February 25, 2010
Oxfam auctioning a signed first edition of The Amber Spyglass
The charity Oxfam will be auctioning a signed British first edition of The Amber Spyglass. It is a used copy and is described on eBay as having black boards and gold lettering, and being in good condition. The auction starts in just under nine hours, and the starting bid is 20 GBP. For more information, visit the eBay page. Thanks to Nix for this tip.
December 4, 2009
New illustrated editions of a chapter from ‘Northern Lights’
Philip Pullman writes that one of the chapters from Northern Lights, ‘A Outrance’ (‘Mortal Combat’ in US editions) has been released as an illustrated letterpress book by small publisher Oaktree Fine Press. This is the chapter in which Iorek Byrnison fights Iofur Raknisson for kingship of the armoured bears.
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June 1, 2009
Life before death
An article about nursing homes on Australian site Eureka Street references The Amber Spyglass and the time that Lyra and Will spend in the Land of the Dead.
Pullman interview and comments on a new book in Yorkshire Post
The Yorkshire Post features an interview with Philip Pullman, in which he discusses writing His Dark Materials, religious controversy, and his latest work, a retelling of the story of Jesus:
“I’m fascinated by theology. The book I’m writing at the minute is about Jesus. I did a talk at the National Theatre with the Archbishop of Canter-bury, we were talking about the theology in the books and he said: ‘You don’t mention Jesus at all’, so I put him in the next book, The Scarecrow and his Servant. Nobody noticed, so I thought I better make it clearer. … I’m writing about this very interesting character called Jesus, who is very different from the character Paul calls Christ. I’ve been reading the gospels and reading around them. It’s fascinating – and I’ve also realised it can’t all be true.”
Pullman also talks about the stage plays and the movies. “In the fullness of time, if the rights revert to me I shall go over there (he points into his library) and cut out some cardboard figures and make it myself.” Thanks to Skye.
May 23, 2009
Pullman interviewed in the Scotsman
Philip Pullman is interviewed in the Scotsman, commenting primarily on Off by Heart, but also discussing his personal life, atheism, fan mail and the His Dark Materials films. “If the studios don’t make the next two films, I might do them myself with puppets in the garden shed, like Noggin the Nog.” Thanks to Skye.
Between Narnia and His Dark Materials
Another article has appeared comparing and contrasting the His Dark Materials and Narnia series. “Philip Pullman may have been influenced by C.S. Lewis, but he departs from Lewis’ imaginative use of fantasy to create a world of adventure that is rooted in realism.”
May 4, 2009
“Narnia vs Golden Compass”
An editorial at NarniaFans.com compares the film versions of CS Lewis’ Narnia series to the His Dark Materials film. Perhaps unsurprisingly the comparison is less than favorable to Pullman’s trilogy, and appears to blame the relative failure of the His Dark Materials films on the purported anti-religious message of the books: “They have the same basic plots, the same basic creatures, and so on. Looking at the posters, cases, and trailers, you would think they were very alike, but when you look deeper, you see that they are very different indeed. This fact shows itself through the success of the books and films of their names.”
April 26, 2009
Pullman interviewed in Scotland on Sunday
In an interview in Scotland on Sunday today, Pullman discusses writing fantasy and escapism, comparisons with Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, his creative instincts and adaptations. “I’ve always thought it was utterly stupid to sell the rights to an adaptation and then moan about the way they do it. If you wrote a strong enough story it will stand up to adaptation. The only thing I’m zealously protective about is the integrity of the story. There was a moment early in the film discussions when somebody high up at the studio said, ‘Let’s make Lyra into a boy.’” Thanks to blacksatindancer for the tip.
April 23, 2009
Pullman on adapting Oxford
In an interview with Philip Pullman in the Oxford Times to coincide with the new run of the His Dark Materials stage play, Pullman discusses the representation of Oxford in the books and the play. “Oxford does feature in many works of literature, starting, I suppose, with Alice in Wonderland. I’m happy to be putting my little contribution into the myth of Oxford. … It’s just a habit of thought, I suppose, a way of looking at things I’ve always had. Sunderland Avenue, between the Banbury Road and Woodstock Road roundabouts, has always fascinated me because the hornbeam trees there are so peculiar.”
Pullman also talks about the Birmingham Repertory Theatre production, and makes a new suggestion on the reason for the apparent decision not to produce sequels to the film version of the books, saying “It’s a great shame that it looks as if the films of the two later books won’t now be made, as a result of the credit crunch.”
April 19, 2009
His Dark Materials second most challenged book in 2008
The Guardian reports that the His Dark Materials trilogy was the second ‘most challenged’ book in 2008 (up from fourth the previous year) according to the American Library Association. Deborah Caldwell-Stone, deputy director of the ALA’s office for intellectual freedom, said the film of The Golden Compass had renewed attacks on the sequence from Catholic pressure groups. “In many cases school boards reacted precipitously and removed it – then a few weeks later they returned it to the shelves.” Thanks to BlackSatinDancer for the tip.