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Paul Zindel

May 16, 2023

Paul Zindel Jr. (May 15, 1936 – March 27, 2003) was an American playwright, young adult novelist, and educator.

Paul Zindel
Born(1936-05-15)May 15, 1936
Tottenville, Staten Island, United States
DiedMarch 27, 2003(2003-03-27) (aged 66)
New York City, United States
OccupationWriter
GenreDrama, novels, screenplays
Notable worksThe Pigman
Notable awardsPulitzer Prize for Drama
1971
Margaret Edwards Award
2002
Spouse
Bonnie Hildebrand
​
​
(m. 1973; div. 1998)​

Early life

Zindel was born in Tottenville, Staten Island, New York, to Paul Zindel Sr., a policeman, and Betty Zindel, a nurse; his sister, Betty (Zindel) Hagen, was a year and a half older than him. Paul Zindel Sr. ran away with his mistress when Zindel was two, leaving the trio to move around Staten Island, living in various houses and apartments.

Zindel wrote his first play in high school. Throughout his teen years, he wrote plays, though he trained as a chemist at Wagner College and spent six months working at Allied Chemical as a chemical writer after graduating. Zindel took a creative-writing course with the playwright Edward Albee while he was an undergraduate. Albee became his mentor and was an advocate for Zindel. He later quit and worked as a high-school Chemistry and Physics teacher at Tottenville High School on Staten Island for ten years. Zindel seemed to gravitate toward behavior that allowed him to observe the reactions of others in strange situations: Olen Soifer, visiting with his father Dave, who was the long-time lab technician at the high school, remembers seeing Zindel wearing black shoes with the front of one cut off, such that his white-socked toes could not be missed sticking out of the shoe.

Career

In 1964, he wrote The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, his first and most successful play. The play ran off-Broadway in 1970, and on Broadway in 1971, and he received the 1971 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the work. However, this play also received criticism for being too elliptical or too difficult to understand. Still, it was also made into a 1972 movie by 20th Century Fox, directed by Paul Newman and starring his wife Joanne Woodward. Soon thereafter, Charlotte Zolotow, a vice-president at Harper & Row, contacted him about writing for her publishing house.

Zindel wrote a total of 53 books, all but one of them aimed at children or teens. Many were set in his home town of Staten Island. They tended to be semi-autobiographical, focusing on teenage misfits with abusive or neglectful parents. Zindel himself grew up in a single-parent household; his mother worked at various occupations: hat-check girl, shipyard worker, dog breeder, hot-dog vendor, and finally, licensed practical nurse, often boarding terminally ill patients at their home.[1] They moved frequently, and his mother often engaged in "get-rich-quick" schemes that did not succeed. His father abandoned them early in his life.[2] This upbringing was most closely depicted in Confessions of a Teenage Baboon.

Despite the often dark subject matter of his books, which deal with loneliness, loss, and the effects of abuse, they are also filled with humor. Many of his novels have zany titles, such as My Darling, My Hamburger, Pardon Me, You're Stepping on My Eyeball! or Confessions of a Teenage Baboon. My Darling, My Hamburger specifically deals with teen sexuality, abuse within the home, teen pregnancy, and abortion.

The Pigman, first published in 1968, deals with love and finding friends in odd places. It is widely taught in American schools and made it onto the list of most frequently banned books in America in the 1990s; for example, Plano, Texas parents complained of offensive language and sexual themes.[3] Zindel stated that "I ignore critics usually. I believe the perfect story is a dream."

Zindel received the annual Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 2002, recognizing his cumulative "significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature". The jury cited five works said to be published 1968 to 1993: The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds; My Darling, My Hamburger; and the Pigman trilogy.[4] The citation called The Pigman "one of the first authentic young adult novels" and the panel chair observed that "Paul Zindel knows and understands the reality young adults deal with day-to-day ... He has the ability to depict young adults in an honest and realistic way. The characters he developed nearly 40 years ago still speak to today's teens."[4]

Beginning with Loch in 1994, Zindel wrote numerous speculative fiction novels for children or young adults, mainly in the horror genre.

Zindel also worked in Hollywood, writing the screenplays for, among other titles, Up the Sandbox and Mame.

Personal life and death

Zindel was married to Bonnie Hildebrand from 1973, divorcing her in 1998. They had two children; novelist Lizabeth Zindel, and son David, a publisher.

A resident of Montague Township, New Jersey,[5] Zindel died in New York City from lung cancer in 2003, at the Jacob Perlow Hospice in Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan. He is buried in Moravian Cemetery, Staten Island.

