Michael Morpurgo,
OBEThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
FKC
AKCThe Associateship or Associate of King's College award has been the degree-equivalent qualification of King's College London since 1833. It is the original qualification that the College awarded to its students since, not being a university, it could not award a degree.Since 1909, only students...
(born 5 October 1943) is an
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
authorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
,
poetA poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
,
playwrightA playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and librettist, best known for his work in
children's literatureChildren's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
. He was the third
Children's LaureateChildren's Laureate is a position awarded in the UK once every two years to a distinguished writer or illustrator of children's books. A biannual bursary of £10,000 is offered...
.
Early life
Michael Andrew Bridge was born in
St AlbansSt Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
,
HertfordshireHertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, in 1943, the son of Tony Bridge, an actor known professionally as Tony Van Bridge. His stepfather, Jack Morpurgo, was a writer and professor of literature at Leeds University. His great-grandmother was the soprano
Marie BremaMarie Brema was an English dramatic mezzo-soprano singer in concert, operatic and oratorio work in the last decade of the 19th and the first decade of the 20th centuries...
. His grandparents were
Émile CammaertsÉmile Leon Cammaerts was a Belgian poet.He became Professor of Belgian Studies at the University of London in 1933, and his papers are held there in Senate House Library....
, a Belgian poet who also taught French at the girls' school,
Queen's College, LondonQueen's College is an independent school for girls aged 11–18. It is located in central London at numbers 43-49, Harley Street. Founded in 1848 by F. D. Maurice, Professor of English Literature and History at King's College London along with a committee of patrons, the College was the first...
from 1915 to 1931, and Tita Brand, an actress. His uncle,
Francis CammaertsFrancis Charles Albert Cammaerts DSO was an outstanding Special Operations Executive agent who organised French Resistance groups to sabotage German communications in occupied France.-Early life:...
, was a
Special Operations ExecutiveThe Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
(SOE) agent with the
French ResistanceThe French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
.
During the last years of
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he was evacuated to
CumberlandCumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
; he later moved back to
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and then on to
EssexEssex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
.
Education
Morpurgo was educated at schools in central London,
SussexSussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
and
CanterburyCanterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
(his unhappy experiences at boarding school would inform his novel
The Butterfly LionThe Butterfly Lion is a children's novel by Michael Morpurgo. It was first published in Great Britain by Collins publishers in 1996. It won the 1996 Smarties book prize....
, one of his more famous works). Whilst at
The King's SchoolThe King's School is a British co-educational independent school for both day and boarding pupils in the historic English cathedral city of Canterbury in Kent. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and the Eton Group....
, an
independent schoolAn independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
in
CanterburyCanterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
, he was once described as being "rather stupid but great at rugby". He later trained for the British Army at the
Royal Military Academy SandhurstThe Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
. He managed to fight but went home after getting injured in action. He then took up a teaching job. He graduated with a 3rd class degree in English and French from
King's College LondonKing's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
.
From teaching to writing
Morpurgo's first job was as a primary school teacher, in
KentKent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. While he was teaching, in his late twenties, he discovered his talent for storytelling, stating "I could see there was magic in it for them, and realized there was magic in it for me."
His writing career was inspired by
Ted HughesEdward James Hughes OM , more commonly known as Ted Hughes, was an English poet and children's writer. Critics routinely rank him as one of the best poets of his generation. Hughes was British Poet Laureate from 1984 until his death.Hughes was married to American poet Sylvia Plath, from 1956 until...
's
Poetry in the Making,
Paul GallicoPaul William Gallico was a successful American novelist, short story and sports writer. Many of his works were adapted for motion pictures...
's
The Snow GooseThe Snow Goose: A Story of Dunkirk is a short novella by the American author Paul Gallico. It was first published in 1940 as a short story in The Saturday Evening Post, then he expanded it to create a short novella which was first published on April 7, 1941.The Snow Goose was one of the O. Henry...
and Hemingway's
The Old Man and the SeaThe Old Man and the Sea is a novel written by American author Ernest Hemingway in 1951 in Cuba, and published in 1952. It was the last major work of fiction to be produced by Hemingway and published in his lifetime. One of his most famous works, it centers upon Santiago, an aging fisherman who...
. Poets
Seán RaffertySeán Rafferty was a Scottish poet, based in England from 1932 until his death...
and Ted Hughes were influential in his career, with Hughes becoming a friend, mentor and neighbour.
