Eugene Yelchin Explained

Eugene Yelchin
Native Name:	Евгений Аркадьевич Ельчин
Birth Name:	Yevgeny Arkadievich Yelchin
Birth Date:	18 October 1956
Birth Place:	Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Occupation:	Illustrator, writer designer (USSR)
Nationality:	Russian-American
Education:	Design, Leningrad Institute of Theater Arts, 1979 Film, University of Southern California
Genre:	Books For Young Readers (as author/illustrator); Theater and Film (as designer)
Relatives:	Anton Yelchin (nephew)

Eugene Yelchin (born Yevgeny Arkadievich Yelchin,, born October 18, 1956) is a Russian-American artist best known as an illustrator and writer of books for children.

His novel Breaking Stalin's Nose was awarded a Newbery Honor in 2012.^[1] The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge he co-authored with M. T. Anderson was named National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature in 2018.

His nephew was actor Anton Yelchin.

Education and early career

Yelchin was born in Leningrad, Russia, to a Jewish family.^[2] In 1979, Yelchin graduated from Leningrad State Theater Academy.

From 1979 to 1983 he designed sets and costumes for leading Russian theater companies including Alexandrinsky (Pushkin's) Theater and Akimov Comedy Theater in Leningrad.

In 1979–80, with a group of peers from the Theater Academy he co-founded Tomsk Children's Theater in Siberia.

In 1983, Yelchin emigrated to the United States. In 1988, Yelchin graduated from the Southern California Film School in Los Angeles and began directing TV commercials and illustrating advertising campaigns.

Books for children

In 2006 at the Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators conference Yelchin received Tomie DePaola Illustration Award and began writing and illustrating books for children.

His books have been published by Scholastic Press, Henry Holt, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Roaring Brook Press, Candlewick Press, Clarion Books and Harcourt. They were translated into French, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Turkish, Romanian, Estonian, and Polish.

Selected awards

In 2018 The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge he co-authored with Matthew Tobin Anderson was named National Book Award Finalist.

In 2012 Breaking Stalin's Nose, a middle grade novel that he wrote and illustrated received the Newbery Honor.

In 2010 his illustrations for The Rooster Prince of Breslov received a National Jewish Book Award.

In 2017 his novel The Haunting of Falcon House received Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators’ Golden Kite Award.

In 2011 that he illustrated received Society of Children's Books Writers and the Golden Kite Award.

Bibliography

As author/illustrator

• The Genius Under the Table. 2021. Candlewick Press
• Spy Runner. 2019. Henry Holt and Company
• The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge(with M.T. Anderson). 2018. Candlewick Press
• Pip & Pup. 2018. HarperCollins Publishers
• Spring Hare. 2017. Henry Holt and Company
• The Haunting of Falcon House. 2016. Henry Holt and Company
• Arcady's Goal. 2014. Henry Holt and Company
• Breaking Stalin's Nose. 2011. Henry Holt and Company
• The Next Door Bear. 2011. HarperCollins Publishers
• Heart of a Snowman. 2009. HarperCollins Publishers
• Ghost Files. 2008. HarperCollins Publishers

As illustrator

• The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge 2018. Candlewick
• The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet! 2017. Scholastic Press
• Elephant in the Dark. 2015. Scholastic Press.
• Crybaby. 2015. Henry Holt and Company
• Won Ton and Chopstick. 2015. Henry Holt and Company
• Seeds, Bees, Butterflies, and More! 2013. Henry Holt and Company
• Dog Parade. 2011. Harcourt Children's Books
• Won Ton, A Cat Tale Told in Haiku. 2011. Henry Holt and Company
• The Rooster Prince Of Breslov. 2010. Clarion Books Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Seven Hungry Babies. 2010. Atheneum Books For Young Readers
• The Cobbler's Holiday Or Why Ants Don't Wear Shoes. 2008. Roaring Brook Press
• Who Ate All The Cookie Dough? 2008. Henry Holt and Company
• The House of a Million Pets. 2007. Henry Holt and Company

Paintings

Yelchin's paintings and drawings have been exhibited along with former Soviet non-conformist artists

• 2002: "Russian Revolutions: Generations of Russian Jewish Avant-Garde Artists” at the Mizel Center for Arts and Culture
• 2006: “Territories of Terror: Mythologies and Memories of the Gulag in Contemporary Russian-American Art” at Boston University (2006)
• 2010: "Shattered Utopia: Russian Art of the Soviet and Post-Soviet Periods" at Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art

Yelchin is a member of the Jewish Artists Initiative of Southern California. His paintings and drawings are represented by Sloane Gallery of Contemporary Russian Art.

Other works

Yelchin created original storyboards for the popular Coca-Cola Polar Bears campaign^[3] and designed characters for several animated features including 2012 Oscar winner Rango directed by Gore Verbinski (2012 Oscar for Best Animated Feature).^[4]

Awards and honors

• National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature
• Newbery Honor
• 2010: National Jewish Book Award in the Illustrated Children's Book category for The Rooster Prince of Beslov. Text by Ann Redisch Stampler.^[5]
• SCBWI Golden Kite Award
• SCBWI Crystal Kite Award
• People Magazine Picks
• New York Times Notable Children's Books
• The New York Times Editor's Choice
• Amazon Best Books of the Year
• NPR Best Books of the Year
• The Washington Post Best Books of the Year
• Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year
• The Boston Globe Best Books of the Year
• Huffington Post Best Picture Books of the Year
• USA Today Sentinel Choice
• School Library Journal Best Books of the Year
• Kirkus Revirews Best Books of the Year
• Horn Book Fanfare Best Book of the Year
• BookPage Best Children's Books of The Year
• NY Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year
• Children's Book Review's Best Young Adult Books
• New York Public Library Best Children's Books
• Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books
• Booklist Editor's Choice
• Booklist Top Ten Science Fiction and Horror for Youth
• Junior Library Guild Selection
• Booklist Top Ten Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror
• SLCSC Distinguished Work of Historical Fiction Award
• Association for Library Service Notable Children's Books
• Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction
• Judy Lopez Memorial Award
  • William Allen White Children's Book Award Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Award
• International Reading Association Award
• Editor's Choice by Historical Novel Society
• Nerdy Book Club Best Books of the Year
• CCBC Librarians Book of the Week

External links

• with linked gallery, Books for children, Design for film, TV, & advertising, and more
• Sloane Gallery Of Art

Interviews:

• Bird, Elizabeth. "The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin." Fuse 8, June 2018.
• Anderson, M.T.. "M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin: Finding a Common Language." Shelf Awareness. June 2018
• Yelchin, Eugene. "The Book That Changed My Life: A Dangerous Book." The Horn Book May, 2018
• Anderson, M.T.. "In Conversation: M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin." Publishers Weekly. September, 2018
• Goddu, Krystyna Poray. "Q & A with Eugene Yelchin" Publishers Weekly. October, 2014
• Lushchevska, Oksana. "An interview with Eugene Yelchin" WGRCLC Blog. May, 2013

Notes and References

1. Web site: Newbery Medal and Honor Books, 1922–present . . July 2, 2012 . October 24, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111024135429/http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberyhonors/newberymedal.cfm#2010s . dead .
2. Web site: Eugene Yelchin . www.eugeneyelchin.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20050111225200/http://www.eugeneyelchin.com/biography.htm . 2005-01-11.
3. Web site: Coca Cola Company. July 9, 2013. October 22, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131022015144/http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/coke-lore-polar-bears. dead.
4. Web site: IMDB. IMDb.
5. Web site: Past Winners. Jewish Book Council. February 2, 2020.