Shrek! is a picture book written and illustrated in 1990 by William Steig about a repugnant and monstruous ogre who leaves home to see the world and ends up saving a princess .[2] The name "Shrek" is derived from the Yiddish and German Schreck (Yiddish שרעק) meaning "fear" or "fright".[citation needed] The book served as the basis for the popular Shrek film series over a decade after its publicati