In 2009, he donated the short story
Look At Me, I Need a Smile to Oxfam's "
Ox-TalesOx-Tales refers to four anthologies of short stories written by 38 of the UK's best known authors. All the authors donated their stories to Oxfam...
" project, four collections of UK stories written by 38 authors. Morpurgo's story was published in the "Water" collection.
Morpurgo's work is noted for its "magical storytelling", for recurring themes such as the triumph of an outsider or survival, for characters' relationships with nature, and for vivid settings such as the Cornish coast or World War I.
Farms for City Children
In 1976, Michael and his wife,
ClareClare Morpurgo MBE, née Lane, is the wife of British author Michael Morpurgo.She is the oldest daughter of Allen Lane, the founder of Penguin books....
, eldest daughter of Sir
Allen LaneSir Allen Lane was a British publisher who founded Penguin Books, bringing high quality paperback fiction and non-fiction to the mass market.-Early life and family:...
, the founder of
Penguin BooksPenguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
, established the charity
Farms for City ChildrenFarms for City Children is a UK registered charity which aims to provide experience of farm and countryside life for inner-city children.-Foundation:...
, with the primary aim of providing children from inner city areas with experience of the countryside. The programme involves the children spending a week at a countryside
farmA farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
, during which they take part in purposeful farmyard work.
About 85,000 children have taken part in the scheme since it was set up, and the charity now has three farms in
DevonDevon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
,
GloucestershireGloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
and
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. In 1999 the couple were created
Members of the Order of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(MBE) in recognition of these services to youth. He was later elevated to Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) on 17 June 2006 for his services to literature.
Michael is patron to the following charities: The Prince of Wales Art and Kids Foundation; What about the Children?; Montessori Education UK; Bag Books; The Unicorn Theatre; The Lincoln Book Festival; The Oundle Festival; The Works Theatre Company; The Down Syndrome Educational Trust; The Browning Society; English PEN, Readers and Writers; The Ambassador Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Foundation; KIDZONE FINLAND; and the Two Parishes Festival.
Children's Laureate
Morpurgo was involved in the development of the
Children's LaureateChildren's Laureate is a position awarded in the UK once every two years to a distinguished writer or illustrator of children's books. A biannual bursary of £10,000 is offered...
award: "The idea for the Children's Laureate originated from a conversation between (the then) Poet Laureate
Ted HughesEdward James Hughes OM , more commonly known as Ted Hughes, was an English poet and children's writer. Critics routinely rank him as one of the best poets of his generation. Hughes was British Poet Laureate from 1984 until his death.Hughes was married to American poet Sylvia Plath, from 1956 until...
and children's writer Michael Morpurgo." He was the third person to become Children's Laureate and held the title from 2003 to 2005.
Illustrators
Morpurgo has worked with a number of illustrators, including
Quentin BlakeQuentin Saxby Blake, CBE, FCSD, RDI, is an English cartoonist, illustrator and children's author, well-known for his collaborations with writer Roald Dahl.-Education:...
,
Christian BirminghamChristian Birmingham is a well-known British illustrator and artist who has worked with many leading authors, including children's laureate Michael Morpurgo on books including Whitbread Children's Book of the Year The Wreck of the Zanzibar and Smarties Prize winner The Butterfly Lion...
, Emma Chichester Clark,
Michael ForemanMichael Foreman is an award-winning British author and illustrator, mainly for children. He lives in London. He is one of the best-known and most prolific writer-illustrators of children's books. He was born and grew up in the seaside village of Pakefield, near Lowestoft, Suffolk, where his mother...
, Shoo Rayner,
Tony RossTony Ross is a British illustrator and author for children.He is most noted for his work with Francesca Simon on the Horrid Henry books, and has also illustrated the Harry The Poisonous Centipede and Dr. Xargle series of books...
and Sarah Young.
Adaptations
Gentle Giant was presented as an opera by composer Stephen McNeff and librettist Mike Kenny at the Royal Opera House in 2006. Film versions have been made of
Friend or Foe (1981) and
When the Whales Came (1989), the latter also being adapted to a stage play.
My Friend Walter (1988) 'Purple Penguins' (2000) and
Out of the Ashes (2001) have both been adapted for television.
