Home › Entities › Human › Shel Silverstein

Shel Silverstein

American poet, cartoonist, songwriter, and children's writer (1930–1999)
Person Human Q361257
Shel Silverstein
Jerry Yulsman · Public Domain · Wikimedia

Facts

35 properties
Instance of
human
Sex or gender
male[34]
Date of birth
September 25, 1930, September 25, 1932[10]
Date of death
May 10, 1999
Place of birth
Chicago
Place of death
Key West
Country of citizenship
United States[12]
Occupation
poet, composer, writer, singer, songwriter, children's writer, film score composer, cartoonist, illustrator, actor, screenwriter, musician[14][15][16][17][18][19][20]
Field of work
young adult literature[21]
Educated at
University of Chicago, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Theodore Roosevelt High School[22][23][24]
Award received
Grammy Award for Best Country Song[33]
Notable work
Where the Sidewalk Ends, The Giving Tree, Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book, Lafcadio: The Lion Who Shot Back, Don't Bump the Glump!, Falling Up, A Light in the Attic, Runny Babbit[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32]
Genre
children's literature[35]
Official website
www.shelsilverstein.com[45]
Cause of death
myocardial infarction[40]
Nominated for
Academy Award for Best Original Song, Grammy Award for Best Country Song
Languages spoken, written or signed
English
Short name
Shel Silverstein
Copyright representative
Broadcast Music, Inc.
Copyright status as a creator
works protected by copyrights
Described by source
Iedereen Leest, Lexicon van de jeugdliteratuur
Family name
Silverstein[42]
Given name
Sheldon, Allan[43][44]
Instrument
voice
Show all 35 facts +11
Maintained by WikiProject
Wikiproject Iedereen Leest
Manner of death
natural causes[46]
Military branch
United States Army[36]
Name in native language
Sheldon Allan Silverstein
Native language
English[13]
Number of children
+2
On focus list of Wikimedia project
NADD Wikidata project
Place of burial
Westlawn Cemetery[11]
Record label
Atlantic Records, Columbia Records, Elektra[37][38][39]
Residence
Logan Square[41]
Writing language
English
🏷️ Also known as
en Sheldon Allan Silverstein en Uncle Shelby en Shel Silverstein en Sheldon Silverstein ar شيل سيلفرشتاين cs Shelby Allan Silverstein cs Allan Silverstein Sheldon da Sheldon Allan Silverstein de Sheldon Allan Silverstein es Sheldon Allan Silverstein fa شل سیلور استاین fa سیلور استاین fa شل سیلوراستاین fa شل سیلورستاین fi Sheldon Allan Silverstein fr Sheldon Allan Silverstein he של סילברסטיין hu Sheldon Allan Silverstein it Sheldon Allan Silverstein ja シェル・シルヴァスタイン
🔖 Identifiers · 188
ISNI
0000000118736778
VIAF cluster ID
19880380
Library of Congress Authorities ID
n79045309
GND ID
118765418
ACMI ID
creators/74735
Academy Awards Database nominee ID
962
Album of the Year artist ID
83133
AllMusic artist ID
mn0000020319, mn0004826190
AlloCiné person ID
54469
American Film Institute person ID
139788
American National Biography ID
1701698
Arabic Ontology lexical concept ID
151061434
Show all 188 identifiers +176
Artists of the World ID
a22272f8-1460-4631-92a7-b11950faaef6
Artnet artist ID
shel-silverstein
AskArt person ID
10049585
AusStage person ID
242092
Awards & Winners artist ID
0p6dt
BIBSYS ID
90215791
BNB person ID (OBSOLETE)
SilversteinShel1932-
BabelNet ID
00070996n
Babelio author ID
25869
BiblioNet author ID
12581
Bibliothèque nationale de France ID
14033694w
Billboard artist ID
shel-silverstein
Bitraga author ID
4362
BookBrainz author ID
0d872034-3014-4acf-9f5c-8fc8a88db899, c36e1d29-1fda-4505-b43f-a68efd460bec
BookBub author ID
shel-silverstein
Broadway World person ID
Shel-Silverstein
CBDB.cz author ID
29016
CINE21 person ID
72880
CONOR.AL ID
12807936
CONOR.BG ID
53375845
CONOR.SI ID
8276579
CONOR.SR ID
9087847
Canadiana Name Authority ID
ncf12109581
Central Library of Volos authority ID
13818
Charts in France artist ID
Shel-Silverstein
Christie's creator ID
44617
CiNii Research ID
1140282266732750336
CineFanRo person ID
21128-shel-silverstein
CineMagia person ID
113307
Cyprus University of Technology ID
105389
DBC author ID
87097968934621
DBNL author ID
silv013
DDB person (GND) ID
118765418
Databazeknih.cz author ID
10440
Deezer artist ID
70397
Deutsche Biographie (GND) ID
118765418
Dimitri and Aliki Perrotis Central Library ID
6788
Discogs artist ID
679432
ELNET ID
a12807382
Encyclopædia Britannica Online ID
biography/Shel-Silverstein
Encyklopedia Teatru Polskiego person ID
100370
Europeana entity
agent/base/60964
FAST ID
34441
FID performing arts ID
agent/gnd_118765418
Fandom article ID
muppet:Shel_Silverstein
Film.ru person ID
shel-silverstayn
