October 19 marks the 70th birthday of Philip Pullman, an English writer best known for his Dark Materials trilogy and The Amazing Adventures of Sally Lockhart tetralogy, winner of the Astrid Lindgren Prize.
Philip Pullman's books have opened new worlds to readers, they are read by adults and children all over the world.
Philip Pullman was born in Norwich (England) on October 19, 1946 in the family of a military pilot. His mother's name was Audrey Evelyn Pullman. The father of the future writer Alfred Outram Pullman served in the Royal Air Force. The Pullman family moved frequently due to his father's work, Philip traveled to Zimbabwe and Southern Rhodesia. As a child, little Philip's imagination was fueled by numerous trips with his parents around the world. " We were like rolling stones ', the writer recalls. It seems that it was sailing on the seas and oceans that contributed to the development of the writer's imagination: hence such an epic scope and a broad vision of the world. In 1953, when Philip was seven years old, the boy's father died in a plane crash. Philip's mother entered into a second marriage. My stepfather was also a military pilot. The family moved to Australia, where Pullman lived until 1957. There he realized how strong his love for literature was. As a child, Pullman was a big fan of comics. He liked British The Eagle and Luck of the Legion, as well as American comics featuring Superman and Batman, which he discovered when his family lived in Australia.
When he was 11 years old, the family returned to England and settled in North Wales. There the boy spent a lot of time with his grandfather, an English country priest. It was a time when children were allowed to go anywhere, play in the streets, roam the hills, so Philip fully enjoyed the joys of a free life. He was greatly influenced by his English teacher, Miss Enid Johnson. Pullman still sends her copies of his books. In 1957 Philip read John Milton's classic Paradise Lost, a battle between good and evil for power in heaven. She later became the basis for his trilogy called "His Dark Materials".
After graduating from school in 1963, Philip Pullman continued his studies at Oxford, where he studied English philology. Pullman's student years were spent at Exeter College (which, he says, served as the prototype for Jordan College in his books). Later he worked as a librarian, and then, having received appropriate training, he became school teacher and taught for twelve years at Oxford Westminster College in a number of specialties at the second level school. He is a born storyteller and good teacher, the children loved it when he read them the Iliad. His idols are Homer, Swift and Dickens. The teacher's career was quite successful for Pullman. The fantasy developed during long travels, a set of stories of childhood years and pedagogical talent allowed him to get along with his students without much effort. Pullman enjoyed being a teacher. He was selflessly devoted to his work and his students. In 1970, Pullman married Judith Speller.
While still a teacher, he began writing for children. While working at the Bishop Kirk School in Summertown, he wrote The Haunted Storm, which was published in 1972 and won the English Library New Young Writer Award. The book was aimed at an adult audience and did not bring significant success to Pullman. Pullman calls himself a "story writer". He is better known as children's writer, but his first novel Galatea (1978) was addressed to an adult audience (according to other sources, his first novel was The Haunted Storm (1972)). By the nature of his work, Pullman had to write scripts for school productions.
It was this experience that inspired the writer to write the first teen book - "Count Karlstein". The book has everything you need for a pleasant pastime. First of all - a gloomy castle in the mountains of Switzerland, where the young nieces of the insidious Count Karlstein languish. The count plotted to destroy the girls by paying off their lives from a terrible demon - the Wild Hunter, the Lord of the Mountains. The inhabitants of the mountain village are in fear. From year to year, on the eve of All Souls Day, the Wild Hunter, shrouded in impenetrable darkness and accompanied by monstrous hounds, appears in the vicinity of the castle at the head of dead riders on black horses. The demon eagerly seeks prey, while the count, meanwhile, is shaking with fear. Many years ago, the treacherous Count Karlstein made a deal with him in exchange for wealth. But the hour of reckoning has come, and the count is deceiving. His nieces, Lucy and Charlotte, are in danger! A maid in the castle and her brother accidentally learn about the wicked plans of the count. Will they be able to outsmart the villain and help the girls? In the presentation of Pullman, the story about the inhabitants of the Swiss village came out quite colorful and has a completely carnival nature. The gloomy atmosphere is discharged by a couple of funny policemen, fat and skinny, who, at the behest of the author, constantly confuse everything and arrest the wrong people (including each other). And when the fugitive swindler-magician Dr. Cadaverezzi appears “on the stage” with his cabinet of curiosities, everything that happens takes on the shade of a circus performance. This gothic tale is haunted and haunted.