War Horse has been adapted as a radio broadcast and as a successful
stage playWar Horse is a play based on the book of the same name by acclaimed children's writer Michael Morpurgo, adapted for stage by Nick Stafford. Originally Morpurgo thought "they must be mad" to try to make a play from his best-selling 1982 novel. He was proved wrong by the play's instant success...
in the
West EndWest End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
. Composer Stephen Barlow created a musical adaptation of
Rainbow Bear, narrated by his wife
Joanna LumleyJoanna Lamond Lumley, OBE, FRGS is a British actress, voice-over artist, former-model and author, best known for her roles in British television series Absolutely Fabulous portraying Edina Monsoon's best friend, Patsy Stone, as well as parts in The New Avengers, Sapphire & Steel, and Sensitive...
. This was subsequently presented as a ballet by the National Youth Ballet of Great Britain in August 2010.
Shortlisted
- 1991 Carnegie Medal: Waiting for Anya
Waiting for Anya is a children's fiction novel by Michael Morpurgo. It was first published in Great Britain by William Heinemann publishers in 1990. The book was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. It is set in Lescun, in the suburbs of France.-Characters:...
- 1995 Carnegie Medal: Arthur, High King of Britain
- 1996 Carnegie Medal: The Wreck of the Zanzibar
The Wreck Of The Zanzibar is a children's novel by Michael Morpurgo. It was first published in Great Britain by William Heinemann Publishers in 1995. The book won the Whitbread Children's Book Award in 1995.-Plot summary:Taken from the book's blurb,...
- 2002 W. H. Smith Award for Children's Literature: Out of the Ashes
- 2003 Blue Peter Book Award: The Book I Couldn't Put Down: Cool!
- 2003 Carnegie Medal: Private Peaceful
Private Peaceful is a novel for older children by Michael Morpurgo, first published in 2003. It is about a soldier called Thomas "Tommo" Peaceful, who is looking back on his life from the trenches of World War I. Structurally, each chapter of the book brings the reader closer to the present until...
- 2004 Whitbread Children's Book Award: Private Peaceful
Private Peaceful is a novel for older children by Michael Morpurgo, first published in 2003. It is about a soldier called Thomas "Tommo" Peaceful, who is looking back on his life from the trenches of World War I. Structurally, each chapter of the book brings the reader closer to the present until...
- 2010 Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis
The Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis is an annual award established in 1956 by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth to recognise outstanding works of children's literature. It is Germany's only state-funded literary award. In the past, authors from many countries...
(German youth literature prize): Warten auf Anya (Waiting for AnyaWaiting for Anya is a children's fiction novel by Michael Morpurgo. It was first published in Great Britain by William Heinemann publishers in 1990. The book was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. It is set in Lescun, in the suburbs of France.-Characters:...
)
Awarded
- 1993 Prix Sorcières
The Prix Sorcières is an annual literary prize awarded in France since 1986 to works of children's literature in a number of categories.The prizewinners are decided jointly by the ALSJ and the ABF .Qualifying works must be written in French or translated into French from the original...
(France): King of the Cloud Forests
- 1995 Whitbread Children's Book Award: The Wreck of the Zanzibar
The Wreck Of The Zanzibar is a children's novel by Michael Morpurgo. It was first published in Great Britain by William Heinemann Publishers in 1995. The book won the Whitbread Children's Book Award in 1995.-Plot summary:Taken from the book's blurb,...
- 1996 Nestlé Smarties Book Prize
The Nestlé Children's Book Prize, also known as the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize, was an annual award given to children's books written in the previous year by a UK citizen or resident. The prize was administered by Booktrust, an independent charity which promotes books and reading, and sponsored by...
(Gold Award): The Butterfly LionThe Butterfly Lion is a children's novel by Michael Morpurgo. It was first published in Great Britain by Collins publishers in 1996. It won the 1996 Smarties book prize....
- 1999 Prix Sorcières (France): Wombat Goes Walkabout
- 2000 Red House Children's Book Award: Kensuke's Kingdom
Kensuke's Kingdom is a children's novel by Michael Morpurgo, illustrated by Michael Foreman. It was first published in 1999 by Egmont UK, since when many more editions have been released by various other publishers, such as Scholastic.-Plot summary:...
- 2001 Prix Sorcières (France): Kensuke's Kingdom
Kensuke's Kingdom is a children's novel by Michael Morpurgo, illustrated by Michael Foreman. It was first published in 1999 by Egmont UK, since when many more editions have been released by various other publishers, such as Scholastic.-Plot summary:...
