Michael Morpurgo

By Anna GAVRILUK (2014)

Michael Morpurgo (5 October 1943, age 70)
Michael Morpurgo is an English author, poet, playwright and librettist who is known best for
children's novels. He had been a successful childrens writer
for more than 30 years, his catalogue never out of print.
Michael Morpurgosbooks are enjoyed and celebrated by
thousands of readers. Many of his stories are re-told in
different ways, from stage performances and blockbuster
films, to concerts with his wonderful words set to music.
Michael supports many charities.OBE, FKC, AKC. From
2003 to 2005 he was the third British Children's Laureate.
Biography
Early life
Born in 1943, he attended schools in London, Sussex and
Canterbury. He went on to King's College London,
University of London to study English and French, followed
by a step into the teaching profession and a job in a primary
school in Kent. It was there that he discovered what he
wished to do.
He was the child of a broken marriage at a time when that was still considered a shameful
secret. Morpurgo was separated from his biological father, actor Tony Van Bridge, in
infancy.His parents were at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) together.But his father
went off to war, fathering two boys [Michael and his older brother Pieter] during his short
leaves. While Tony Bridge was serving in Iraq, his mother, KippeCammaerts, fell in love
with Jack Morpurgo, one of the first editors at Penguin Books and a distinguished academic
historian. His mother felt that upbringing of her son was not part of her life. She didnt want
to be reminded of it. Tony Bridge was not going to hang around and be the father who needs
to look after his children; he felt that one good parent is a great deal better than two wretched
ones. When his mother remarried, his name was changed to Morpurgo. He didnt meet his
real father until he was 19, when watching the 1962 film version of GreatExpectations with
his mother, in which Bridge appeared.
Michael Morpurgo was educated at schools in central London, Devon, Sussex and Kent. He
was such a good chap at The Kings School in Canterbury that his groupmatesmade him
head boy.He later trained for the British Army at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He
then took up a teaching job. He graduated with a 3rd class degreein English and French from
King's College London.

Life and career.From teaching to writing
He took a very poor degree at Kings College.Morpurgo's first job was as a primary school
teacher. It was working in state and independent schools in and around London that he
discovered the joys of storytelling:"I could see there was magic in it for them, and realized
there was magic in it for me."
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 (FFCC)
He might have been even more a product of his time and indeed, his social class, if it had
not been for the influence of his wife
Clare, the Quaker-educated daughter of
Jack Morpurgos boss, Sir Allen Lane,
the visionary founder of Penguin Books.
When Sir Allen Lane died, the couple
decided to use Clares inheritance to do
something positive to enrich childrens
lives. They are simply not getting what
they should from their education. No
matter what their background, their
boundaries were not being pushed
intellectually, physically or emotionally. The most important thing is enrichment, being able
to make a contribution, a feeling of self-worth.
They bought Nethercott in the mid-Seventies, a large Victorian house by Dartmoor, and
lived there with their two sons and one daughter. Here they began their charity Farms For
City Children, which they still run today, where children from a deprived urban environment
can come and work with animals. They now have three farms Nethercott in Devon,
Treginnis in Wales and Wick in Gloucestershire.
As a teacher I realized many children had little real contact with the world around them
to them the television was real. I wanted them to experience life at first hand.
In the last 30 years over, 50,000 children from cities and towns throughout the UK have
spent a week of their lives living and working on one of the three farms. In 1999 the couple
were created Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in recognition of these
services to youth.
Charities
Morpurgo is patron to the number of charities, such as The Prince of Wales Art and Kids
Foundation; What about the Children?; Montessori Education UK; The Unicorn Theatre;
The Lincoln Book Festival; The Works Theatre Company; The Down Syndrome Educational
Trust;English PEN, Readers and WritersMichael Morpurgo is also the President of Book
Trust and Vice Chancellor of The Childrens University.
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), Private Peaceful (2012) and Why 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 been
adapted for television.
War Horse has been adapted as a radio broadcast and as a stage play, premiring in South
Bank, London, in 2007, with the horses played by life-sized horse puppets horses. The show
transferred to the West End and the show premiered on Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont
Theater. Around five million people worldwide have seen a production of the show.
War Horse was also adapted as a 2011 British film directed by Steven Spielberg.
In a statistical overview derived from writings by and about Morpurgo,
OCLC/WorldCatencompasses 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.
From War Horse to Farm Boy, The Dancing Bear to Born to Run, Michael Morpurgo
talks about the animal theme in his books.
War Horse
First published in 1982, War Horse was inspired by
conversations with First World War veterans. Since
the National Theatre adaptation, he has worked with
leading figures in stage and screen and enjoyed
visiting the stables of The Kings Troop Royal
Horse Artillery. Despite his ease with the horse that
stars as Joey, Morpurgo confessed he has never
liked riding. Its thought to be Michael Morpurgos
best book.
