Arkin, Alan

In March of 1934, Alan Wolf Arkin was born in New York to David and Beatrice Arkin, Russian-German Jewish intellects. First attended Los Angeles City College in 1951-1952, followed by a year at Los Angeles State College and finally transferred to Bennington College in 1953. Arkin was a member of a folksinging group called "The Tarriers", that found success across the country touring college campus. Realizing he was displeased with the direction of his life in the group, he retired and began pursuing theatrical work. For the next twenty years, Arkin mastered the theatrical parlance and could be found on all side of the production. In 1972, his first children's book was published, Tony's Hard Work Day . He went on to compose four pieces of work, including an autobiography. Arkin was continuously on a philosophical journey, questioning the demarcation of what is and what is not. He writes, "I used to just question my existence all the time. I guess a lot of people do - it's the 20th century disease, you know, who am I? Well, I don't ask anymore. I don't wake up in the morning and say, who am I? What do I have to do to feel like I'm alive? I already know I'm alive, and since I already know, I don't have to ask."

Biographical source: Something About the Author . Volume 59, 1990.

From the guide to the Alan Arkin Collection, 1972, (University of Minnesota Libraries Children's Literature Research Collections [clrc])