Michael MorpurgoBy 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 children’s writer for more than 30 years, his catalogue never out of print. Michael Morpurgo’sbooks 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 didn’t 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 didn’t 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 King’s 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 King’s 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 Morpurgo’s boss, Sir Allen Lane, the visionary founder of Penguin Books.

When Sir Allen Lane died, the couple decided to use Clare’s inheritance to do something positive to enrich children’s 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 Writers…Michael Morpurgo is also the President of Book Trust and Vice Chancellor of The Children’s 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, premièring 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 King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery. Despite his ease with the horse that stars as Joey, Morpurgo confessed he has never liked riding. It’s thought to be Michael Morpurgo’s 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, Joey’s 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 Man’s Landand losing some of his friends on the way.This extraordinary story will reach out to anyone and will take pity of any human’s heart. It’s full with emotion and character amazingly narrated by a horse. It captures Joey’s 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, Albert’s 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 I’ll think of you, I promise I will. I won’t 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 Kensuke’s 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 Kandinsky’s things to her room.But Johnny didn’t 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, he’s 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 AnyaTwelve-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. Jo’s 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

1999A 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 Yarl’s 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.Beowulf’s 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 children’s 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

O rder of the B ritish E mpire 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.

A ssociateship of K ing's C ollege . 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 – відпустка, звільненняhangaround – бути поруч, витрачати час марноwretched – нікчемний, жалюгіднийchap – парубокheadboy – старостаnoted – відомий, видатнийrecur – повторення, поверненняcornish - корнуольський діалект англійської мови/корнійська моваvisionary– далекогляднийdeprived – соціально неблагополучнийencompass – охопити, міститиease – невимушеність, легкістьdesolation – спустошення, руйнуванняtrenches – рів, траншеяplight - скрутне становищеNoMan’sLand – нейтральна територіяsequel – продовженняdaring – відважний, сміливийreminiscences - згадки

facet – аспектveld – уельд (трав'янисто-чагарникова савана в південній Африці)welfare – благополуччяforgе– створювати, сковуватиbell-boy - посильнийheiress – дівчина з багатої родиниmoscovite – москвичplausible – правдоподібнийsmuggle – провозити таємноroller-coaster – американські гірки (різкі зміни подій)brickworks – цегляний заводdinghy – човен для прогулянокbuoyancy– плавучістьsolitary – відлюдний, самотнійheart-felt – душевнийstalks – підкрадатисяhag – відьма, чаклункаformidable – важливий, великий