Find a Grave memorial ID
9500
Flemish Public Libraries ID
000032918
Freebase ID
/m/0p6dt
GCD creator ID
21262
GTAA ID
269145
Gaana artist ID
sheldon-alan-silverstein, sheldon-allan-silverstein
Geni profile ID
6000000047679895842
Genius artist ID
Shel-silverstein
George Eastman Museum people ID
129381
Goodreads author ID
435477, 4746362
Google Play Music artist ID (former scheme)
Aem52vvhmpmnmgpbafwjiav76ke
Grammy Awards artist ID
shel-silverstein, shel-silverstein/6471
Great Norwegian Encyclopedia ID
Shel_Silverstein
Grove Music Online ID
A2276494
HAND ID
C7CB-FF33-F521-F6B0-A17D
Hoopla artist ID
454598669
IHeart artist ID
120569
IMDb ID
nm0799060
IPI name number
00028738853
ISFDB author ID
81925
IdRef ID
035471999
Illinois Center for the Book author ID
6350
Interlingual Index ID
i96918
Internet Book Database of Fiction writer ID
2645
Internet Broadway Database person ID
392086
J9U entity ID
987007299820205171
Jango artist ID
Shel+Silverstein
Jaxsta profile ID
08dbc9ab-7d31-448f-822b-7b3ed21c2051
Jog.fm artist ID
shel-silverstein
JudaicaLink person (GND) ID
118765418
KANTO ID
000201033
KBR person ID
14143835
Kalliope-Verbund (GND) ID
118765418
Kallías ID
PE00436051
Kinobox person ID
66526
Koha Kütüphane ID
159k (128k–159k, n=3)
Lambiek Comiclopedia artist ID
s/silverstein_shel
Last.fm ID
Shel+Silverstein
LastDodo-area-ID
4275879
LdiF person ID
27360
Le Delarge artist ID
5802_artiste_SILVERSTEIN_Shel
Les Archives du spectacle person ID
5281
Levadia Library ID
59de6bd221c0c8f86d488a3e
Lex ID
Shel_Silverstein
Libraries Australia ID
35499653
LibraryThing author ID
silversteinshel
Libris-URI
c9ps1psw3t24w8m
LiederNet author ID
29689
Listal ID
shel-silverstein
Los Angeles Review of Books author ID
shel-silverstein
LyricsTranslate ID
shel-silverstein-lyrics.html
MYmovies person ID
116587
Moly.hu author ID
shel-silverstein
Moov artist ID
00004083
MovieMeter person ID
1115092
Municipal Library of Trikala ID
87223
MuseScore artist ID
136411
MusicBrainz artist ID
1ce887e7-a9ca-4545-bb75-5af9cea6c862
Musik-Sammler.de artist ID
141880
MutualArt artist ID
DC3CFEBC4A9495C4
Muziekweb performer ID
M00000054389
MyCast talent ID
shel-silverstein
NACSIS-CAT author ID
DA01647368
NDL Authority ID
00456601
NE.se ID
shel-silverstein
NL CR AUT ID
jo2002139627
NLA Trove people ID
975496
NLAI ID
73882
NNDB people ID
768/000110438
NSK (VIAF) ID
000074295
NSK ID
981005670895109366
NUKAT ID
n96218622
National Library of Brazil ID
000201254
National Library of Greece ID
62093
National Library of Korea ID
KAC199625332
National Library of Lithuania ID
LNB:V*278873;=BV
National Library of Poland MMS ID
9810690960805606
National Library of Portugal ID
1400575
National Library of Russia ID
7735601, 7737728
National Library of Spain SpMaBN ID
XX1065482
National Virtual Library of India ID
895462
Nationale Thesaurus voor Auteursnamen ID
075003376
Offizielle Deutsche Charts person ID
248
Open Library ID
OL548174A
Oxford Reference overview ID
20110803100506419
PORT person ID
137047
Pandora artist ID
ARb2h6VlZ4gJvZg
Perlentaucher ID
shel-silverstein
Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation Library (A) ID
5c0f9afa56972ccb3e930d8e
Plex person key
5d7768f4f617c9002015ae3f
Poetry Foundation ID
shel-silverstein
Poets.org poet ID
shel-silverstein
Portal da Literatura ID
3328
Prabook ID
3753996
Qobuz artist ID
shel-silverstein
Quora topic ID
Shel-Silverstein
RERO ID (legacy)
A003832235
RILM ID
57165
RKDartists ID
330045
Rate Your Music artist ID
shel-silverstein
SBN author ID
RAVV043845
SELIBR ID
400437
SNAC ARK ID
w6cw56vs, w6224dvt
SVKKL authority ID
0203854-Silverstein-Shel-19301999
SecondHandSongs artist ID
17020
SongMeanings artist ID
12283
Songfacts artist ID
shel-silverstein
Songkick artist ID
194511
Spotify artist ID
12P4Y2MpLZqfilLWU2LkoM
TMDB person ID
1115092
TV Maze person ID
304082
TV Tropes ID
Creator/ShelSilverstein
Tekściory artist ID
21039
Textove.com artist ID
shel-silverstein
Theatricalia person ID
3qhd
Trakt.tv ID
people/shel-silverstein, people/sheldon-silverstein
U.S. Copyright Office Public Records System name ID
Silverstein, Shel, SHEL SILVERSTEIN
UOM ID
58763
Ultimate Guitar artist ID
shel_silverstein_11323
Union List of Artist Names ID
500043260
Universal Music France artist ID
20000157592
Unz Review author ID
SilversteinShel
WhoSampled artist ID
Shel-Silverstein
WikiTree person ID
Silverstein-47
Wolfram Language entity code
Entity["Person", "ShelSilverstein::24x6t"]
WordNet 3.1 Synset ID
11320460-n
WorldCat Entities ID
E39PBJrgMD7DdjG7BMQhfpYdcP
Yale LUX ID
person/a5b1b52b-285f-4477-a4ba-540134ddec0b
Yandex Music artist ID
21387
ČSFD person ID
400064

