His Dark Materials: Northern Lights Award-winning by Philip Pullman (author)

Author/Illustrator

Philip Pullman

Philip Pullman is probably the world’s most acclaimed living children’s author, whose bold, brilliant books have set new parameters for what children’s writing can say and do.

He is best known for the trilogy of books known as His Dark Materials, which won the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Book of the Year Award. In 2003, His Dark Materials came third in the BBC’s ‘Big Read’ competition to find the nation’s favourite book, and in 2005 he was awarded the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, the world’s biggest prize for children’s literature. In 2007, The Golden Compass became a major Hollywood film starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig. He has published nearly 20 books in total, and when he’s not writing he likes to play the piano (badly), draw and make things out of wood.

Philip was born in Norwich on 19th October 1946. The early part of his life was spent travelling all over the world, because his father and then his stepfather were both in the Royal Air Force. He spent part of his childhood in Australia, where he first met the wonders of comics, and grew to love Superman and Batman in particular.

From the age of 11, he lived in North Wales, having moved back to Britain. It was a time when children were allowed to roam anywhere, to play in the streets, to wander over the hills, and he took full advantage of it. His English teacher, Miss Enid Jones, was a big influence on him, and he still sends her copies of his books.

After he left school he went to Exeter College, Oxford, to read English. He did a number of odd jobs for a while, and then moved back to Oxford to become a teacher. He taught at various middle schools for twelve years, and then moved to Westminster College, Oxford, to be a part-time lecturer. He taught courses on the Victorian novel and on the folk tale, and also a course examining how words and pictures fit together. He eventually left teaching in order to write full-time.

His first published novel was for adults, but he began writing for children when he was a teacher. Some of his novels were based on plays he wrote for his school pupils, such as The Ruby In The Smoke.

Philip still lives in Oxford, and he writes in a shed at the bottom of his garden. The shed contains two comfortable chairs (one for writing in, one for sitting at the computer in), several hundred books, a six-foot-long stuffed rat which took a part in his play Sherlock Holmes and the Limehouse Horror, a guitar, a saxophone, as well as the computer, decorated with dozens of brightly coloured artificial flowers attached to it by Blu-Tack.

Blu-Tack plays a big part in Philip Pullman’s writing process. With it he sticks to the wall pictures, notes, posters, reminders, postcards, book jackets, anything that will stay there.

Another product of technology that Philip can’t do without is Post-it Notes, the smallest yellow ones in particular. They are very useful for planning the shape of a story: he writes a brief sentence summarising a scene on one of them, and then puts them on a very big piece of paper which he can fill with up to sixty or more different scenes, moving them around to get the best order.

Philip Pullman believes firmly in the virtues of healthy exercise and a moderate diet — for other people. It makes them feel virtuous, and makes them feel good if not happy. He is fond of sport, and plays it by watching television. He is a big fan of Neighbours, but that is the only soap he watches, as Neighbours gives him quite enough to think about.

He is married to Jude. Their son Jamie is a viola player, and their younger son Tom studies linguistics at university.

As far as he can tell, Philip Pullman is moderately harmless and useful. He would like to carry on doing what he’s doing now, and there seems no reason why he shouldn’t, but if it suddenly became against the law to write stories, he would break the law without a second’s hesitation.

“Stories are the most important thing in the world. Without stories, we wouldn’t be human beings at all.”

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What kids think

1. PenguinPenguin3
   on 10 June 2014

   I really love this book because it is set in a very unique world with intriguing characters and a really thrilling storyline .I would definitely say this is one of my favourite books!

   5 out of 5

2. lap312i
   on 8 March 2013

   i know nothing about this book except what i read from the blurb but i know this book is interestring

3. Too-Amazayn
   on 5 March 2013

   His Dark Materials is an amazing trilogy filled to the brim with imagination, adventure and Dust, I really enjoyed them and I hope you do too

   5 out of 5

4. BookClubABC
   on 18 December 2012

   I loved it and its soooooo interesting. if you have got any books to read read the northern lights the best book ever

   5 out of 5

5. Booklover88
   on 9 December 2012

   I like this book, in fact I find this book truely fascinating. However, it does not hold the same charm for me as some novels do. It is thrilling and, sometimes even slightly scary. The whole idea of parellel worlds excites me greatly. But, I find that it is, while not a dificult read, very long. Too long in my opinion. But Pullman definitely has his own style and no one can complain about that!

   3 out of 5

6. steveritus50
   on 20 November 2012

   This is an absolutely brilliant book!

   It takes a while to get into, but is a good story.

   5 out of 5

7. dashernasher
   on 2 March 2012

   after seeing the film i could not wait to read this and i was not dissaponted it is an absolute thriler

   5 out of 5

8. lotus-flower
   on 18 November 2011

   This is my all time favorite and best book in the whole world! Philip Pullman is amazing to have created such a masterpiece!

   5 out of 5

9. asharna
   on 18 November 2011

   i havent read it before and i want to read it

   4 out of 5

10. LadyAlyss
    on 4 November 2011

    it is amazing

    5 out of 5

11. Rebeccac0507
    on 2 November 2011

    OMG best book ever!sad but really interesting! recomenned to 10 and upwards

12. MaYaM-XD
    on 27 October 2011

    it has a new cover?? lol its a great boook.. read all of the 3 books.. GREAT!! ENGAGIBNG AND ADVENTUROUS!