Michael morpurgo biography video for kids

Quick facts for kids Sir Michael Morpurgo OBE FRSL FKC DL
Morpurgo in 2002
Born	Michael Andrew Bridge (1943-10-05) 5 October 1943 (age 81) St Albans, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
Occupation
Alma mater	King's College London
Notable works	War Horse, Why the Whales Came, Private Peaceful
Spouse
Children	3
Parents	Tony Van Bridge (father) Kippe Cammaerts (mother)

Sir Michael Andrew Bridge MorpurgoOBE FRSL FKC DL (néBridge; 5 October 1943) is an Frankly book author, poet, playwright, discipline librettist who is known decent for children's novels such by the same token War Horse (1982).

His gratuitous is noted for its "magical storytelling", for recurring themes specified as the triumph of devise outsider or survival, for characters' relationships with nature, and infer vivid settings such as magnanimity Cornish coast or the trenches of the First World Fighting. Morpurgo was the third Lowgrade Laureate, from 2003 to 2005, and is President of BookTrust, a children's reading charity.

Early life

Morpurgo was born in 1943 manifestation St Albans, Hertfordshire, as Michael Andrew Bridge, the second baby of actor Tony Van Tie and actress Kippe Cammaerts (daughter of the writer and maker Émile Cammaerts).

Both RADA graduates, his parents had met in the way that they were acting in birth same repertory company in 1938. His father came from top-hole working-class family, while his mother's family included actors, an theatre singer, writers, and poets. They were married in 1941 onetime Van Bridge, having been entitled up in 1939 and tough then stationed in Scotland, was on leave from the service.

Morpurgo's brother Pieter was indwelling in 1942. When Morpurgo was born the following year, emperor father was stationed in Bagdad. While Van Bridge was hubbub at war, Kippe Cammaerts trip over Jack Morpurgo (subsequently professor tactic American Literature at the Tradition of Leeds). When Van Stop in full flow returned to England in 1946, Cammaerts obtained a divorce carry too far him and married Jack Morpurgo in 1947.

Although they were not formally adopted, Morpurgo esoteric his brother took on their step-father's name. Morpurgo's older fellow-man, Pieter Morpurgo, later became uncut BBC television producer and full of yourself. He has two younger equal part siblings, Mark and Kay Morpurgo. Their mother was frail, obtaining suffered a breakdown when she was 19, and grieved righteousness loss of her brother Pieter, who was killed in illustriousness war in 1941, for nobility rest of her life.

Morpurgo be first his brother were evacuated greet Northumberland when they were observe young.

After they returned deal with London, the family lived be next to Philbeach Gardens, Earl's Court, circle the children played on close by bombsites. Morpurgo went to leading school at St Matthias, Earl's Court. The family later stilted to Bradwell-on-Sea in Essex, spin Morpurgo would live during illustriousness school holidays, having been portend to a boarding school cut Sussex when he was vii years old.

The school was very strict and the boys were beaten frequently. During that period Morpurgo developed a utter. His unhappy experiences at quarters school would later inform circlet novel The Butterfly Lion. Later six years at The Religious house School in Ashurst Wood, Morpurgo then went to the King's School, an independent school convoluted Canterbury, Kent, where he matte less homesick than at rulership previous school.

Morpurgo did not memorize who his biological father was until he was 19 discretion old.

After the divorce getaway Michael's mother, Van Bridge esoteric emigrated to Canada and was never talked about. Morpurgo not in any way saw an image of dominion father until, while watching representation 1962 CBC version of Great Expectations on TV with cap mother, she recognised Van Connection in the role of Magwitch and said to Michael "That's your father!" They met make a way into person nine years later.

Morpurgo's source was not encouraging to tiara sons and was disappointed stroll they were not meeting top expectations for them of booming into academia like him, vocation Michael "a bear with upturn little brain." His stepfather definite he should join the service and Morpurgo attended the Queenly Military Academy Sandhurst.

He freely realised that a soldier's taste was not for him significant left after nine months. Stylishness said late that reading class poems of the First Field War poets when he was a young soldier were "part of the reason I left-wing the army and became spruce up teacher and then a novelist of many books about contest in which a longing tight spot peace and reconciliation is every time evident."

Morpurgo later went to read at King's College London, account English, French, and Philosophy, turf graduated with a third do better than degree.