In 1986, the writer became a teacher at Westminster College, where he worked for eight years, lecturing on Victorian novels, folk tales, and the combination of text and illustration. Fame brought Pullman a children's detective cycle about sixteen-year-old Sally Lockhart, which takes place in the 19th century in London: "Ruby in the Dark" (1985), "Shadow" polar star"(1985), "Tiger in the Well" (1990), "Tin Princess" (1994). By the way, the first novel in this series is written on the basis of a play that Philip Pullman wrote for his students when he worked at the school. Having introduced a modern impetuous rhythm into the narratives about the past, the writer remained true to the best features of the detective genre - the mystery of the crime, the victory of ultimate justice and the triumph of friendly devotion.
"Ruby in the Dark" . Sally Lockhart is a young ambitious girl of 16 years old, living in England at the end of the century. She is unusually good-looking. But she is not at all a cutesy, pampered young lady of the Victorian era. Sally gallantly rides a horse, fires a pistol without a miss and skillfully conducts business. Her knowledge of literature, languages and music leaves much to be desired, but she knows how to run a business. When Sally's father, Captain Lockhart, dies under mysterious circumstances in the South Seas, a mystery enters the girl's life, on the solution of which her life depends. Sally is left alone in foggy London. The mysterious letter only spurs the desire to solve the mystery of his death. Now Sally's life is in danger. As the smog thickens over the city, so the mystery thickens, on the solution of which her life depends. And the fault is the red ruby, the bloody trail of which stretches from the past ...
Against the backdrop of real historical events the author continues to talk about the fate of Sally Lockhart. From novel to novel, Sally grows, she has a daughter, business is booming, but fate slips her more and more trials and investigations.
"Shadow" of the North Star ". The shadow of evil... Can it be invoked at a séance or captured in a photograph? The Garland & Lockhart studio is always busy with Fred experimenting with new cameras and filming techniques. The grown-up Sally opens her own business. She is now a consultant financial matters. Jim writes plays and works in the theater. But one day Sally and her friends reluctantly become detectives. Seemingly random events that happened to each of them turn out to be links in the same chain. And behind all is the owner of the Polar Star companies. Bellman is omnipotent. He trades in death and creates monstrous "steam guns". With every step, Sally, Jim and Fred are pulled deeper into the ominous shadow of the North Star.
"Tiger in the Well" Can you ride a horse and shoot a pistol without a miss? Do you understand accounting, business and military strategy? Do you easily solve logic problems? No? Don't be sad. In 19th-century England, only one girl, Sally Lockhart, possessed such a rare set of knowledge. In The Tiger in the Well, the heroine will need all her courage and natural intelligence to confront a ruthless enemy who has come from the past and is ready to destroy her at any cost. Sally Lockhart hasn't been this happy in a long time. She lives in an old mansion with her little daughter and servants, her business is booming, and her best friends travel the world. And then, like a bolt from the blue, a notice comes from the court... Conducting her own investigation, she will find herself dangerously close to the tiger - the insidious and vengeful Tzadik. This detective story takes place in London in 1881 and is intertwined with real events of that time.
"Tin Princess". For many years, Sally and her friend Jim searched for Adelaide, an orphan girl who disappeared in the London slums. When their search was successful, baby Adelaide had already grown up ... and became the princess of a small European state. From all sides, tiny Rackavia is surrounded by conspiracies and enemies, and a real hunt has been announced for members of the royal family ... Jim Taylor and Adelaide, known to the reader from the books "Ruby in the Dark", "Shadow of the Polar Star", "Tiger in the Well", and also their new friend Becky fall into the thick of historical events. It depends on their will and courage whether the kingdom will remain on the map of Europe.