- 2002 Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (Bronze Award): The Last Wolf
- 2004 Red House Children's Book Award: Private Peaceful
Private Peaceful is a novel for older children by Michael Morpurgo, first published in 2003. It is about a soldier called Thomas "Tommo" Peaceful, who is looking back on his life from the trenches of World War I. Structurally, each chapter of the book brings the reader closer to the present until...
- 2005 Blue Peter Book of the Year Award: Private Peaceful
Private Peaceful is a novel for older children by Michael Morpurgo, first published in 2003. It is about a soldier called Thomas "Tommo" Peaceful, who is looking back on his life from the trenches of World War I. Structurally, each chapter of the book brings the reader closer to the present until...
- 2005 Hampshire Book Award
The Hampshire Book Award is an annual award given to works of children's literature published in paperback during the previous year. The award is run by Hampshire County Council's School Library Service.-List of prize winners:...
: Private PeacefulPrivate Peaceful is a novel for older children by Michael Morpurgo, first published in 2003. It is about a soldier called Thomas "Tommo" Peaceful, who is looking back on his life from the trenches of World War I. Structurally, each chapter of the book brings the reader closer to the present until...
- 2008 California Young Reader Medal
The California Young Reader Medal is an award given annually to books nominated and voted on by children in California. The medal was established in 1974 and encourages recreational reading...
: Private PeacefulPrivate Peaceful is a novel for older children by Michael Morpurgo, first published in 2003. It is about a soldier called Thomas "Tommo" Peaceful, who is looking back on his life from the trenches of World War I. Structurally, each chapter of the book brings the reader closer to the present until...
Selected works
In a statistical overview derived from writings by and about Michael Morpurgo,
OCLCOCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. is "a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the world’s information and reducing information costs"...
/
WorldCatWorldCat is a union catalog which itemizes the collections of 72,000 libraries in 170 countries and territories which participate in the Online Computer Library Center global cooperative...
encompasses roughly 300+ works in 1,000+ publications in 25 languages and 55,000+ library holdings. He is known primarily for the more than 120 books he has written.
- It Never Rained: Five Stories (1974)
- Living Poets (compiler with Clifford Simmons) (1974)
- Long Way Home (1975)
- Thatcher Jones (1975)
- The Story-Teller (compiler with Graham Barrett) (1976)
- Friend or Foe (1977)
- Do All You Dare (1978)
- What Shall We Do with It? (1978)
- All Around the Year (with Ted Hughes) (1979)
- Love at First Sight (1979)
- That's How (1979)
- The Day I Took the Bull By the Horn (1979)
- The Ghost-Fish (1979)
- The Marble Crusher and Other Stories (1980)
- The Nine Lives of Montezuma (1980)
- Miss Wirtle's Revenge (1981)
- The White Horse of Zennor: And Other Stories from below the Eagle's Nest (1982)
- War Horse (1982)
- Twist of Gold (1983)
- Little Foxes
Little Foxes is a book written by Michael Morpurgo in 1984.-Plot:Billy Bunch is an orphan who has had many foster families, but none of them have worked out. He is currently living with a foster mother in the suburbs of a city. They don't get on well, and at school Billy is not good at subjects,...
(1984)
- Why the Whales Came
Why the Whales Came is a children's story written by Michael Morpurgo and first published by William Heinemann in 1985. It is set on the island of Bryher, one of the Isles of Scilly, in the year 1914. "You keep away from the Birdman", warned Gracie's father. But Gracie and her friend Daniel...
(1985)
- Words of Songs (libretto, music by Phyllis Tate) (1985)
- Tom's Sausage Lion (1986)
- Conker (1987)
- Jo-Jo, the Melon Monkey (1987)
- King of the Cloud Forests (1988)
- Mossop's Last Chance (with Shoo Rayner) (1988)
- My Friend Walter (1988)
- Albertine, Goose Queen (with Shoo Rayner) (1989)
- Mr. Nobody's Eyes (1989)
- Jigger's Day Off (with Shoo Rayner) (1990)
- Waiting for Anya
Waiting for Anya is a children's fiction novel by Michael Morpurgo. It was first published in Great Britain by William Heinemann publishers in 1990. The book was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. It is set in Lescun, in the suburbs of France.-Characters:...