Report an error or request removal Lineage (PROV-JSON)

🔗 Connections
Mb:lyricist 18
A Boy Named Sue, A Boy Named Sue, Sylvia's Mother, Sylvia's Mother, The Ballad of Lucy Jordan, The Ballad of Lucy Jordan, The Cover of the Rolling Stone, The Cover of the Rolling Stone +10 more
Mb:composer 16
A Boy Named Sue, A Boy Named Sue, Sylvia's Mother, Sylvia's Mother, The Ballad of Lucy Jordan, The Ballad of Lucy Jordan, The Cover of the Rolling Stone, The Cover of the Rolling Stone +8 more
Occupation 11
actor, writer, poet, composer, singer, screenwriter, songwriter, illustrator +3 more
Mb:writer 6
Big Four Poster Bed, Big Four Poster Bed, Marie Laveau, Marie Laveau, Wrong Ideas, Wrong Ideas
Compositions 4
Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?, A Boy Named Sue, Ned Kelly, The Ballad of Lucy Jordan
Record label 3
Columbia Records, Atlantic Records, Elektra
← Lyricist 3
A Boy Named Sue, Sylvia's Mother, The Ballad of Lucy Jordan
Educated at 2
University of Chicago, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Given name 2
Allan, Sheldon
Mb:performer of 2
Freakin' at the Freakers Ball, Where the Sidewalk Ends
Mb:tribute 2
Twistable Turnable Man – A Musical Tribute to the Songs of Shel Silverstein, Twistable Turnable Man – A Musical Tribute to the Songs of Shel Silverstein
Nominated for 2
Academy Award for Best Original Song, Grammy Award for Best Country Song
Award received 1
Grammy Award for Best Country Song
Cause of death 1
myocardial infarction
Copyright representative 1
Broadcast Music, Inc.
Country of citizenship 1
United States
Field of work 1
young adult literature
Genre 1
children's literature
Instance of 1
human
Instrument 1
voice
Languages spoken, written or signed 1
English
Manner of death 1
natural causes
Military branch 1
United States Army
Native language 1
English
Notable work 1
The Giving Tree
Place of birth 1
Chicago
Place of death 1
Key West
Sex or gender 1
male
Works by author 1
The Giving Tree
Writing language 1
English
← Cast member 1
Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?
← Illustrator 1
The Giving Tree
← Performer 1
A Boy Named Sue
Press Enter · cited answer in seconds

Summary

Shel Silverstein was born on September 25, 1930[1], in Chicago[2]. He died on May 10, 1999[3], in Key West[4]. He worked as a poet[5], composer[6], writer[7], singer[8], and songwriter[9].