In 1995, the first book in the series " dark beginnings "- the novel" Northern Lights ". The title of the cycle "His Dark Materials" is taken from John Milton's poem "Paradise Lost", of which Pullman is a big fan. In addition, Pullman's work was influenced by the poetry of William Blake, who is also one of the writer's favorite authors. . The book became popular, Pullman was awarded the Carnegie Medal, the Guardian Children's Book Award and the Whitbird Prize. Along with positive responses, the book also caused a number of critical speeches, primarily from religious organizations. Pullman was accused of slandering the church and anti-clerical propaganda. Trilogy " Dark Beginnings includes: « Northern Lights "(in the USA it was released under the name" Golden Compass ") (1995)," Miraculous Knife "(1997)," Amber Telescope "(2000).
Continuation of "His Dark Materials": "Oxford Lyra" (2003), "Once Upon a Time in the North" (2008).
Since 2008, the writer has been working on a new book in the "Dark Materials" series with the working title " book of dust", a "companion novel" to His Dark Materials, featuring many familiar characters and a few new ones, that is "not a prequel or sequel." " The book is slowly growing. But it is filled with things that not everyone will subsequently enter into final story. Some of the themes that I touched only lightly in The Dark Materials take center stage here. ».
The Dark Materials trilogy is a fantastic touching philosophical parable about the adventures of an unusual girl Lyra Belacqua, who studies in Oxford and lives in parallel world. Lyra's life changes irrevocably after she foils an assassination attempt on her uncle, the powerful Lord Asriel, and overhears a cryptic conversation about mysterious particles called "Dust" that threaten to destroy all worlds. Meanwhile, small children begin to disappear in the city. In order to save her uncle and friend Roger, who was kidnapped for terrible experiments, as well as to uncover the mystery of the disappearance of children, Lyra goes to the Far North, where armored panzerbjorn bears roam, witches fly, and mysterious Dust falls from the sky, and in the light of the Northern Lights, the outlines of a ghostly cities.
Throughout all three books A series of dangers and adventures awaits you, experiences and discoveries together with Lyra, and only at the very end the opportunity to find out how the fate of the worlds will be decided, depending on the choice of a single girl ... Books entered the reading circle of the elder school age because the unique plot holds the reader's attention and allows you to perceive it as an amazing fairy tale. And it remains only to regret that there are only three books in the trilogy ...
"Northern Lights" ("Golden Compass"). The search for a missing friend leads Lyra and her daemon Panteleimon to the far North, where armored bears reign on the ice expanses, and witches fly in the frosty sky. And where scientists conduct experiments that are even scary to talk about. Lyra is destined by fate not only to overcome the great evil, but also to try to find the source of dark plans. Perhaps for this she will have to be on the other side of the Northern Lights ... The novel "Northern Lights" was included in the list of 100 best novels of all time, compiled in 2003 by The Observer. An excellent adventure plot, brightness, richness and novelty of the world described by the author, a combination of science, magic and philosophy, the unsurpassed skill of the author made this book a bright event in the world of literature!
« Miraculous knife "- the second book of the trilogy" Dark Materials "by F. Pullman. This book, like Northern Lights, is an amazing fairy tale for children and adults, which begins with promises and ends with the whole universe. The main character - Lyra - crosses the border of the worlds and finds herself in England at the end of the 20th century, where she meets Will. He is 12 years old and forced to commit a crime. Fleeing from persecution, determined to find out the truth about his father, who disappeared many years ago, he accidentally ends up in Chittagazza, a strange city of abandoned children. In the mysterious Cittagazza, Lyra and Will are in for dangerous adventures, ghosts that devour the souls of adults and do not touch children, witches and angels. Here they find and lose loved ones and loved ones. Everyone goes their own way: Lyra is looking for the meaning of Dust, and Will is trying to find his missing father, but they find a Miraculous knife that can cut any thing and even open windows to other worlds. Lyra and Will came to this world by different paths, they have different goals, but they are united by a great destiny...
