Philip Pullman

From Srafopedia

The author of the His Dark Materials books.

Philip Pullman CBE (born October 19, 1946), is a British writer, educated at Ysgol Ardudwy, Harlech and Exeter College, Oxford (where he received a Third class degree). He is the best-selling author of the His Dark Materials trilogy of fantasy novels and a number of other books, purportedly for children, but attracting increasing attention by adult readers. His Dark Materials consists of Northern Lights (The Golden Compass in North America), The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass (a short companion piece, Lyra's Oxford, containing items of interest and a short story, has also been published, and another larger companion novel, The Book of Dust, is currently being written). Pullman was awarded a CBE in the New Year's Honours list in 2004.

The first volume of the trilogy, Northern Lights, won the Carnegie Medal for children's fiction in the UK in 1995. The Amber Spyglass, the last volume, was awarded both 2001 Whitbread Prize for best children's book and the Whitbread Book of the Year prize in January 2002, the first children's book to receive that award. The trilogy won popular acclaim in late 2003, taking third place in the BBC's Big Read poll.

In 2005 Pullman was announced as joint winner of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for children's literature.

He is a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association and an Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society.

In addition to writing, Pullman also began teaching Master level courses in English at his alma mater, Exeter College, Oxford, in 2004.

1 Religious perspective
2 Bibliography
3 Further reading
4 External links
- 4.1 In Cittàgazze Forums

[edit]

Religious perspective

The His Dark Materials books have been at the heart of controversy, especially with certain Christian groups. It is claimed by some, including Peter Hitchens, that he actively pursues an anti-Christian agenda.[1] Proponents of this view point to the critical articles he wrote regarding C. S. Lewis' series The Chronicles of Narnia (which Pullman denounces as propaganda), and the usually negative portrayal of the "Church" in His Dark Materials.

The two series resemble each other in many ways. Both feature children facing adult moral choices, talking animals, religious allegories, parallel worlds, and the fate of those worlds hanging in the balance. The first published Narnia book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe starts with a young girl hiding in a wardrobe, as does the first Dark Materials book, Northern Lights. Pullman's criticism of the Narnia books is shared by liberal commentators such as Polly Toynbee.[2]

Some, including Hitchens again, have seen the His Dark Materials series as a direct rebuttal of C. S. Lewis's Christianity-inspired series.[3] Pullman has criticized in particular Lewis's use of a fictional cure for cancer in one of the Narnia books, which Pullman claimed would raise false hopes in children who were themselves, or who had friends or family members who were, seriously ill. He has also criticized the way Lewis excludes the character Susan from the final heaven scenes in The Last Battle, saying that she is rejected for her growing worldliness and her rejection of Narnia. Lewis devotees argue that Pullman has read far too much into this; indeed, Lewis made no such statement about Susan's final destiny, and never excluded the possibility of her rejoining her friends in heaven later.

However, Pullman has found support from other Christians, most notably Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury. These groups and individuals point out that Pullman's attacks are focused on the constraints of dogmatism and the use of religion to oppress, not Christianity itself. Dr. Williams has gone so far as to propose that His Dark Materials be taught as part of religious education in schools. Moreover, even authors of works dedicated to critical appraisals of religious themes in his writing have described Pullman as a friendly and generous debating partner.

Pullman was interviewed for the 25th episode[4] of the Humanist Network News podcast[5] (RSS[6]), released on 2007-11-28. Topics include the religious themes of His Dark Materials and their adaptation in The Golden Compass film, from a Humanist perspective.

[edit]

Bibliography

The Haunted Storm (1972)
Galatea (1976)
Ancient Civilisations, illustrated by Gary Long (1978 or 1981) non-fiction
Using the Oxford Junior Dictionary, (1979) non-fiction
The Butterfly Tattoo (1981) (originally named The White Mercedes)
Count Karlstein (1982)
Detective Stories, illustrated by Nick Hardcastle (1985 or 1998)
How to be Cool (1987)
Spring-Heeled Jack: A Story of Bravery and Evil, illustrated by David Mostyn (1989)
The Broken Bridge (1990)
Frankenstein (1990)
The Firework-Maker's Daughter, illustrated by Susan Saelig Gallagher (1995)
Clockwork or All Wound Up, illustrated by Leonid Gore (1996)
Mossycoat, retold by Philip Pullman, illustrated by Peter Bailey (1998)
I was a Rat! or The Scarlet Slippers (1999)
Puss in Boots: The Adventures of That Most Enterprising Feline, illustrated by Ian Beck (2001)
The New-Cut Gang:
- Thunderbolt's Waxwork (1994)
- The Gasfitter's Ball (1995)
Sally Lockhart series: modern "penny dreadfuls"
- The Ruby in the Smoke (1985)
- The Shadow in the North (first published as The Shadow in the Plate) (1986)
- The Tiger in the Well (1991)
- The Tin Princess (1994)
His Dark Materials trilogy and related works:
- Northern Lights, retitled The Golden Compass in the US (1995)
- The Subtle Knife (1997)
- The Amber Spyglass (2000)
- Lyra's Oxford (2003): postcards, a map of Oxford, and a short story from the His Dark Materials universe.
- The Book of Dust (not yet published). A companion to His Dark Materials.
The Scarecrow and his Servant (2004)