wife, Jeanne. Although he has retired from architecture, he still writes. His book The Hello, Goodbye Window
, published May 15, 2005, won the Caldecott Medal
for Chris Raschka's
illustration in 2006. The sequel, Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie, was published in 2008.
. The latter film received the 1965 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
The Phantom Tollbooth was also adapted into a musical
by Norton Juster and Sheldon Harnick
, with lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and music composed by Arnold Black.
There have been musical settings of a "A Colorful Symphony" from The Phantom Tollbooth for narrator and orchestra and of The Dot and the Line for narrator and chamber ensemble by composer Robert Xavier Rodriguez
.
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. He is best known as an author of children's books
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
, including The Phantom Tollbooth
The Phantom Tollbooth
The Phantom Tollbooth is a children's adventure novel and modern fairy tale published in 1961, written by Norton Juster and illustrated by Jules Feiffer. It tells the story of a bored young boy named Milo who unexpectedly receives a magic tollbooth one afternoon and, having nothing better to do,...
and The Dot and the Line
The Dot and the Line
The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics is a book written and illustrated by Norton Juster, first published by Random House in 1963. The story was inspired by Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions...
.
Biography
Juster was born in Brooklyn, New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. His father was an architect, and Juster's brother became an architect as well. Juster served with the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
before also becoming an architect; he studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania.
Juster wrote the The Phantom Tollbooth
The Phantom Tollbooth
The Phantom Tollbooth is a children's adventure novel and modern fairy tale published in 1961, written by Norton Juster and illustrated by Jules Feiffer. It tells the story of a bored young boy named Milo who unexpectedly receives a magic tollbooth one afternoon and, having nothing better to do,...
in the early 1960s while living in Brooklyn. Jules Feiffer
Jules Feiffer
Jules Ralph Feiffer is an American syndicated cartoonist, most notable for his long-run comic strip titled Feiffer. He has created more than 35 books, plays and screenplays...
, a neighbor of Juster's, did the illustrations.
Although Juster enjoyed writing, his architectural career remained his primary emphasis. He served as a professor of architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
and environmental design
Environmental design
Environmental design is the process of addressing surrounding environmental parameters when devising plans, programs, policies, buildings, or products...
at Hampshire College
Hampshire College
Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1965 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges in the Pioneer Valley: Amherst College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and the University of Massachusetts...
from its first trimester in 1970 until his retirement in 1992.
Juster co-founded a small architectural firm, Juster Pope Associates, in Shelburne Falls
Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts
Shelburne Falls is a census-designated place in the towns of Shelburne and Buckland in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,951 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, in 1970. The firm was renamed Juster Pope Frazier after Jack Frazier joined the firm in 1978.
Juster currently lives in Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,819, making it the largest community in Hampshire County . The town is home to Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts...
with his wife, Jeanne. Although he has retired from architecture, he still writes. His book The Hello, Goodbye Window
The Hello, Goodbye Window
The Hello, Goodbye Window is a children's picture book written by Norton Juster and illustrated by Chris Raschka. Published in 2005, the book tells the story of a little girl who enjoys visiting her grandparents. Raschka won the 2006 Caldecott Medal for his illustrations....
, published May 15, 2005, won the Caldecott Medal
Caldecott Medal
The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children , a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published that year. The award was named in honor of nineteenth-century English...
for Chris Raschka's
Chris Raschka
Chris Raschka is an American author, illustrator, and violist. His Yo! Yes? was a Caldecott Honor book in 1993 but he may be most famous for his Hello, Goodbye Window, winner of the 2006 Caldecott Medal. Chris spent part of his childhood in Austria, his mother's homeland. He is a graduate of St....
illustration in 2006. The sequel, Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie, was published in 2008.
Books
- The Phantom TollboothThe Phantom TollboothThe Phantom Tollbooth is a children's adventure novel and modern fairy tale published in 1961, written by Norton Juster and illustrated by Jules Feiffer. It tells the story of a bored young boy named Milo who unexpectedly receives a magic tollbooth one afternoon and, having nothing better to do,...
(1961) (ISBN 0-394-81500-9) illustrated by Jules Feiffer - The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics (1963) (ISBN 1-58717-066-3)
- Alberic the Wise and Other Journeys (1965) (ISBN 0-88708-243-2)
- Stark Naked: A Paranomastic OdysseyStark Naked: A Paranomastic OdysseyStark Naked is a book of humor written by Norton Juster, an American architect and author. It was published by Random House in 1969, Library of Congress Control Number 71-85568. It is currently out of print. The illustrator was Arnold Roth. The book is a series of names, each of which is play on...
(1969) (Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 71-85568)— illustrated by Arnold RothArnold RothArnold Roth is an American freelance cartoonist and illustrator for advertisements, album covers, books, magazines and newspapers.Novelist John Updike wrote, "All cartoonists are geniuses, but Arnold Roth is especially so."... - So Sweet to Labor: Rural Women in America 1865-1895 (editorEditingEditing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
) (1979) (ISBN 0-670-65483-3) — non-fiction - Otter Nonsense (1982) (ISBN 0-399-20932-8) — illustrated by Eric CarleEric CarleEric Carle is a children's book author and illustrator who is most famous for his book The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which has been translated into over 50 languages...
- As: A Surfeit of Similes (1989) (ISBN 0-688-08139-8)
- A Woman's Place: Yesterday's Women in Rural America (1996) (ISBN 1-55591-250-8) — non-fiction
- The Hello, Goodbye WindowThe Hello, Goodbye WindowThe Hello, Goodbye Window is a children's picture book written by Norton Juster and illustrated by Chris Raschka. Published in 2005, the book tells the story of a little girl who enjoys visiting her grandparents. Raschka won the 2006 Caldecott Medal for his illustrations....
(2005) (ISBN 0-7868-0914-0) — illustrated by Chris RaschkaChris RaschkaChris Raschka is an American author, illustrator, and violist. His Yo! Yes? was a Caldecott Honor book in 1993 but he may be most famous for his Hello, Goodbye Window, winner of the 2006 Caldecott Medal. Chris spent part of his childhood in Austria, his mother's homeland. He is a graduate of St.... - Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie (2008) (ISBN 9780439929431) - illustrated by Chris Raschka
- The Odious Ogre (2010) (ISBN 0-545-16202-5) - Illustrated by Jules FeifferJules FeifferJules Ralph Feiffer is an American syndicated cartoonist, most notable for his long-run comic strip titled Feiffer. He has created more than 35 books, plays and screenplays...
Other media
Both The Phantom Tollbooth and The Dot and the Line were adapted into films by animator Chuck JonesChuck Jones
Charles Martin "Chuck" Jones was an American animator, cartoon artist, screenwriter, producer, and director of animated films, most memorably of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts for the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio...
. The latter film received the 1965 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
The Phantom Tollbooth was also adapted into a musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
by Norton Juster and Sheldon Harnick
Sheldon Harnick
Sheldon Harnick is an American lyricist best known for his collaborations with composer Jerry Bock on hit musicals such as Fiddler on the Roof....
, with lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and music composed by Arnold Black.
There have been musical settings of a "A Colorful Symphony" from The Phantom Tollbooth for narrator and orchestra and of The Dot and the Line for narrator and chamber ensemble by composer Robert Xavier Rodriguez
Robert Xavier Rodriguez
Robert Xavier Rodríguez is an American classical composer, best known for his eight operas and his works for children.- Life and career :...
.