Philip Pullman: Children's books for adult hearts. Philip Pullman's new novel, The Book of Dust, has been released. The Amber Telescope

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Philip Pullman born in 1946 in Norwich in the family of an officer. His father was an RAF pilot who served overseas. As a child, little Philip's imagination was fueled by numerous trips with his parents around the world. “We were like tumbleweeds,” the writer recalls. He spent his childhood in the early fifties in southern Africa and Australia. It seems that it was sailing across the seas and oceans that contributed to the development of the writer’s imagination: hence such an epic scope and broad vision of the world.

Growing up, Philip Pullman settled in New Wales and studied English at Oxford. Later he worked as a librarian, and then, having received appropriate training, became a school teacher - he taught a number of specialties in a second-level school in his beloved Oxford. He is a born storyteller and a good teacher; the children loved it when he read the Iliad to them. His idols are Homer, Swift and Dickens. He was inspired to create his best work, “His Dark Materials,” by the book “Paradise Lost” by John Milton, which he repeatedly spoke about in his interviews.

Pullman writes all his books in the third person, preferring to work in the garden of his house according to a once and for all routine - every day he composes an average of 1,100 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 a blank page. The author would like to see his daemon as a dolphin for his intelligence or a magpie for his agility and intelligence.

Pullman became famous for his children's detective series about sixteen-year-old Sally Lockhart, set in 19th century London: The Ruby in the Smoke (1985), The Shadow in the North (1988), The Tiger in the Well" (1990) and "The Tin Princess" (1994).

In 1996, Pullman's novel Northern Lights (published in the United States under the title The Golden Compass) appeared, which became the beginning of the famous His Dark Materials trilogy, the title of which is taken from John Milton's poem Paradise Lost ( "Paradise Lost") This was followed by "The Subtle Knife" (1997) and "The Amber Spyglass" (2000). The trilogy is complemented by the books “The Book of Dust” and “Lyra’s Oxford”.

In addition, Pullman is the author of the novels: “Spring-Heeled Jack” (1989) - its hero is reminiscent of Robin Hood and “The Broken Bridge” (1990) - here he talks about the growing up of a girl whose parents belong to different races; he also wrote a modern mystery about the loss of illusions, The White Mercedes (1992); the fantasy story "Clockwork" (1998), set in Germany; oriental fairy tale “The Firework-Maker's Daughter” (1999); fantasy about animals “I was a Rat...or the Scarlet Slippers” (1999), etc.

Pullman is married, still lives in Oxford with his wife Judy, has two grown sons and continues to work on new works.

Date of Birth: 19.10.1946

English writer, teacher. He is known as the author of fantasy books for children, the most popular of which are included in the author’s “His Dark Materials” series.

Philip Pullman (also spelled Pullman) was born in Norwich (England) into the family of a military pilot. As a child, Pullman's family moved frequently due to his father's work and Philip visited Zimbabwe and Southern Rhodesia. In 1953, the boy's father died in a plane crash. Philip's mother remarried, 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 intended for an adult audience and did not bring Pullman significant success. By the nature of his work, Pullman had to write scripts for school productions. It was this experience that inspired the writer to write his first teenage book - Count Karlstein. In 1986, the writer became a teacher at Westminster College, where he worked for eight years, teaching courses on the Victorian novel and folklore. In 1995, the first book in the His 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 reviews, the book also aroused a number of critical comments, primarily from religious organizations. Pullman was accused of slandering the church and anti-clerical propaganda. These accusations received a new impetus recently with the publication of Pullman’s book “The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ” in 2010.

The success of Northern Lights allowed Pullman to leave teaching and concentrate on literature. In subsequent years, sequels to His Dark Materials were published, as well as many other books by the writer. In 2004, Pullman returned part-time to teaching and now lectures periodically at his alma mater, Exeter College, Oxford. That 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 Award. Since 2008, the writer has been working on a new book in the His Dark Materials series 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). Lives in Oxford with his wife and two adult children, known for his activities in defense of civil liberties.

Pullman is concerned about the increasing use of testing as a method of assessing knowledge.

According to Pullman, he regularly receives angry letters with curses and even threats from religious fanatics.

The title of the His Dark Materials series 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 the book “Northern Lights”
1996 - The Guardian Prize for the book “Northern Lights”
2001 – Whitbird Prize (later renamed) for the book “The Amber Telescope”
2001 - The British Book Awards for 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” has been named the best book for children of the last seventy years.

