A Mysterious Growth in the Garden of Van Allsburg
Chris Van Allsburg is known for his mysterious style of writing. He leaves the readers always wanting more, and he has done so again in publishing The Mysteries of Harris Burdick (1984).
It all started in the 1950's with a man named Peter Wenders. Peter worked for a children's publisher. His job was to choose the stories and pictures that would eventually become a book. One evening a man named Harris Burdick entered the office of Peter Wenders to inquire about some of his stories. Harris had penned 14 stories, bringing only one picture from each. When Wenders requested to see the stories that accompanied the pictures, Harris agreed to come back with the stories the next day, leaving the pictures in the possession of Wenders.
Harris Burdick never returned.
Wenders tried to search for Burdick, but his efforts were in vain because no one ever found out what happened to the mysterious, missing man.
Thirty years later, and still no signs of Harris Burdick, Wenders contacts Chris Van Allsburg about writing stories to go with the illustrations. When Van Allsburg sees the pictures, he notices only the title and a caption for each picture. Over the years, Wenders' children had taken it upon themselves to write wonderful, creative stories to go along with each of the pictures. In the hopes of spurring imagination in young children, Chris Van Allsburg got the book published just as it is...a picture, a title, and a caption.
It all started in the 1950's with a man named Peter Wenders. Peter worked for a children's publisher. His job was to choose the stories and pictures that would eventually become a book. One evening a man named Harris Burdick entered the office of Peter Wenders to inquire about some of his stories. Harris had penned 14 stories, bringing only one picture from each. When Wenders requested to see the stories that accompanied the pictures, Harris agreed to come back with the stories the next day, leaving the pictures in the possession of Wenders.
Harris Burdick never returned.
Wenders tried to search for Burdick, but his efforts were in vain because no one ever found out what happened to the mysterious, missing man.
Thirty years later, and still no signs of Harris Burdick, Wenders contacts Chris Van Allsburg about writing stories to go with the illustrations. When Van Allsburg sees the pictures, he notices only the title and a caption for each picture. Over the years, Wenders' children had taken it upon themselves to write wonderful, creative stories to go along with each of the pictures. In the hopes of spurring imagination in young children, Chris Van Allsburg got the book published just as it is...a picture, a title, and a caption.
Below is a video clip wherein Chris Van Allsburg discusses his involvement with The Mysteries of Harris Burdick.
So, who is Harris Burdick, you ask? Is it just Chris Van Allsburg pretending to be Burdick? No one really knows, although Van Allsburg swears that the drawings are not his; that they truly belong to Harris Burdick. He even has several award winning authors swear that the book is not his, that he was merely an instrument in getting the book published. When I look into the mystery even more, through various video clips and websites, it's almost as if the entire literary world has banned together to form a club where they keep The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, a sincere mystery.
This book, and the mystery that surrounds it, is just one example of how involved one gets when reading a Van Allsburg masterpiece. This book, and the principle behind it, have taken on a life of its own. There is even a website dedicated to Harris Burdick, in which other famous authors try to predict who Harris Burdick is, as part of a funny joke. To see Lois Lowry, author of such serious title, joke about who this mysterious man is, you can't help but to laugh yourself.
Check out the "Stop and Smell the Roses" page for a link to the website dedicated solely to this amazing work of literature!
This book, and the mystery that surrounds it, is just one example of how involved one gets when reading a Van Allsburg masterpiece. This book, and the principle behind it, have taken on a life of its own. There is even a website dedicated to Harris Burdick, in which other famous authors try to predict who Harris Burdick is, as part of a funny joke. To see Lois Lowry, author of such serious title, joke about who this mysterious man is, you can't help but to laugh yourself.
Check out the "Stop and Smell the Roses" page for a link to the website dedicated solely to this amazing work of literature!