In 1914, Joey, a young farm horse, is sold to the
army and thrust into the midst of the war on the
Western Front. With his officer, he charges towards
the enemy, witnessing the horror of the frontline.
But even in the desolation of the trenches, Joeys courage touches the soldiers around him.
War Horse also tells the plight of the soldiers, both German and English and the horrors that
they went through. An amazing and tragic book based on the most bravest horse trying to
find his owner crossing the battlefield of No Mans Landand losing some of his friends on
the way.This extraordinary story will reach out to anyone and will take pity of any humans
heart. Its full with emotion and character amazingly narrated by a horse. It captures Joeys
feelings and the deathly battle of the First World War.
Farm Boy
The magical sequel to War Horse. Fifty years after Albert
and Joey fought their way home from the battlefields of
WWI, Alberts son tells his own grandson more about the
brave horse and the daring risks his family took.Joey and his
owner return from the war as heroes and then settle down
back into life on the farm, but soon horses will not be needed
on the farms or in the towns with the invention of tractors and
cars.It is a collection of Grandpa's reminiscences and stories
touchingly told to his grandson.
Private Peaceful
Thomas Tommo Peaceful and his elder brother Charlie do
everything together. They used to go to school together, face
their problems together, sleep and eat together; they even
loved the same girl,Molly,but now they have to face the many
facets of war together.Charlie, being older than Tommo, had always protected and looked
out for his younger brother.Molly had become pregnant with Charlie's child and Tommo
became extremely heartbroken.All through this time, Tommo recorded his feelings in the
novel. The rest of the story describes the brothers'
experiences of the war: their Sergeant "Horrible" Hanley,
the near misses during battle on the front line.During a
charge of the German lines, Charlie disobeys a direct order
from Sergeant Hanley and stays with Tommo while he is
injured on No-man's-land. As a result, Charlie is accused of
cowardice.Tommo ends the story in the present tense with
Charlie's execution and the promise of looking after Charlie
and Molly's new baby, Little Tommo.Private Peaceful
epitomizes the devastatingly unfair treatment soldiers were
given and the unjust ending many brave soldiers had to face.
It is also, a story about the friendship between the two
brothers and the undying bond of trust between soldiers in
the trenches.
The book was adapted into a play of the same name by Simon Reade, first performed at the
Bristol Old Vic in 2004, anda film adaptation of this novel was created in 2012 and was
directed by Pat O'Connor.
The Butterfly Lion
All my life Ill think of you, I promise I will. I wont ever forget you.This novel was
informed by his unhappy experiences at boarding school.
Bertie rescues an orphaned white lion cub from the African
veld. They are inseparable until Bertie is sent to boarding
school far away in England and the lion is sold to a circus.
Bertie swears that one day they will see one another again,
but it is the butterfly lion which ensures that their friendship
will never be forgotten.
It tells of loneliness and love in a way that is wholly
appropriate for young readers and is really important book
for children to learn, to appreciate the emotional aspect of a
relationship with an animal - either wild or domesticated. It
is especially important as it relates to white lions which are
incredibly rare in the wild and an endangered species.
Itencourages youth of today to protect the welfare of animals
on the planet and to realize that we must find a way to all
live together on the planet, forging bonds and respecting each other.
From Kensukes Kingdom to Running Wild, Twist of Gold to Dear Olly, Michael
Morpurgo talks about the theme of voyages in his books.
Kaspar Prince of Cats
Kaspar the cat first came to the Savoy Hotel in a basket -
Johnny Trott knows, because he was the one who carried
him in. Johnny was a bell-boyand he carried all of Countess
Kandinskys things to her room.But Johnny didnt expect to
end up with Kaspar on his hands forever, and nor did he
count on making friends with Lizziebeth, a spirited
American heiress. Pretty soon, events are set in motion that
will take Johnny - and Kaspar - all around the world,
surviving theft, shipwreck and rooftop rescues along the
way. Because everything changes with a cat like Kaspar
around. After all, hes Prince Kaspar Kandinsky, Prince of
Cats, a Moscovite, a Londoner and a New Yorker, and as far
as anyone knows, the only cat to survive the sinking of the
Titanic. As well as being adventurous , exciting and
descriptive it was also plausible and interesting. Jo places
his life in danger when he helps protect a growing number
of Jewish children who have sought refuge at a reclusive
widow's farm.
Waiting for Anya
Twelve-year-old Jo, a shepherd boy in a French mountain
village near the Spanish border, finds out that Jewish children
are being smuggled away from the Nazis over the mountains
near his village. He accidentally finds a man hiding in
Widow Horcarda's cow shed Benjamin, who is elderly
Widow Horcarda's son-in-law and they are involved in a
dangerous plan to save the lives of local Jewish
children.Once Jo spends time with Benjamin and he finds out
about Benjamin's deep sadness. He was separated from his
little daughter, Anya, in Paris because of the war.
