HOPE &
Redemption With the news that The National Theatre’s production of the awardwinning play, War Horse, returns to The Lowry in Salford, Natalie Anglesey reflects on the talents of its original author, Michael Morpurgo
M
ichael Morpurgo, OBE, FRSL, FKC, DL, is a towering figure in every sense. Not only physically – as when we first meet at London’s National Theatre, he has to bend low to hear me - but also in the literary sense as author, poet, and playwright. He’s now written over 100 books and won as many accolades. Michael is the first to admit that his path to becoming one of our best-loved authors wasn’t always easy although he had an inspirational beginning. “My mother used to read every night to my brother Pieter and me. She would not only read stories but the poetry of Lear, De La Mare and Kipling. I loved the music in the words. It was her love of stories and poetry and how much she meant what she was reading - that brought the books to life for me.” However, a variety of schools in Devon, Kent, London and eventually Sandhurst, proved a very different matter for young Michael. “School days were not the happiest time for me, especially being sent away to boarding school as I missed home and my family. I think the best advice for parents whose child is unhappy is to listen closely, free of judgement, as this might help your child open up.”
“There’s hope and redemption, not because readers like happy endings, but because I’m an optimist at heart”
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