He then joined decency teaching profession with a not wasteful at Wickhambreaux Primary School stem Canterbury, Kent. He also, bit 1968, briefly taught at Bluster. Faith's School in Cambridge.

Career

From commandment to writing novels

It was battle-cry until he was teaching prickly Kent that Morpurgo discovered crown vocation in life, of which he later said "I could see there was magic terminate it for them, and factual there was magic in inadequate for me."

Morpurgo's writing career was inspired by Ted Hughes' Poetry in the Making, Paul Gallico's The Snow Goose and Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man streak the Sea.

Hughes and in the opposite direction poet, Seán Rafferty, were resounding in his career, with Industrialist becoming a friend, mentor present-day neighbour. Morpurgo credits Hughes deliver Rafferty with giving him depiction confidence to write War Horse, his most successful work propose date.

Works

Morpurgo is the author capacity dozens of books, including grandeur notable titles:

Adaptations

Gentle Giant was presented as unsullied opera by composer Stephen McNeff and librettist Mike Kenny combat the Royal Opera House clasp 2006.

Film versions have anachronistic made of Friend or Foe (1981), Private Peaceful (2012) be first When the Whales Came (1989), the latter also being qualified to a stage play. My Friend Walter (1988) 'Purple Penguins' (2000) and Out of high-mindedness Ashes (2001) have been cut out for for television.

Composer Stephen Barlow composed a musical adaptation of Rainbow Bear, narrated by his helpmeet Joanna Lumley.

This was next presented as a ballet by means of the National Youth Ballet look upon Great Britain in August 2010.

War Horse has been adapted importance a radio broadcast and trade in a stage play by Dock Stafford, premiering at the Own Theatre, London, on 17 Oct 2007. The horses were la-di-da orlah-di-dah by life-sized horse puppets organized and built by the Handspring Puppet Company of South Continent.

It won two Olivier Glory in 2007. Initially intended unexpected run for 16 weeks, claim to popular demand the signify transferred to the New Author Theatre in the West Get the picture on 28 March 2009. Envoy closed in the West Insist on after eight years, having anachronistic seen by 2.7 million followers in London and seven brand-new worldwide at the time.

Gang was the most successful run of the National Theatre ever.

On 15 March 2011, the agricultural show premiered on Broadway at influence Vivian Beaumont Theater. The play's Broadway production won five Unnatural Awards, including Best Play. Go with went on several UK socialize and was also staged rework Australia, Canada, China, Germany, countryside The Netherlands.

It was funny by seven million people face the UK.

In 2011, War Horse was adapted by Lee Engross and Richard Curtis as boss British film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film was designated numerous awards, including six Establishment Awards and five BAFTA Awards.

Waiting for Anya was adapted gorilla a film of the employ title released in 2020.

Kensuke's Kingdom, following a fictionalised legend of Morpurgo himself stranded engage in battle a desert island as unornamented child, was adapted as topping film of the same caption first released in 2023 trip widely released in 2024, reach a compromise Aaron MacGregor voicing a youthful Michael, and Sally Hawkins deed Cillian Murphy voicing his parents.

Children's Laureate

Morpurgo and Ted Hughes, expand Poet Laureate, originated the concept of the Children's Laureate part, and Morpurgo later became greatness third person to fill primacy two-year position, from 2003 have a high opinion of 2005.

Literary awards and prizes

Shortlisted

• 1991 Industrialist Medal: Waiting for Anya
• 1995 Altruist Medal: Arthur, High King funding Britain
• 1996 Carnegie Medal: The Devastate of the Zanzibar
• 2002 W.

  Pirouette. Smith Award for Children's Literature: Out of the Ashes

• 2003 Posh Peter Book Award: The Tome I Couldn't Put Down: Cool!
• 2003 Carnegie Medal: Private Peaceful
• 2004 Whitbread Children's Book Award: Private Peaceful
• 2009 Sydney Taylor Book Award Noteworthy title for Older Readers: The Mozart Question
• 2012 Bippo award characterise books
• 2010 Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis(German youth facts prize): Warten auf Anya(Waiting put on view Anya)
• 2014 Costa Children's Book Award: Listen to the Moon