Works

Plays

Novels

The Zone Unknown

  • Loch, New York: HarperCollins, 1994.
  • The Doom Stone, New York: HarperCollins, 1995.
  • Raptor, New York: Hyperion, 1998.
  • Rats, New York: Hyperion, 1999.
  • Reef of Death, New York: HarperCollins, 1998.
  • Night of the Bat, New York: Hyperion, 2001.
  • The Gadget, New York: HarperCollins, 2001.

P.C. Hawke Mysteries

  • The Scream Museum, New York: Hyperion, 2001.
  • The Surfing Corpse, New York: Hyperion, 2001.
  • The E-Mail Murders, New York: Hyperion, 2001.
  • The Lethal Gorilla, New York: Hyperion, 2001.
  • The Square Root of Murder, 2002.
  • Death on the Amazon, 2002.
  • The Gourmet Zombie, 2002.
  • The Phantom of 86th Street, 2002.
  • Harry and Hortense at Hormone High, New York: Harper, 1985.

The Wacky Facts Lunch Bunch

  • Attack of the Killer Fishsticks, New York: Bantam, 1993.
  • Fifth Grade Safari, New York: Bantam, 1992.
  • Fright Party, New York: Bantam, 1993.
  • One Hundred Percent Laugh Riot, New York: Bantam, 1994.

The Pigman Trilogy

Other novels

  • My Darling, My Hamburger, New York: Harper, 1969. ‡
  • I Never Loved Your Mind, New York: Harper, 1970.
  • I Love My Mother, New York: Harper, 1975.
  • Pardon Me, You're Stepping on My Eyeball!, New York: Harper, 1976.
  • Confessions of a Teenage Baboon, New York: Harper, 1977.
  • The Undertaker's Gone Bananas, New York: Harper, 1978.
  • A Star for the Latecomer (with Bonnie Zindel), New York: Harper, 1980.
  • The Girl Who Wanted a Boy, New York: Harper, 1981.
  • To Take a Dare (with Crescent Dragonwagon), New York: Harper, 1982.
  • When a Darkness Falls Bantam Books, 1984.
  • The Amazing and Death-Defying Diary of Eugene Dingman, New York: Harper, 1987.
  • A Begonia for Miss Applebaum, New York: Harper, 1989.
  • David & Della, New York: HarperCollins, 1993.
  • Club de collecionistas de noticias
  • The Houdini Whodunit, 2002.
  • Death by CD, 2003.
  • The Petrified Parrot, 2003.
  • Camp Megadeath, 2003.

(‡) The Young Adult Library Services Association cited five books when Zindel won the 2002 Edwards Award.[4]

Short stories

Screenplays

See also

References

  1. ^ Pamphlet for Lyons, Christine (1979). Paul Zindel: Marigolds & Hamburgers, Eyeballs & Baboons (filmstrip). Logan, Iowa: The Perfection Form Company.
  2. ^ Zindel, Paul (Fall 1994). "Journey To Meet the Pigman". The ALAN Review. 22. doi:10.21061/alan.v22i1.a.1.
  3. ^ "The Pigman". Banned Books Project. Solonor's Inkwell (solonor.com). September 21, 2003. Retrieved December 19, 2008. Database entry evidently for a complaint by Plano Parents Rights Council (no date).
  4. ^ a b c "2002 Margaret A. Edwards Award Winner". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). American Library Association (ALA).
      "Edwards Award". YALSA. ALA. Retrieved 2013-10-10.
  5. ^ Gavin, John A. "Workshops on words give clue to future", The Record, March 3, 2000. Accessed January 6, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "Paul Zindel, a Pulitzer Prize winner whose novels were required reading for students, gave guidance on how to develop the plot of a mystery.... Zindel, who lives in Montague in Sussex County and teaches part time at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, told students some of the secrets of good writing and recommended books that could sharpen their skills."
  6. ^ Amulets Against the Dragon Forces November 20, 2015, at the Wayback Machine lortel.org, accessed November 20, 2015

External links

 
Wikiquote has quotations related to Paul Zindel.

