Philip Pullman facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Sir Philip Pullman CBE FRSL
Pullman at the Oxford Literary Festival in April 2005
Born	(1946-10-19) 19 October 1946 (age 78) Norwich, England
Occupation	Novelist
Education	English
Alma mater	Exeter College, Oxford
Genre	Fantasy
Notable works	His Dark Materials Clockwork, or All Wound Up The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ The Book of Dust
Notable awards	Carnegie Medal 1995 Guardian Prize 1996 Astrid Lindgren Award 2005
Spouse	Judith Speller (m. 1970)
Children	2
Parents	Alfred Outram Pullman Audrey Evelyn Merrifield
Relatives	Outram Marshall (great-grandfather)
Signature

Sir Philip Pullman, born on October 19, 1946, is a famous English writer. He is best known for his amazing fantasy book series, His Dark Materials. The first book, Northern Lights (published in 1995), won the Carnegie Medal. Later, it was even named the "Carnegie of Carnegies," which means it was chosen as the best book to win the award in 70 years! The third book in the series, The Amber Spyglass (2000), won the Whitbread Award.

In 2003, His Dark Materials was voted third in the BBC's "The Big Read" poll, where people in Britain chose their favorite novels. Philip Pullman started a new series called The Book of Dust in 2017, which is connected to His Dark Materials. By 2025, his books, including both trilogies and short stories, have sold over 49 million copies!

In 2008, The Times newspaper called Pullman one of the "50 greatest British writers since 1945." He was made a knight in 2019 for his contributions to literature. This means he can use "Sir" before his name.

Early Life and Learning

Philip Pullman was born in Norwich, England. His father, Alfred Outram Pullman, was a pilot in the Royal Air Force. Because of his father's job, Philip's family moved around a lot, even living in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) for a while. However, he spent most of his childhood in Llanbedr, Wales.

When Philip was seven, his father died in a plane crash. His mother remarried, and they moved to North Wales. Philip remembers his mother reading him Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling, which helped him love the sound of words. He also enjoyed Erich Kästner’s Emil and the Three Twins.

Discovering Poetry and Stories

As a teenager, Philip found a love for poetry. He was especially moved by T. S. Eliot's "Journey of the Magi" and realized how powerful words could be. He also discovered John Milton's Paradise Lost, which greatly influenced his His Dark Materials series. He learned that poetry has "weight and colour and taste and shape as well as meaning." Other important writers for him included Homer, Virgil, and Dante.

Philip Pullman went to Exeter College, Oxford, from 1965 to 1968. After college, he married Judith Speller in 1970, and they have two sons. He started teaching children aged 9 to 13 and wrote plays for his students. He often retold classic stories like The Iliad and The Odyssey to practice his storytelling skills.

Becoming a Writer

Philip Pullman's first novel, The Haunted Storm, won an award in 1972. His first children's book, Count Karlstein, was published in 1982. He stopped teaching after his book The Ruby in the Smoke came out in 1985. This book was a Victorian mystery and the first in his popular Sally Lockhart series.

Famous Works and Awards

Between 1988 and 1996, Pullman taught part-time while continuing to write. He began writing His Dark Materials around 1993. The first book, Northern Lights, was released in 1995. While working on this series, he also wrote other children's books like The Firework-Maker's Daughter (1995), which won the Gold Nestlé Smarties Book Prize.

Since 1996, Philip Pullman has been a full-time writer. He gives talks and sometimes writes for The Guardian newspaper, often sharing his ideas about education. In 2004, he received a CBE honor. He also became the President of the Blake Society, which celebrates the poet William Blake.

In 2008, he started working on The Book of Dust, a new series connected to His Dark Materials. He also wrote "The Adventures of John Blake" for a children's comic. In 2012, he chose 50 of Grimms' classic fairytales for a special collection.

His Dark Materials Series

His Dark Materials is a well-known trilogy of books. It includes Northern Lights (also known as The Golden Compass), The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. The title of the series comes from a famous poem called Paradise Lost.

Exploring Parallel Worlds

Northern Lights takes place in a parallel universe where people's souls appear as animal companions called dæmons. The story follows a girl named Lyra Belacqua, who grows up in Oxford. Northern Lights won both the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize.

The second book, The Subtle Knife, introduces a boy from our world named Will Parry. The final book, The Amber Spyglass, moves between several different universes. It won the Whitbread Prize for best children's book and was named Whitbread Book of the Year in 2002. Philip Pullman has also written three shorter companion books for the trilogy: Lyra's Oxford (2003), Once Upon a Time in the North (2008), and Serpentine (2020).