(1990)
- And Pigs Might Fly! (with Shoo Rayner) (1991)
- Colly's Barn (1991)
- The Sandman and the Turtles (1991)
- Martians at Mudpuddle Farm (with Shoo Rayner) (1992)
- The King in the Forest (1993)
- The War of Jenkins' Ear (1993)
- Arthur, High King of Britain (1994)
- Snakes and Ladders (1994)
- The Dancing Bear (1994)
- Blodin the Beast (1995)
- Mum's the Word (with Shoo Rayner) (1995)
- Stories from Mudpuddle Farm (with Shoo Rayner) (1995)
- The Wreck of the Zanzibar
The Wreck Of The Zanzibar is a children's novel by Michael Morpurgo. It was first published in Great Britain by William Heinemann Publishers in 1995. The book won the Whitbread Children's Book Award in 1995.-Plot summary:Taken from the book's blurb,...
(1995)
- Robin of Sherwood (1996)
- Sam's Duck (1996)
- The Butterfly Lion
The Butterfly Lion is a children's novel by Michael Morpurgo. It was first published in Great Britain by Collins publishers in 1996. It won the 1996 Smarties book prize....
(1996)
- The Ghost of Grania O'Malley (1996)
- Farm Boy (1997)
- Cockadoodle-doo, Mr Sultana! (1998)
- Escape from Shangri-La (1998)
- Joan of Arc (1998)
- Red Eyes at Night (1998)
- Wartman (1998)
- Kensuke's Kingdom
Kensuke's Kingdom is a children's novel by Michael Morpurgo, illustrated by Michael Foreman. It was first published in 1999 by Egmont UK, since when many more editions have been released by various other publishers, such as Scholastic.-Plot summary:...
(1999)
- The Rainbow Bear (1999)
- Wombat Goes Walkabout (1999)
- Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid is a children's novel by the English author Michael Morpurgo, first published in 2000.- Plot summary :The book is set during World War II. It is about a boy called Billy who grew up with his hobby, football, and wanted to play for the Chelsea football team...
(2000)
- Black Queen (2000)
- Dear Olly (2000)
- From Hereabout Hill (2000)
- The Silver Swan (2000)
- Who's a Big Bully Then? (2000)
- More Muck and Magic (2001)
- Out of the Ashes (2001)
- Toro! Toro! (2001)
- Cool! (2002)
- Mr. Skip (2002)
- The Last Wolf (2002)
- The Sleeping Sword (2002)
- Gentle Giant (2003)
- Private Peaceful
Private Peaceful is a novel for older children by Michael Morpurgo, first published in 2003. It is about a soldier called Thomas "Tommo" Peaceful, who is looking back on his life from the trenches of World War I. Structurally, each chapter of the book brings the reader closer to the present until...
(2003)
- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (2004)
- I Believe in Unicorns (2005)
- The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips (2005)
- War: Stories of Conflict (compiler) (2005)
- Albatross (2006)
- It's a Dog's Life (2006)
- Alone on a Wide, Wide Sea
Alone on a Wide, Wide Sea is a book by Michael Morpurgo, first published in 2006 by HarperCollins. It was inspired by the history of English orphans transported to Australia after World War II. The book's title is taken from a line in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.-Part One :Arthur Hobhouse tells...
(2006)
- Beowulf
Beowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...
(2006), illustrated by Michael Foreman
- Born to Run (2007)
- The Mozart Question (2007)
- Hansel and Gretel (2008)
- This Morning I Met a Whale (2008)
- Kaspar: Prince of Cats (2008)
- The Voices of Children (2008) (play)
- The Birthday Book (editor, with Quentin Blake) (2008)
- Running Wild (2009)
- The Kites Are Flying! (2009)
- An Elephant in the Garden (2010)
- Not Bad for a Bad Lad (2010)
- Shadow (2010)
- Little Manfred (2011)
Radio and television broadcasts
- The Invention of Childhood (2006) (with Hugh Cunningham), BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
- Set Our Children Free: the 2011 Richard Dimbleby Lecture
The Richard Dimbleby Lecture was founded in the memory of Richard Dimbleby, the BBC broadcaster. It has been delivered by an influential business or political figure almost every year since 1972 ....
. BBC OneBBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
, 15 February 2011.
Biographies
- Carey, Joanna (1999). Interview with Michael Morpurgo. ISBN 978-0-7497-3866-2
- Fox, Geoff (2004). Dear Mr Morpingo: Inside the World of Michael Morpurgo. ISBN 978-1-84046-607-2
- McCarthy, Shaun (2005). Michael Morpurgo. ISBN 978-0-431-17995-7
Further reading
- Morpurgo, Michael et al. La Revue Des Livres Pour Enfants Number 250, December 2009: "Michael Morpurgo" pp 79–124.
External links