« amber telescope is the final book in the Dark Materials trilogy. An exciting story of the birth of a new world, in which the author unexpectedly balances on the brink of good fairy tale and a chilling fantasy saga. Lyra and Will continue to tempt fate. Their travels in different worlds, especially a trip to the worst of them - the land of the dead (for which the children had to be separated from their daemons), are fraught with unprecedented danger. But old friends come to the rescue: armored bear Iorek Byrnison, scientist Mary Malone, witches and angels, familiar to us from the first two books - "Northern Lights" and "Wonderful Knife". And new allies: the Gallivespins on dragonflies and the Mulefa, a wheeled people who can see the Dust. Lyra and Will's childhood is over, and now they are not only vulnerable to the daemon-eating Ghosts of adults, but they must make a very difficult decision. Lyra has to make a fatal choice - the future of all worlds depends on it, to fulfill the mission to which she was destined by fate.
In the story " Once upon a time in the north » The heroine of the trilogy "Dark Materials" Lyra Belacqua, already a student at Oxford, finds the manuscript of the Texan Lee Scoresby, which tells about the dramatic events of his acquaintance with the panzerbjorn Iorek Byrnison. The story shows in detail the complex relationship between people and intelligent bears.
Trilogy "Dark Materials" ("Northern Lights", "Wonderful Knife", "Amber Telescope") became a worldwide bestseller. The novel "Northern Lights", the first in a trilogy, is named best book for children of the last seventy years. The Amber Telescope, the final book in the trilogy, won the Whitbread Book of the Year Award for Best Book of the Year.
From 1988 to 1996 Philip worked at Westminster College. The success of Northern Lights allowed Pullman to leave teaching and focus on literature. In subsequent years, the continuation of the Dark Materials came out, as well as many other books by the writer. Pullman is the author of Spring-Heeled Jack (1989), The Broken Bridge (1990) and The Butterfly Tattoo (2001) - here he is tells about the growing up of a girl whose parents belong to different races. He also wrote a modern detective story about the loss of illusions "The White Mercedes" ("White Mercedes") (1992); the fantasy story Clockwork (1998), set in Germany; oriental fairy tale "The Firework-Maker" s Daughter "(" Daughter of the inventor of fireworks ") (1999); fantasy about animals" I was a Rat ... or the Scarlet Slippers "(" I was a rat ... or Scarlett Slipper ") ( 1999) and others. Philip Pullman is also the author of several plays based on classical works and the compiler of the anthology Detective Stories (1998).
"The Scarecrow and His Servant"
Strange... Almost insane! But funny and wonderful! True, I would like to ask: why “scarecrow”, when it sounds much better and more precisely in meaning - “scarecrow”? To scare birds in the fields and gardens - what else can it do? A simple scarecrow - yes, but if it is stuffed with something and dressed in a tweed jacket; if the person who made it entrusted him with a certain secret (having previously wrapped it in oilcloth) and asked him to be “polite, courageous, kind and worthy of a scarecrow”; if one thunderous night lightning struck him, pierced his turnip head, broomstick torso and revived him? .. Then ... then it was no longer a garden scarecrow, but Mr. Scarecrow.
Old Pandolfo was terribly annoyed by birds, and he made an excellent effigy. Everything would have gone on as usual, but the incredible happened - it came to life from a lightning strike! On the field Scarecrow met a boy named Jack, and since then they have been inseparable. The Scarecrow has the most honest, intelligent and devoted servant, and the orphan Jack has a wonderful master and friend. They set off on the road in search of fortune and income, hoping to someday come to the Valley of the Streams, which belonged to the Scarecrow. The reader follows this extraordinary couple on their journey through a world full of adventure. Their path lies through the green hills to the Valley of the Streams, which was taken over by a family of villains. The influential Baffoloni family has its own plans for these lands: divert streams, drain wells and build a chemical poison factory. Will the friends succeed in defending the Valley of the Streams in court if the judge bears the name of Baffoloni? Scarecrow and Jack made new friends along the way. And they never lost the most important thing - their beliefs. As in any good old history, there will not be without a gang of robbers, a real battle (“Boom! Bang! Bang!”), Shipwreck and desert island. Only these sea knots will be untied unexpectedly and in a new way. This story is not only an adventure, but also a detective, the heroes are hunted by their enemies who do not know where our heroes are in currently and apply analytical thinking.
"Fireworks Inventor's Daughter" , conditionally "Eastern" fairy tale. The story of the girl Lila, who wants to continue her father's work and become the same as him, a fireworks master (even against the will of the parent). On the way to her dream, the girl will have to face river pirates, a fire demon and many other adventures, and her best friend Chulak and the talking white elephant Hamlet will help her in this.