May 16, 2023
paul, zindel, 1936, march, 2003, american, playwright, young, adult, novelist, educator, born, 1936, 1936tottenville, staten, island, united, statesdiedmarch, 2003, 2003, aged, york, city, united, statesoccupationwritergenredrama, novels, screenplaysnotable, w. Paul Zindel Jr May 15 1936 March 27 2003 was an American playwright young adult novelist and educator Paul ZindelBorn 1936 05 15 May 15 1936Tottenville Staten Island United StatesDiedMarch 27 2003 2003 03 27 aged 66 New York City United StatesOccupationWriterGenreDrama novels screenplaysNotable worksThe PigmanNotable awardsPulitzer Prize for Drama 1971 Margaret Edwards Award 2002SpouseBonnie Hildebrand m 1973 div 1998 wbr Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Personal life and death 4 Works 4 1 Plays 4 2 Novels 4 2 1 The Zone Unknown 4 2 2 P C Hawke Mysteries 4 2 3 The Wacky Facts Lunch Bunch 4 2 4 The Pigman Trilogy 4 2 5 Other novels 4 3 Short stories 4 4 Screenplays 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksEarly life EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed June 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message Zindel was born in Tottenville Staten Island New York to Paul Zindel Sr a policeman and Betty Zindel a nurse his sister Betty Zindel Hagen was a year and a half older than him Paul Zindel Sr ran away with his mistress when Zindel was two leaving the trio to move around Staten Island living in various houses and apartments Zindel wrote his first play in high school Throughout his teen years he wrote plays though he trained as a chemist at Wagner College and spent six months working at Allied Chemical as a chemical writer after graduating Zindel took a creative writing course with the playwright Edward Albee while he was an undergraduate Albee became his mentor and was an advocate for Zindel He later quit and worked as a high school Chemistry and Physics teacher at Tottenville High School on Staten Island for ten years Zindel seemed to gravitate toward behavior that allowed him to observe the reactions of others in strange situations Olen Soifer visiting with his father Dave who was the long time lab technician at the high school remembers seeing Zindel wearing black shoes with the front of one cut off such that his white socked toes could not be missed sticking out of the shoe Career EditIn 1964 he wrote The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man in the Moon Marigolds his first and most successful play The play ran off Broadway in 1970 and on Broadway in 1971 and he received the 1971 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the work However this play also received criticism for being too elliptical or too difficult to understand Still it was also made into a 1972 movie by 20th Century Fox directed by Paul Newman and starring his wife Joanne Woodward Soon thereafter Charlotte Zolotow a vice president at Harper amp Row contacted him about writing for her publishing house Zindel wrote a total of 53 books all but one of them aimed at children or teens Many were set in his home town of Staten Island They tended to be semi autobiographical focusing on teenage misfits with abusive or neglectful parents Zindel himself grew up in a single parent household his mother worked at various occupations hat check girl shipyard worker dog breeder hot dog vendor and finally licensed practical nurse often boarding terminally ill patients at their home 1 They moved frequently and his mother often engaged in get rich quick schemes that did not succeed His father abandoned them early in his life 2 This upbringing was most closely depicted in Confessions of a Teenage Baboon Despite the often dark subject matter of his books which deal with loneliness loss and the effects of abuse they are also filled with humor Many of his novels have zany titles such as My Darling My Hamburger Pardon Me You re Stepping on My Eyeball or Confessions of a Teenage Baboon My Darling My Hamburger specifically deals with teen sexuality abuse within the home teen pregnancy and abortion The Pigman first published in 1968 deals with love and finding friends in odd places It is widely taught in American schools and made it onto the list of most frequently banned books in America in the 1990s for example Plano Texas parents complained of offensive language and sexual themes 3 Zindel stated that I ignore critics usually I believe the perfect story is a dream Zindel received the annual Margaret A Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 2002 recognizing his cumulative significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature The jury cited five works said to be published 1968 to 1993 The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man in the Moon Marigolds My Darling My Hamburger and the Pigman trilogy 4 The citation called The Pigman one of the first authentic young adult novels and the panel chair observed that Paul Zindel knows and understands the reality young adults deal with day to day He has the ability to depict young adults in an honest and realistic way The characters he developed nearly 40 years ago still speak to today s teens 4 Beginning with Loch in 1994 Zindel wrote numerous speculative fiction novels for children or young adults mainly in the horror genre Zindel also worked in Hollywood writing the screenplays for among