So throughout the whole novel Benjamin is waiting for his
daughter to return so that they can become a family again
this is how the novel gets its title. All goes to plan until German soldiers start patrolling the
mountains, and Jo realizes the children are trapped. Jos slightest mistake could have
devastating consequences. This book takes you through an emotional, amazing, tense,
exciting, heartbreaking roller-coaster. The author manages to covey the tension, the waiting,
the desperation and fear of that time.
From Shadow to Private Peaceful, A Medal for Leroy to Why the Whales Came,
Michael Morpurgo talks about the theme of war in his books.
As well as the pure emotion in the book, it is also a great introduction to the First World
War, and the horrors of the trenches.
Kensuke's Kingdom
1999
A desert island story. This starts off as a great family adventure. Michael'sfather loses his job
at the brick works and his parent sdecide to sell their house and
all their possessions and buy a yacht to sail round the world. Of
course, sailing the world's oceans is a bit different from messing
about in a dinghy on the local reservoir, but Michael's mum
qualifies for her Yachtmaster's Certificate and every one
practises his own job Mum is the skipper, Dad is first mate
and handyman, Michael is the ship's boy and Stella Artois (the
dog) is the ship's cat.
The voyage goes well. They master their fears and handle their
vessel well. They visit Africa, South America and Australia,
having the time of their lives. But as they leave the Great Barrier
Reef behind them and head up through the Coral Sea towards
Papua New Guinea disaster befalls Michael. Left alone at the wheel one night while his
parents sleep below Michael is washed overboard.
But something does save Michael. Hisfootball, which was washed overboard with him,
provides just enough buoyancy to keep Michael's head above water. Hours later Michael
awakes to find himself washed upon a desert island. He is exhausted, hungry and thirsty. But
the boy is not alone, on a rock shelf above his head is a bowl of fresh water with fish and
fruit laid out on palm leaves. One solitary man lives on this island. A Japanese from
Nagasaki, who was a doctor before the Second World War and accidentally turned out to be
there. His name is Kensuke Ogawa. Michael Morpurgo tells us, in his own words, how he
learned to live with Kensuke, and came to love him.On the island there are passable living
conditions, nevertheless boy wants to return home.
Kensuke's Kingdom reminds you that everyone needs a parental figure in life, without them
danger lies ahead.
Shadow
It is a heart-felt tale, following the story of Aman, a young boy,
escaping from the violence of Afghanistan to the safety of
Britain. Matt visits his grandfather and tells him about his best
friend Aman who along with his mother has been taken to
Yarls Wood. Aman has lived in the UK for 6 years as an
asylum seeker, but according to the Government their time has
run out and he has to return to Afghanistan. The dog whom they
christen Shadow, comes along with them.As they cross the
border they are robbed and lose everything, but yet again
Shadow remains with them.In an amazing coincidence, Shadow
turns out to be Polly, an army sniffer dog who has been missing
for months.The value of friendship is central to this story.The
other key element is the question of civil liberties, how can the
UK class itself as a democracy if it infringes civil rights to such a degree.
From Sir Gawain and the Green Knight to Beowulf, Outlaw to The White Horse of
Zennor, Michael Morpurgo talks about the theme of legends in
his books.
Beowulf
In fifth-century Denmark, a murderous monster stalks the night,
and only the great prince of the Geats has the strength and courage
to defeat him.
Beowulfs terrifying quest to destroy Grendel, the foul fiend, a
hideous sea-hag and a monstrous fire-dragon is the oldest
surviving epic in British literature. Artfully retold and
magnificently illustrated, this companion volume to Sir Gawain
and the Green Knight is made instantly accessible to children by a formidable childrens
book partnership.This book is a brilliant adaptation of the traditional poem, which is
breathing new life into the oldest story. It is also colorful and lavishly illustrated by Michael
Foreman.
NOTES
Order of the British Empire is the most junior and most populous order of chivalry in the
British and other Commonwealth honors systems.This is awarded for having a major local
role in any activity, including people whose work has made them known nationally in their
chosen area.
The Fellowship of King's College London (FKC) is the most prestigious award the College
can bestow. The award of the Fellowship is governed by a statute of the College and reflects
distinguished service to the College by a member of staff, conspicuous service to the
College, or the achievement of distinction by those who were at one time closely associated
with the College.
Associateship of King's College. This 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.
VOCABULARY NOTES
leave ,
hangaround ,
wretched ,
chap
headboy
noted ,
recur ,
cornish -
/
visionary
deprived
encompass ,
ease ,
desolation ,
trenches ,
plight -
NoMansLand
sequel
daring ,
reminiscences -
facet
veld ('-
)
welfare
forg ,
bell-boy -
heiress
moscovite
plausible
smuggle
roller-coaster (
)
brickworks
dinghy
buoyancy
solitary ,
heart-felt
stalks
hag ,
formidable ,