In addition, Pullman is a doctor of the University of Oxford 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 Lyres (2003)

Wax gallery
(1994)
Gas Pipelines Ball (1998)

The Mysterious Adventures of Sally Lockhart
(1985)
(1988)
(1990)
(1994)

Untitled cycle
The Broken Bridge (1990)
The Butterfly Tattoo (2001)

Products 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)
Mossycoat (1998)
I Was A Rat! (1999)
Puss in Boots (2000)
(2004)
The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ (2010)

Film adaptations of works, theatrical performances

I Was a Rat (2001, Canada, UK) dir. Laurie Lind
Ruby in the Dark [TV] (2006, UK) dir. Brian Percival
Shadow of the North Star [TV] (2007, UK) dir. John Alexander
The Golden Compass (2007, USA, UK) dir. Chris Weitz Academy Award for Best Visual Effects
Butterfly Tattoo (2009, Netherlands) dir. Philip Hawkins

Biography

Philip Pullman is an English writer.

Born in 1946 in the family of an officer. His father was an RAF pilot who served overseas. As a child, little Philip's imagination was fueled by numerous trips with his parents around the world. “We were like tumbleweeds,” the writer recalls. He spent his childhood in southern Africa and Australia. It seems that it was sailing across the seas and oceans that contributed to the development of the writer’s imagination: hence such an epic scope and broad vision of the world.

Growing up, Philip Pullman settled in New Wales and studied English at Oxford. Later he worked as a librarian, and then, having received appropriate training, became a school teacher - he taught a number of specialties in a second-level school in his beloved Oxford. He is a born storyteller and a good teacher; the children loved it when he read the Iliad to them. His idols are Homer, Swift and Dickens. He was inspired to create his best work, His Dark Materials, by the book Paradise Lost by John Milton, which he repeatedly spoke about in his interviews.

Pullman writes all his books in the third person, 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 1,100 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 a blank page. The author would like to see his daemon as a dolphin for his intelligence or a magpie for his agility.

Pullman became famous for his children's detective series about sixteen-year-old Sally Lockhart, which takes place in the 19th century in London: The Ruby in the Smoke (1985), The Shadow in the North (1988), The Tiger in well (The Tiger in the Well, 1990) and The Tin Princess (1994).

In 1996, Pullman's novel Northern Lights (published in the United States under the title The Golden Compass) appeared, which became the beginning of the famous His Dark Materials trilogy, the title of which is taken from John Milton's poem Paradise Lost. This was followed by The Subtle Knife (1997) and The Amber Spyglass (2000). The trilogy is complemented by short stories - Lyra's Oxford and Once Upon a Time in the North. Another book in this series is expected to be released soon.

Pullman is married and has two grown sons. He still lives in Oxford with his wife Judy and continues to work on new works.

Philip Pullman - list of all books

All genres Fantasy Detective

Year	Name	Rating
		7.80 (67)
1995		7.76 (54)
1997		7.73 (47)
2000		7.73 (46)
2011		7.48 (
1985		7.37 (10)
1988		7.34 (
1994		7.30 (
1990		7.30 (
2003		6.55 (

Fantasy (69.23%)

Detective (30.77%)

Soon they reached the outskirts of the city and began to make their way along a lazy stream overgrown with small bushes with bare branches. From time to time there was a splash or a hoarse croak of a disturbed amphibian, but the only creature that caught their eye was a toad the size of Will's foot - it was breathing painfully, inflating on one side, as if it had been terribly mutilated. Trying to crawl away from the path, she looked as if she was expecting reprisals. “It would be more merciful to kill her,” said Tialys. - How do you know? – Lira objected. “Maybe she still wants to live.” “Killing her means taking her with you,” Will said. “But she wants to stay here.” I've already killed too many. Even sitting in a dirty, stinking puddle is probably better than being dead. – What if she’s in pain? – asked Tialys. “If she had said so, then it would be a different matter.” But since she can't, I won't kill her. This would mean listening to yourself, not to the toad.

From the book “The Amber Telescope” -

Genre:
A group of ten-year-old detectives languishes with boredom if nothing happens in their area for a long time. But then something suspicious looms - the team immediately gets down to business. And very soon he gets on the trail of the attacker. This was the case when Lambeth was overrun with counterfeit money. This was the case when a major theft occurred at a respectable gas pipeline company.