Why It Matters

Works attributed to him include The Giving Tree[47], a literary work[48].

FAQs

Where was Shel Silverstein born?

Shel Silverstein was born in Chicago[2].

Where did Shel Silverstein die?

Shel Silverstein passed away in Key West[4].

What did Shel Silverstein do for work?

Shel Silverstein worked as a poet[5], composer[6], writer[7], singer[8], and songwriter[9].

Where did Shel Silverstein go to school?

Shel Silverstein was educated at University of Chicago[22], School of the Art Institute of Chicago[23], and Theodore Roosevelt High School[24].

What awards did Shel Silverstein receive?

Honors received include Grammy Award for Best Country Song[33].

Related Entities

Atlantic Records children's literature Columbia Records Elektra United States young adult literature

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] ↑ . Digital Library for Dutch Literature. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] ↑ . Great Norwegian Encyclopedia. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  3. [34] ↑ . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  4. [12] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  5. [22] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  6. [23] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  7. [24] ↑ . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  8. [21] ↑ . dbnl.org. Retrieved . dbnl.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  9. [13] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  10. [5] ↑ . poets.org. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  11. [6] ↑ . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  12. [7] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  13. [8] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  14. [9] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  15. [14] ↑ . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  16. [15] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  17. [16] ↑ . RKDartists. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  18. [17] ↑ . RKDartists. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  19. [18] ↑ . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  20. [19] ↑ . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  21. [20] ↑ . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  22. [11] ↑ . Find a Grave. findagrave.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  23. [35] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  24. [33] ↑ . Grammy Awards. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  25. [36] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  26. [37] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  27. [38] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  28. [39] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  29. [40] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  30. [41] ↑ . dnainfo.com. Retrieved . dnainfo.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  31. [1] ↑ . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  32. [10] ↑ . Wikiproject Iedereen Leest. wikidata.org.
  33. [3] ↑ . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  34. [42] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  35. [43] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  36. [44] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  37. [25] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  38. [26] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  39. [27] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  40. [28] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  41. [29] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  42. [30] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  43. [31] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  44. [32] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  45. [45] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  46. [46] ↑ . wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [47] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [48] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Shel Silverstein. Retrieved November 11, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/shel-silverstein
MLA “Shel Silverstein.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 11 Nov. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/shel-silverstein.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_shel-silverstein_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Shel Silverstein}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/shel-silverstein}, note = {Accessed: 2026-11-11}}
LLM prompt According to 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph (aggregator of Wikidata, Wikipedia, and authoritative open-data sources): Shel Silverstein — https://4ort.xyz/entity/shel-silverstein (retrieved 2026-11-11)

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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 25d ago · OKA bot bot · 2026-10-18 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    "source for place of birth, source for place of death, source for date of birth, source for date of death from Store norske leksikon (…"
  2. 12w ago · Mahirtwofivesix · 2026-08-19 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    BabelNet ID → 00070996n
    Wikidata description → American poet, cartoonist, songwriter, and children's writer
    HAND ID → C7CB-FF33-F521-F6B0-A17D
    Image of grave → Grave of Sheldon Allan Silverstein (1930–1999) at Westlawn C
    + 1 other property edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "added/modified IDs mapped to WordNet 3.1"
  3. 15w ago · Carlwinslow11 · 2026-07-23 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Residence → Logan Square
    "Created claim: Residence: Logan Square, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1784828988641"
  4. 16w ago · ならちゃん · 2026-07-17 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    PORT person ID → 137047
    TV Maze person ID → 304082
    Jango artist ID → Shel+Silverstein
    Trakt.tv ID → people/shel-silverstein, people/sheldon-silverstein
    + 38 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "Changed the item: QuickStatements 3.0 batch #42348"
  5. 25w ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-20 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Notable work → Where the Sidewalk Ends, The Giving Tree, Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book +1
    Given name → Sheldon, Allan
    Field of work → young adult literature
    On focus list of Wikimedia project → NADD Wikidata project
    + 27 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "Changed the item: QuickStatements 3.0 batch #32085: import P21 and P106 from GND (27)"
Live feed via Wikidata EventStreams. New edits appear within minutes of being made on Wikidata.