« Clockwork, or Everything is wound up ". The "Gothic" fairy tale evokes "Cold Heart" by V. Gauf, "The Sandman" by E.T.A. Hoffmann and even the legend of Dr. Faust. The spring of the fairy-tale plot is wound up here so tightly that every step, as they say in such cases, steadily brings the heroes closer to the fatal denouement. However, the story of clockwork, clockwork toys and the sinister Dr. Kalmenius ends quite happily - precisely because it is “wound up correctly”.
« Jack Spring Heels ". After all the horrors you have experienced, you can relax a little by reading and watching the fairy tale-comic book "Jack Spring Heels". This invincible hero with springs attached to his heels was known long before Superman and Batman, during the time of Queen Victoria. The tale begins with the epigraph "It was a dark stormy night ..." But, despite the swift action and intense intrigue, there is much more humor and a mocking smile than disturbing nightmares and gloomy allegories.
In 2004, Pullman partially returned to teaching and now lectures periodically at his alma mater, Exeter College, Oxford. In the same year he was elected president of the William Blake Society, and a year later he was awarded one of the most prestigious awards in children's literature, the Astrid Lindgren Prize. He became an honorary professor at Bangor University. And later he received a master's degree in creative writing, which was his significant promotion. He is known for his civil liberties activities. According to Pullman, he regularly receives angry letters from religious fanatics with curses and even threats. In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Pullman marvels at how his books have managed to escape the criticism that Harry Potter has received: I slipped through unnoticed, and yet I have such subversive material that this unfortunate Harry could not even dream of. "My books kill God ", he explained. And about his own beliefs: If you look at the scale human life and the world around me, then I am an atheist. There is no god ". These allegations have recently received a new impetus with the publication in 2010 of Pullman's book, Good man Jesus and the wicked Christ."
"The good man Jesus and the wicked Christ"
« This is a story about Jesus and his brother Christ: how they were born, how they lived, and how one of them died. The death of the second was not included in history …” Thus begins a truly stunning (and incredibly witty) book by Philip Pullman, written as part of the international literary project “Myths”. The riddle of the dual nature of the Savior of Nazareth is solved very easily: one twin brother was Jesus, the other was Christ, one truly believed and knew God, and the other wanted to subjugate the world and build only the illusion of the Kingdom of God on earth ... An ambiguous, but at the same time fascinating interpretation "most great history» humanity.
Pullman is concerned about the increasing use of testing as a method of assessing knowledge. Until now, he lives in Oxford with his wife Judy, has two adult sons and continues to work on new works. The eldest, Jamie, is a musician, plays the viola. The youngest, Tom, is studying music at the university. Critics compare Philip Pullman with Chekhov, Dickens, Dostoyevsky. All of Pullman's books are written in the third person. He prefers to work on a book in the garden of his house according to a once and for all routine - every day he composes an average of 1100 words (three pages), always writes by hand with a ballpoint pen in a specially lined notebook, and comes up with the first sentence the day before so as not to start the morning with empty sheet. With his daemon (a daemon is a manifestation of the human soul in Dark Materials), the author would like to see a dolphin for quick wits or a magpie for agility.
In 2012, the book " Tales of the Brothers Grimm in a new way ”, which offers the modern reader an author's translation of fifty classic tales of the Brothers Grimm. Pullman's retelling of stories beloved and familiar to everyone is not an interpretation, but his own vision of the folk art of European storytellers.« My main goal was to make these fairy tales feel like stories. Here I have recounted the best and most interesting of them, removing everything that interferes with the free flow of the story. I did not set myself the task of modernizing them, presenting my own interpretations or poetic variations on the theme. I just wanted my version to be transparent like water. I was guided by the question: “How would I myself tell this story to someone if I wanted that someone to spread it further?” All the changes were made for one single reason: I wanted the fairy tale to sound from my lips as naturally as possible. . Harold Bloom, literary critic: « All his talent, including prosaic eloquence and his infinitely sublime romantic imagination, is shown in these amazing retellings. ».