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Genre:
Residents of a mountain village are in fear. Every year on the eve of All Souls' Day, Zamiel, the Wild Hunter, prowls the surrounding forests in search of prey. 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 commits deception. His nieces, Lucy and Charlotte, are in danger! A maid in the castle and her brother accidentally learn about the count's insidious plans. Will they be able to outwit the villain and help the girls? This gothic tale with ghosts and chases is a great gift for fans of Philip Pullman and those who are not yet familiar with his work. Philip Pullman is one of the world's most popular English children's writers, a graduate of Oxford University, a college literature teacher, and has been awarded many prestigious awards.

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Genre:
The book “The Daughter of the Inventor of Fireworks,” published in 2005 (Rosman, Moscow), includes three works for children: the oriental fairy tale “The Daughter of the Inventor of Fireworks,” the Gothic fairy tale “Clockwork, or Everything Wound Up,” and the comic book fairy tale “Spring-Heeled Jack.” " The book contains many beautiful illustrations by contemporary artists. In the homeland of the writer (F. Pullman), the fairy tales were published separately and in different years; domestic publishers have combined them into a collection, but now we present to your attention one of the fairy tales included in the collection - “Jack Spring Heels”. Jack Spring Heels - an invincible hero with springs attached to his heels was known long before Superman and Batman, in the time of Queen Victoria . The tale begins with the epigraph “It was a dark, stormy night...” But despite the fast-paced action and intense intrigue, there is much more humor and a mocking smile here than disturbing nightmares and dark allegories.

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Genre:
“This is the story of Jesus and his brother Christ: how they were born, how they lived and how one of them died. The death of the second did not go down in history...” So begins a truly stunning (and incredibly witty) book by Philip Pullman, written as part of the international literary project “Myths”. For this famous dreamer, awarded the most prestigious literary awards and always at war with various religious organizations, the mystery 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 peace and build on earth only the illusion of the Kingdom of God...An ambiguous, but at the same time fascinating interpretation of the “greatest history” of mankind.

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Genre:
The book “The Daughter of the Inventor of Fireworks,” published in 2005 (Rosman, Moscow), includes three works for children: the oriental fairy tale “The Daughter of the Inventor of Fireworks,” the Gothic fairy tale “Clockwork, or Everything Wound Up,” and the comic book fairy tale “Spring-Heeled Jack.” " The book contains many beautiful illustrations by contemporary artists. In the homeland of the writer (F. Pullman), the fairy tales were published separately and in different years; domestic publishers have combined them into a collection, but now we present to your attention one of the fairy tales included in the collection - “The Daughter of the Inventor of Fireworks.” The story of the girl Lila, who wants to continue her father’s work and become just like him, a master of fireworks (even against the will of her 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.

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Genre:
In the story “Once Upon a Time in the North,” the heroine of the “His Dark Materials” trilogy, Lyra Belacqua, already an Oxford student, 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.

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Genre:
The independence of the tiny kingdom of Ratskavia is in danger. Jim Taylor and Adelaide, known to the reader from the books "Ruby in the Dark", "Shadow of the North Star", "Tiger in the Well", as well as their new friend Becky, find themselves in the thick of historical events. It depends on their will and courage whether the kingdom will remain on the map of Europe.

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Series:
Genre:
Sally is sixteen years old and unusually pretty. Her knowledge of literature, languages and music leaves much to be desired, but she knows how to run a business, dashingly ride a horse and shoot a pistol without missing a beat. When her father dies under mysterious circumstances, Sally is left alone in foggy London. She is in danger, although she doesn't know it. As the smog thickens over the city, so does the mystery, on the solution of which her life depends. And the culprit is an ominous secret hidden in the ruby.

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Genre:
...The search for a missing friend leads Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon to the distant North, where armored bears reign in the icy expanses and witches fly in the frosty sky. And where scientists conduct experiments that are scary to even talk about. Lyra is destined not only to overcome 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 the hundred best novels of all time, compiled in 2003 by The Observer newspaper. 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!

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Series:
At the end of Northern Lights, Silvertongue Lyra watched in awe and admiration as her father, Lord Azrael, created a bridge between the worlds. Lyra and her daemon, Pantalaimon, are now lost in another universe, where they meet Wil Perry, a fugitive from the third universe. Wil has found a small window between Zittageuse (a place where children roam unhindered but invisible Ghosts suck the spirit out of adults) and his Oxford, which, with its King's Burgers and cars, is frighteningly different from the Oxford Lyra knows. Wil's father, a researcher, disappeared years ago, but recently some suspicious characters have started asking questions about him, and now, having accidentally killed one of them, Wil is wanted by the police. Armed with the Stealth Knife, a tool that cuts any material (including that which separates universes) and Lyra's Alethiometer, the children set out to find John Perry, with adults of various stripes in desperate pursuit. Lyra's most beautiful qualities, her courage and quick thinking, are stretched to the limit as she must lie, forge and steal to be safe with Wil. However, she must also learn when to tell the truth and who to trust, because although she doesn't know it yet, she has a huge role to play in the coming battle between good and evil.