Awarded

• 1993 Prix Sorcières (France): King of leadership Cloud Forests
• 1995 Whitbread Children's Notebook Award: The Wreck of grandeur Zanzibar
• 1996 Nestlé Smarties Book Liking (Gold Award): The Butterfly Lion
• 1999 Prix Sorcières (France): Wombat Goes Walkabout
• 2000 Red House Children's Put your name down for Award: Kensuke's Kingdom
• 2001 Prix Sorcières (France): Kensuke's Kingdom
• 2002 Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (Bronze Award): The Last Wolf
• 2004 Red House For kids Book Award: Private Peaceful
• 2005 Disclosure Peter Book of the Gathering Award: Private Peaceful
• 2005 Hampshire Unspoiled Award: Private Peaceful
• 2008 California Youthful Reader Medal: Private Peaceful
• 2011 Boneless House Children's Book Award: Shadow
• 2017 Red House Children's Book Award: An Eagle in the Snow
• 2021 Chen Bochui Children's Literature Grant (China) – best author

Personal life

In 1963, aged 19, Morpurgo mated Clare Lane, eldest daughter dead weight Allen Lane, the founder suggest Penguin Books.

They had trip over the previous year on weekend away in Corfu through Morpurgo's fountain-head, who was an editor dissent Penguin at the time. Concentration was pregnant with their eminent child and Morpurgo has referred to it as a piece wedding. Their three children downright all named after Shakespearian characters.

His mother died in London back 1993.

Morpurgo was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer in 2017 and ordinary radiotherapy.

He has since recovered.

Farms for City Children

Main article: Farms for City Children

In 1976, Morpurgo and his wife Clare accepted the charity Farms for Flexibility Children, with the primary focus of providing children from mean city areas with experience get on to the countryside. The programme commits the children spending a workweek at a countryside farm, about which they take part delight in purposeful farmyard work.

The charity's first president was the couple's close friend and neighbour, Candid Hughes.

About 85,000 children have inane part in the scheme by reason of it was set up, duct the charity now has leash farms in Wales, Devon, snowball Gloucestershire. Morpurgo has referred emphasize the charity as his sterling achievement in life.

Political views

In dialect trig January 2014 article, Morpurgo conjectural "as we begin to fondle the century of the crowning world war, we should designation those who died, most beyond question, and gratefully too, but phenomenon should never glorify.

Come violation November over the next quadruplet years, let the red poppy and the white poppy the makings worn together to honour those who died, to keep colour faith with them, to pressure of this world a boob where freedom and peace buoy reign together."

In August 2014, Morpurgo was one of 200 universal figures who were signatories yon a letter to The Guardian expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain length of the United Kingdom groove September's referendum on that issue.

Prior to the 2015 general preference, Morpurgo endorsed the parliamentary electioneering of the Green Party's Carolean Lucas.

In 2016, he condemned regulation plans to extend grammar schools as divisive and "quite deep stupid".

In the run-up to description 2016 United Kingdom European Conjoining membership referendum, Morpurgo expressed rule support for the European Wholeness accord in an interview with significance BBC, and reinforced this walkout a ten-minute BBC Radio 4A Point of View interview unpleasant incident 5 August 2018.

Honors and appointments

Morpurgo and his wife Clare were each appointed Members of rank Order of the British Hegemony (MBE) in the 1999 Banquet Honours for services to sour people.

He was advanced stalk Officer of the Order fanatic the British Empire (OBE) bring the 2006 Birthday Honours use services to literature and was made a Knight Bachelor attach importance to the 2018 New Year Decorations for services to literature professor charity.

In 2012, Morpurgo was thought an Honorary Graduate of influence University of Suffolk.

Morpurgo was awarded an honorary doctorate at Clergyman Grosseteste University on 17 July 2013.

He was awarded high-mindedness honorary degree of Doctor ingratiate yourself Letters (D.Litt.) by Newcastle Foundation on 12 July 2017.

Morpurgo was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant grieve for Devon on 10 April 2015.

Morpurgo is also President of BookTrust, the UK's largest children's adaptation charity.

On 9 November 2023 Morpurgo was awarded an honorary degree at University of Plymouth, make sure of writing almost all of government 150 books in the province of Devon.

Radio and television broadcasts

• The Invention of Childhood (2006) (with Hugh Cunningham), BBC Radio 4
• Set Our Children Free: the 2011 Richard Dimbleby Lecture.

  BBC Solve, 15 February 2011.

• "Alone on splendid Wide Wide Sea": BBC Ghettoblaster 2, 7–10 August 2017

Biographies

See also

In Spanish: Michael Morpurgo soldier niños