In May 2017, Philip Pullman's new graphic novel, titled "The Adventures of John Blake: The Mystery of the Ghost Ship".
A time-traveling ghost ship, crewed by the boy John Blake, Roman and English sailor Dick Merrifield, enslaved by Barbary pirates in the 17th century. Pullman relishes historical facts and indicates that such events could actually occur. While graphic novels sometimes struggle to find their way into readers' hearts, Pullman hopes his story succeeds. " I wanted to do this - Pullman says because I like comics. Many things can be done in them with great effect, power, brightness and speed, and I just wanted to use these opportunities. ". Graphic novels are also associated with Pullman's way of thinking. He admits that when he writes, he imagines the whole picture. " When working on a scene, I have a small checklist of questions. "Where are we? Where does the light come from? What is the weather outside the window? Who is in this scene? How are they positioned in relation to each other? These are the things I need to know. Books that show me all this, I read with great pleasure, because I can clearly imagine what is happening in them. ».
Once immersed in the worlds of Philip Pullman, you become forever hostage to the author's talent and imagination. Books like Dark Materials teach us to read in a slightly different way than people read half a century ago, not just to listen to the narrator, but to look for the familiar, as if putting together a puzzle from fragments that each of us once somewhere has already met. Currently, Philip Pullman continues to delight us with his works and their adaptations, because his works and talent have no boundaries. Golden Compass (2007, USA, UK) dir. Chris Weitz Academy Award for Best Visual Effects
1996 - The Guardian Prize The Guardian's annual prize, given to the author of the best book published in the UK during the year. The jury consists of famous writers and Literature Section Editor.
2001 - The British Book Awards Best Author of the Year Prestigious British literary prize awarded to the best author of the year. The jury consists of representatives of various industries.
2001 - Whitbird Prize (later renamed the Costa Prize) for the book "Amber Telescope". The award has been awarded since 1971 for the best book of the past year. Considered one of the most prestigious awards in the world of literature. The main criterion is the quality of the work. The Amber Telescope (3rd book in the trilogy) became the first children's book in the history of the award to win the Best Book of the Year nomination. Christopher Tower Poetry Prize
2007 - Carnegie Prize. The novel Northern Lights (Golden Compass in the USA), the first in a trilogy, was named the best book for children of the last seventy years.
Philip Pullman was born in Norwich on October 19, 1946. His father, Alfred Outram Pullman worked for some time in the Air Force, thanks to which Philip saw the world. His mother's name was Audrey Evelyn Pullman.
When Philip's mother remarried while in Australia, he realized how strong his love for literature was. As a child, he was amazed by comics and their characters, in particular "Batman", "Superman". Philip spent 1957 with his grandfather in Gorfolk, where he began reading John Milton's poem Paradise Lost. She later became the basis for his trilogy entitled His Dark Materials (1995).
After leaving school, Philip entered Exeter College at Oxford. Also, his future works were influenced by the illustrations of William Blake in 1970. In the same year, Philip Pullman married Judith Speller. While working at the Bishop Kirk School in Summertown, he wrote The Haunted Storm, which won the English Library New Young Writer Award in 1972. From 1988 to 1996 Philip worked at Westminster College.
In 1995 he received an award - a medal for the book "Northern Lights". He worked at his alma mater teaching English. He became an honorary professor at Bangor University. And later he received a master's degree in creative writing, which was his significant promotion. In 2008, Philim Pullman began writing The Book of Dust, a continuation of the Dark Materials trilogy. Some of his works have been filmed: I Was Beauty, Butterfly Tattoo and Ruby in the Dark.
The film adaptation of the Pullman trilogy "His Dark Materials" was stuck on the first part - "The Golden Compass". But the books themselves gained more fans, and therefore the author decided to write a sequel. Last week new novel Philip Pullman called "The Book of Dust" appeared on the shelves of foreign stores. About it informs blog "Knigovod - book here". The book has not yet reached Russia, but you can be sure that over time it will be translated and published for sure, because the original trilogy ("Northern Lights", "Wonderful Knife" and "Amber Telescope") sold out well. So, what is known about this new product?
