Robert san souci biography

Born

October 10,

Died

December 19,

Website

Genre

Children's Books

Children’s book author Robert San Souci, known for his colorful and intelligent retellings of folktales and myths from numerous cultures, died suddenly on Friday, December 19 at his San Francisco home of a traumatic head injury incurred in a fall several days prior. He was

San Souci was born in San Francisco and attended school in the Bay Area, graduating from Saint Mary’s College in with a major in creative writing and literature. His education also included some graduate study in folklore and world religions. After college he held jobs as a bookstore manager and copy editor before making the transition to full-time children’s book author. He said in interviews that a childhood interest in storytelling and a long-held fascination with exploring exotic locales served him well as he began to adapt unusual, and sometimes obscure, tales for new audiences of children.

Among the standouts of his more than published books are The Legend of Scarface: A Blackfeet Indian Tale (Doubleday, ), his debut picture book, illustrated by his younger brother Daniel San Souci, an accomplished artist with whom Robert shared a birth date. The brothers would collaborate on 12 books over the years. The Talking Eggs: A Folktale from the American South, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney (Dial, ) was one of San Souci’s many African-American retellings and he also crafted a body of scary stories beginning with the popular collection Short and Shivery: Thirty Chilling Tales (Doubleday, ). His adaptation Fa Mulan: The Story of a Woman Warrior, illustrated by Jean and Mou-Sien Tseng (Hyperion, ), served as inspiration for the Disney animated film Mulan.

A memorial is being planned for February or March.

Robert San Souci, who was born in San Francisco, raised in Berkeley and attended college at St. Mary's College in Moraga, knew at an early age he wanted to be a writer. His award-winning books were often spirited retellings of folk tales, fairy tales, myths and legends from around the world. In an interview, he confessed to his fascination of great stories, "I think I never outgrew my love of fairy tales when I was growing up. I'd save my allowance money and buy used editions of books like The Wizard of Oz and the Rainbow Colored Fairy books. I love science fiction and ghost stories."

Among the many celebrated titles, twelve books written by San Souci and illustrated by his younger brother, Daniel San Souci, stood out as his favorites. San Souci was an American Library Association notable author whose work has also been recognized by American Bookseller and the International Reading Association. He collaborated with Daniel on two award winning LittleFolk picture books: As Luck Would Have It and Sister Tricksters. His third award winning book with August House, Zigzag was illustrated by Stefan Czernecki and named to Scholastic Parent & Child magazine’s “Best New Books”.

"When we were young, my parents always said Bob would be the writer and I'd be the artist," Daniel San Souci said in an interview. "When we graduated from college, we decided kid’s books would be the perfect medium. Our first book won awards and opened the door for us. Anytime we worked together it was special."

American children's writer (–)

Robert Daniel San Souci (October 10, – December 19, ) was an American children's book author known for his retellings of folktales for children. He often worked with his brother, Daniel San Souci, a children's book illustrator. He presented at conferences, trade shows, and in schools in the United States. According to Mary M. Burns in Horn Book, his adaptations are typified by "impeccable scholarship and a fluid storytelling style."

His version of the Chinese legend of a young woman who takes her father's place in war, posing as a man to fight the Tartars and winning the battle, was the basis for the Disney film Mulan; he wrote the story for the film. His produced primarily picture books, which were often retellings of folklore, but he also contributed original works to the horror and fantasy genres as well as creating non-fiction works aimed at children and adults. He was a regular contributor to a number of magazines, including Cobblestone, Faces, Calliope, and Appleseeds.

Life and career

Robert D. San Souci was born in San Francisco and raised nearby in Berkeley.

In elementary school, San Souci wrote for the school newspaper; in high school, he worked on the school yearbook and had an essay printed in a book titled T.V. as Art. As a student at St. Mary's College, he took a variety of classes in creative writing, English and world literature. In graduate school, he studied folklore, myths and world religions.

San Souci adapted folktales into the titles The Samurai's Daughter, The Enchanted Tapestry, The Talking Eggs, Sukey and the Mermaid, Cut from the Same Cloth, The Hired Hand, A Weave of Words, and the Caldecott Honor book The Faithful Friend. He also produced the Short and Shivery and Dare to Be Scared series, an Arthurian sequence, and retellings of Native American myths, most o