Ruby in the darkness

Are you a good horseman and a good pistol shooter?

Do you know accounting, business and military strategies?

Can you solve logic problems with ease? No?

Don't be upset.

In 19th century England, only one girl possessed such an arsenal of knowledge... Miss Sally Lockhart!

When Sally's father, Captain Lockhart, dies under mysterious circumstances in the South Seas, the girl is forced to solve a mystery on which her entire fate depends...

Shadow of the North Star

Are you easy to handle horses? Are you a marksman? Can you easily understand accounting records, military maps, etc.? Do you have no problems with complex math problems? No? No need to be sad...

Only Sally Lockhart, a sixteen-year-old English girl, possessed such a set of skills and information.

When Sally and her comrades encountered the insidious secret organization "North Star", they were forced to stop being detectives to investigate terrible murders and a conspiracy on a global scale.

Tiger in the well

Sally Lockhart is a unique girl. No one in 19th century England had such a breadth of knowledge.

In the book "Tiger in the Well" the main character must muster all her courage and outstanding mind to repel a ruthless enemy.

After all, her whole life and the salvation of her friends depend on this confrontation...

Tin Princess

For several years, Sally and her friend Jim tried to find Adelaide, a young orphan who disappeared in the London slums.

When they were finally able to find the girl, little Adelaide had already grown up... and turned out to be the princess of a small European state.

Ratskavia cannot feel safe because she is surrounded by conspiracies and enemies, and a bloody hunt has begun for members of the royal family...

His Dark Materials

Northern lights

The main character, Lyra Belacqua, along with her daemon Pantalaimon, is in Oxford.

Her uncle, the influential Lord Asriel, arrives at the college to plan a trip to the North.

The purpose of his expedition is to find out the origin of the mysterious “dust” that is visible in photographs taken in that area.

Some time after her uncle’s departure, the mysterious “priests” decide to kidnap Lyra’s friend, a servant boy. Terrible legends are told about how they take children to the Far North.

The girl is going to find her friend at all costs, and on this trip she will learn secrets about her family and the fate that awaits her in those cold spaces...

Wonderful knife

After the circumstances that happened on Svalbard, Lyra Belacqua is transported to a new world where she encounters Will.

The guy is only 12 years old, and he has already become a killer. Together they reach a city of abandoned children called Citagazze, where Ghosts rush through the streets, taking the souls of adults, but are afraid of children, and the sky is divided between witches and real angels...

Each pursues their own goals: Lyra is trying to find the meaning of Dust, and Will dreams of finding his missing father. But in the end, their discovery becomes a completely unusual object...

Amber telescope

The powerful Lord Asriel begins to recruit an army to organize a rebellion against the great Overlord.

To succeed, he needs Lyra and her friend Will with a magic knife.

Lord Asriel decides to use spies to find the main characters.

At this moment, Lyra and Will are on their way. They are going to get to the chilling land of the dead, from where no one has ever come out alive...

Intellectual bestseller. Myths

The Good Man Jesus and the Bad Man Christ

“This is the story of Jesus and his brother Christ: how they were born, what their lives were like, and how one of the brothers died. whose death has never been reflected in history..."

With these words begins a truly stunning (and very witty) book by Philip Pullman, which was written specifically for the international literary project “Myths”.

For the writer, the secret of the dual nature of the Savior of Nazareth is revealed extremely simply: one twin brother was Jesus, and the other was Christ, one really believed and knew God, and the other planned to subjugate people and create only the illusion of the Kingdom of God on earth...

Golden Compass

Book of Dust. Beautiful savage

Not far from Oxford, on the banks of the Thames, lives an ordinary teenager whose name is Malcolm Polstead.

He is always ready to help his parents, is very kind to the inhabitants of the convent on the opposite bank of the river, and really dreams of going to school.

One day, Malcolm becomes aware that an unusual guest now lives in the monastery. A girl named Lyra Belacqua...