1. The book will be the beginning of a new trilogy
Pullman announced back in early 2017 that he planned to write 3 books. All of them will bear the name of the cycle ("The Book of Dust") and have a subtitle.
2. The book is named after a famous London hotel.
The original novel has a complex title, combining English and French words- "Book of Dust: Belle Sauvage" (The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage). And although in the plot itself "Belle Sauvage" is the protagonist's boat, the author admits that this name is borrowed from the famous hotel in London, formerly located on Landgate Hill.
3. It's a fantasy set in the same world
The world of "His Dark Materials", which combines science, theology and magic, was rather strange, but it was remembered for that. Each person had daemons there - particles of the soul embodied in the body of an animal. Mysterious predictions of a complex magical device, a lot of unusual magical creatures, portals between worlds and villainous plans that encroach on the Creator there - this is why readers loved and hated these books.
4. Familiar characters will return, but will not be the main characters
In the book, we will meet Lyra and her infernal father Lord Asriel, but the main character here will be the 11-year-old boy Malcolm Polstead.
5. The book takes place 10 years before the start of the first trilogy.
That is, 10 years before the events of the Golden Compass. But then a time jump awaits us - the rest of the parts, as they say, will already refer to the time after the known events. The author, in honor of this approach, calls his story not a prequel or a sequel, but simply a "sequel". This is a play on words, because the word he used in English language sounds the same as the word "same", "equal", which emphasizes the equivalence of the new and old trilogies.
6. The flood will play a big role in the plot
The Belle Sauvage boat will definitely come in handy for the heroes. The author promises that "most of the events will take place during a massive flood." By the way, this is also noticeable on the cover.
7. Work on the trilogy is very slow.
The first part came out 15 (!) years after the birth of the idea, the second part is apparently being completed by Pullman, but he does not promise anything specific, and he is only thinking about the third part. Considering that fans had to wait for the last part of "His Dark Materials" for several years, we can say that we are seriously at risk of getting the second George Martin (yet we know that we can't wait for the 6th book, although we will watch it next year series?)
8. The book has great reviews
Literary critics of all foreign serious publications from the New York Times to the Washington Post immediately after the release of the novel began to vying to praise him. The characters seem to be as memorable as their predecessors, fans should be "satisfied and delighted" by the book, and some say the following: "There are not many things in our world that deserve a 17-year wait, and The Book of Dust is one of them".
9. The new trilogy may have even more philosophy and science
Because the driving force The plot in the new trilogy, judging by its name, will be Dust (a kind of semi-mystical substance that plays a big role in the world of "Dark Materials"), many began to discuss what new Pullman could say in this direction. Dust was presented as a kind of analogue of dark matter, so now fans are waiting for the development of this idea (especially since the existence of dark matter in last years received several new confirmations and gave rise to several new theories). In addition, the author promised to reveal the ideas of William Blake in the book.
+The Amber Telescope is the final book in F. Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy. An exciting story of the birth of a new world, in which the author unexpectedly balances on the verge of a good fairy tale and a chilling fantastic saga.
Lyra and Will continue to tempt fate. Their travels to different worlds, especially a trip to the worst of them - the land of the dead (for which the children had to be separated from their daemons), are fraught with unprecedented danger. But old friends come to the rescue: armored bear Iorek Byrnison, scientist Mary Malone, witches and angels, familiar to us from the first two books - "Northern Lights" and "Wonderful Knife". And new allies: the Gallivespins on dragonflies and the Mulefa, a wheeled people who can see the Dust.
Lyra and Will's childhood is over, and now they are not only vulnerable to the daemon-eating Ghosts of adults, but they must make a very difficult decision. Lyra has to make a fatal choice - the future of all worlds depends on it, to fulfill the mission to which she was destined...
Date of Birth: 19.10.1946
English writer, teacher. Known as the author of fantasy books for children, the most popular of which are included in the author's cycle "Dark Materials".
Philip Pullman (spelling Pullman is also common) was born in Norwich (England) in the family of a military pilot. As a child, Pullman's family moved frequently due to his father's work, and Philip traveled to Zimbabwe and Southern Rhodesia. In 1953, the boy's father died in a plane crash. Philip's mother entered into a second marriage, and the family moved to Australia, where Pullman lived until 1957. Then the future writer with his mother and stepfather returned to England, where he completed his secondary education. In 1963, Pullman continued his studies at Oxford, Exeter College, where he studied English Philology.