other titles Up the Sandbox and Mame Personal life and death EditZindel was married to Bonnie Hildebrand from 1973 divorcing her in 1998 They had two children novelist Lizabeth Zindel and son David a publisher A resident of Montague Township New Jersey 5 Zindel died in New York City from lung cancer in 2003 at the Jacob Perlow Hospice in Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan He is buried in Moravian Cemetery Staten Island Works EditPlays Edit The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man in the Moon Marigolds 1964 The Ladies Should Be in Bed And Miss Reardon Drinks A Little 1967 Let Me Hear You Whisper 1969 The Secret Affairs of Mildred Wild 1972 Every 17 Minutes the Crowd Goes Crazy Ladies at the Alamo 1977 Amulets Against the Dragon Forces 1989 6 Novels Edit The Zone Unknown Edit Loch New York HarperCollins 1994 The Doom Stone New York HarperCollins 1995 Raptor New York Hyperion 1998 Rats New York Hyperion 1999 Reef of Death New York HarperCollins 1998 Night of the Bat New York Hyperion 2001 The Gadget New York HarperCollins 2001 P C Hawke Mysteries Edit The Scream Museum New York Hyperion 2001 The Surfing Corpse New York Hyperion 2001 The E Mail Murders New York Hyperion 2001 The Lethal Gorilla New York Hyperion 2001 The Square Root of Murder 2002 Death on the Amazon 2002 The Gourmet Zombie 2002 The Phantom of 86th Street 2002 Harry and Hortense at Hormone High New York Harper 1985 The Wacky Facts Lunch Bunch Edit Attack of the Killer Fishsticks New York Bantam 1993 Fifth Grade Safari New York Bantam 1992 Fright Party New York Bantam 1993 One Hundred Percent Laugh Riot New York Bantam 1994 The Pigman Trilogy Edit The Pigman New York Harper 1968 The Pigman s Legacy New York Harper 1981 The Pigman amp Me New York HarperCollins 1992 Other novels Edit My Darling My Hamburger New York Harper 1969 I Never Loved Your Mind New York Harper 1970 I Love My Mother New York Harper 1975 Pardon Me You re Stepping on My Eyeball New York Harper 1976 Confessions of a Teenage Baboon New York Harper 1977 The Undertaker s Gone Bananas New York Harper 1978 A Star for the Latecomer with Bonnie Zindel New York Harper 1980 The Girl Who Wanted a Boy New York Harper 1981 To Take a Dare with Crescent Dragonwagon New York Harper 1982 When a Darkness Falls Bantam Books 1984 The Amazing and Death Defying Diary of Eugene Dingman New York Harper 1987 A Begonia for Miss Applebaum New York Harper 1989 David amp Della New York HarperCollins 1993 Club de collecionistas de noticias The Houdini Whodunit 2002 Death by CD 2003 The Petrified Parrot 2003 Camp Megadeath 2003 The Young Adult Library Services Association cited five books when Zindel won the 2002 Edwards Award 4 Short stories Edit Love amp Centipedes 1999 Also included in Places I Never Meant to Be by Judy Blume Rachel s Vampire 2001 Also included in Lost and Found by Joan AbeloveScreenplays Edit Let Me Hear You Whisper 1969 television movie based on his play Up the Sandbox 1972 movie with Barbra Streisand and David Selby Mame 1974 musical film starring Lucille Ball based on the stage musical of the same name Maria s Lovers 1984 film with Nastassja Kinski John Savage and Robert Mitchum Runaway Train 1985 film starring Jon Voight Eric Roberts and Rebecca De Mornay nominated for three Academy Awards Alice in Wonderland 1985 television movie with an all star cast Babes in Toyland 1986 television adaptation of the film starring Keanu Reeves and Drew Barrymore A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur s Court 1989 television adaptation of the novel by Mark Twain See also EditPortals Children s literature Speculative fiction Horror TheaterReferences Edit Pamphlet for Lyons Christine 1979 Paul Zindel Marigolds amp Hamburgers Eyeballs amp Baboons filmstrip Logan Iowa The Perfection Form Company Zindel Paul Fall 1994 Journey To Meet the Pigman The ALAN Review 22 doi 10 21061 alan v22i1 a 1 The Pigman Banned Books Project Solonor s Inkwell solonor com September 21 2003 Retrieved December 19 2008 Database entry evidently for a complaint by Plano Parents Rights Council no date a b c 2002 Margaret A Edwards Award Winner Young Adult Library Services Association YALSA American Library Association ALA Edwards Award YALSA ALA Retrieved 2013 10 10 Gavin John A Workshops on words give clue to future The Record March 3 2000 Accessed January 6 2023 via Newspapers com Paul Zindel a Pulitzer Prize winner whose novels were required reading for students gave guidance on how to develop the plot of a mystery Zindel who lives in Montague in Sussex County and teaches part time at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles told students some of the secrets of good writing and recommended books that could sharpen their skills Amulets Against the Dragon Forces Archived November 20 2015 at the Wayback Machine lortel org accessed November 20 2015External links Edit Wikiquote has quotations related to Paul Zindel Official website Paul Zindel at the Internet Broadway Database Paul Zindel at IMDb Paul Zindel at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database Paul Zindel at Library of Congress Authorities with 64 catalog records Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Paul Zindel amp oldid 1149268279, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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