The Book of Dust Series

The Book of Dust is a new series that features characters and events from His Dark Materials. Philip Pullman describes it as an "equel," meaning it's not exactly a sequel or a prequel, but a story that happens at the same time and expands the world.

New Adventures and Characters

The first book in The Book of Dust, called La Belle Sauvage, was published in 2017. The second book, The Secret Commonwealth, came out in October 2019. The third and final book in this trilogy, The Rose Field, is planned to be released on October 23, 2025.

Writing Style and Ideas

Philip Pullman's writing often combines adventure with deeper meanings. He says he wants his stories to entertain both young and older readers, with everyone enjoying the same parts but perhaps seeing different things in them.

Science and Imagination

Pullman includes scientific ideas in his books. For example, His Dark Materials uses concepts like the many worlds interpretation of quantum theory and dark matter. He finds science exciting and believes imagination is very important in it. He also thinks that art, music, and poetry can express things that science might not fully explain.

Campaigns and Beliefs

Philip Pullman is known for speaking out about important issues related to books and society.

Views on Fantasy Stories

Pullman believes that fantasy stories can be very realistic in a psychological way. He wants to write fantastic characters that feel like real people. He sees his His Dark Materials series as "stark realism," even though it's fantasy. He thinks fantasy is great when it helps tell a realistic story.

Views on Children's Books

Pullman strongly believes that children deserve high-quality literature. He doesn't think there should be a strict line between children's and adult books. He feels that good books should be enjoyed by everyone. He also supports campaigns against putting age labels on children's books or labeling them "for girls" or "for boys," because he thinks this limits what children might want to read.

Views on Poetry's Power

He believes that poetry is a form of "enchantment." He says that when you read poetry aloud, the sound and rhythm become part of its meaning. He thinks that teachers should help students enjoy the magic of poetry, rather than just trying to explain it.

Views on Fairy Tales

Pullman believes that reading stories to children is very important for their development. He thinks that children who are read to and talk about stories with their parents will become better at language and thinking.

Views on Libraries

Pullman is a strong supporter of libraries. In 2011, he spoke out against library closures in England, calling it a "war against stupidity." He believes that books are incredibly important tools for learning and fighting against ignorance. He also campaigned for authors to be paid fairly for ebook loans from libraries, just as they are for physical books.

Supporting Civil Liberties

Philip Pullman cares deeply about traditional British civil liberties. He has criticized government actions that he feels limit people's basic rights. He believes in protecting freedom and privacy for everyone.

Personal Life

Philip Pullman is a patron of the Palestine Festival of Literature and the Shakespeare Schools Festival, which helps school children perform Shakespeare plays. He is a lifelong fan of the football club Norwich City. He also enjoys the works of other authors like MacDonald Harris and Norman Lindsay. His favorite book is probably Robert Burton's The Anatomy of Melancholy.

Awards and Honors

Philip Pullman has received many awards and honors for his writing:

In 1972, he won the New English Library's Young Writer's Award.
In 2005, he won the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award from Sweden, which recognizes his entire career in children's and young adult literature.
In 2006 and 2012, he was a finalist for the international Hans Christian Andersen Medal.
He was made an honorary professor at Bangor University in 2007.
In 2009, he received an honorary degree from the University of Oxford.
He was knighted in 2019 for his services to literature.
In 2019, he received the J. M. Barrie Award for his lifetime achievements in delighting children.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2001.
He received a CBE in 2004.
He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Bath in 2013.

Book and Screen Adaptations

Many of Philip Pullman's books have been turned into TV shows, movies, and plays.

Screen Adaptations

How To Be Cool was made into a TV series in 1988.
I Was a Rat became a BBC mini-series in 2001.
The Butterfly Tattoo was adapted into a film in 2007.
The Sally Lockhart mysteries, starting with The Ruby in the Smoke, were adapted for TV by the BBC, starring Billie Piper.
Northern Lights was made into a film called The Golden Compass in 2007, starring Dakota Blue Richards, Daniel Craig, and Nicole Kidman.
A TV series based on His Dark Materials was produced by the BBC and HBO, starting in 2019.

Stage Adaptations

London's Royal National Theatre created a two-part play version of His Dark Materials in 2003.
The Ruby In The Smoke was adapted for the stage and toured the UK in 2016.
The Firework-Maker's Daughter was turned into an opera in 2013, with music by David Bruce.