In 1970, Pullman married Judith Speller and began teaching at various Oxford schools. In 1972, the writer's first book, The Haunted Storm, was published. The book was aimed at an adult audience and did not bring significant success to Pullman. By the nature of his work, Pullman had to write scripts for school productions. It was this experience that inspired the writer to write the first teenage book, Graf Karlstein. In 1986, the writer became a teacher at Westminster College, where he worked for eight years, taught courses in the Victorian novel and folklore. In 1995, the first book in the Dark Materials series, the novel Northern Lights, was published. The book became popular, Pullman was awarded the Carnegie Medal, the Guardian Children's Book Award and the Whitbird Prize. Along with positive responses, the book also caused a number of critical speeches, primarily from religious organizations. Pullman was accused of slandering the church and anti-clerical propaganda. These accusations have recently received a new impetus with the publication in 2010 of Pullman's book The Good Man Jesus and the Bad Man Christ.
The success of Northern Lights allowed Pullman to leave teaching and focus on literature. In subsequent years, the continuation of the Dark Materials came out, as well as many other books by the writer. In 2004, Pullman partially returned to teaching and now lectures periodically at his alma mater, Exeter College, Oxford. In the same year he was elected president of the William Blake Society, and a year later he was awarded one of the most prestigious awards in children's literature, the Astrid Lindgren Prize. Since 2008, the writer has been working on a new book in the Dark Materials cycle with the working title The Book of Dust. According to the writer's own words, this book should become the main one in his writing career, but work on it is progressing with difficulty (data for 2011). He lives in Oxford with his wife and two adult children and is known for his civil liberties activities.
Pullman is concerned about the increasing use of testing as a method of assessing knowledge.
According to Pullman, he regularly receives angry letters from religious fanatics with curses and even threats.
The title of the cycle "His Dark Materials" is taken from John Milton's poem "Paradise Lost", of which Pullman is a big fan. In addition, Pullman's work was influenced by the poetry of William Blake, who is also one of the writer's favorite authors.
Writer's Awards
1995 - Carnegie Medal for the book "Northern Lights"
1995 British Fantasy Society Award for Northern Lights
1996 - The Guardian Prize for the book "Northern Lights"
2001 - Whitbird Prize (later renamed) for the book "Amber Telescope"
2001 - The British Book Awards as the best author of the year
2002 - Eleanor Farjeon Award for children's literature
2005 -
2005 - Christopher Tower Poetry Prize
2007 - Carnegie Medal. The novel "Northern Lights" is named the best book for children of the last seventy years.
In addition, Pullman is a doctorate at Oxford University and an honorary professor at Bangor University.
Bibliography
Cycles of works
Once Upon a Time in the North (2008)
Northern Lights (/Polar Lights) (1995)
(1997)
(2000)
Oxford Lear (2003)
Wax Gallery
(1994)
Ball of gas pipeliners (1998)
The Mysterious Adventures of Sally Lockhart
(1985)
(1988)
(1990)
(1994)
Cycle without a name
The Broken Bridge (1990)
The Butterfly Tattoo (2001)
Works outside cycles
The Haunted Storm (1972)Galatea (1976)
(1982)
How to Be Cool (1987)
Jack Spring Heels (1989)
The White Mercedes (1992)
The Wonderful Story of Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp (1995)
(1995)
Clockwork, or Everything is wound up (1996)
Mossy Coat (1998)
I was a rat! (1999)
Puss in Boots (2000)
(2004)
The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ (2010)
Screen adaptations of works, theatrical performances
I Was a Rat (2001, Canada, UK) dir. Lori Lind
Ruby in the Dark [TV] (2006, UK) dir. Brian Percival
Shadow of the North Star [TV] (2007, UK) dir. John Alexander
Golden Compass (2007, USA, UK) dir. Chris Weitz Academy Award for Best Visual Effects
Butterfly Tattoo (2009, Netherlands) dir. Philip Hawkins
