Michael Morpurgo is, in his own words, "oldish, married with three children, and a grandfather six times over." Born in 1943, he attended schools in London, Sussex and Cantubury (one of them was horrible enough to inspire him to describe it in one of his books, Butterfly Lion). Living in Devon, listening to Mozart, and working with children has been the main things that inspire his ideas for his stories and novels. He spends about half is life mucking out sheds with the children, feeding sheep or milking cows; the other half he spends dreaming up and writing stories.
FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions) about Michael Morpurgo
Where do you get your ideas for books from?
From all around me. Places, people, stories I hear, little happenings, big happenings, history. I keep my eyes and ears open, my heart fresh.
How many books have you written?
Over one hundred. Private Peaceful was the hundredth. Sound a lot but that's fat ones, thin ones. All sorts.
Where do you write?
On my bed where I'm most comfortable. I pile the pillows up behind me, settle back and write by hand with my exercise book on my knees.
Are the stories true?
With each one there is an element of truth. I weave different truths into the same story to make another kind of truth. So with Kensuke's Kingdom, there was a Japanese soldier who decided to stay behind on an island after WW2, and people do hunt orangutans, kill the parents and kidnap their young, and people do sail around the world on yachts, and sometimes they fall overboard . . .
What was your first book?
Shan't tell you, because it wasn't much good.
What is the favourite book that you have written?
The Butterfly Lion or Kensuke's Kingdom or War Horse or Private Peaceful.
Who's your favourite author?
Robert Louis Stevenson (Treasure Island), Rudyard Kipling (The Just So Stories) and Ted Hughes (The Iron Man).
How long does it take to write a book?
It depends on how well I'm writing, how well it's flowing. But I usually spend several months dreaming it up in my head - I call it my 'dreamtime', the most important part of my story inventing when I try to weave the story together, do my research and find the right voice for the story. Once I begin writing, I write very fast and will finish a book in two or three months. Then revising it might take another month. So, on average, a novel takes upwards of 6 months to write.
How do you choose your illustrators?
By getting to know them. I've worked for many years now with Michael Foreman. Indeed, he's suggested many stories to me: Farm Boy, Billy the Kid, Arthur, High King of Britain. We really do spark off each other. I've worked very well too with Quentin Blake, Christian Birmingham, Tony Ross, Shoo Rayner and many others. The publishers sometimes help in choosing who should illustrate what. They know many more illustrators than I do, and can visualise a book better than me. But I know what I like.
How old are you? Have you got any children? Do you have any pets?
I'm very young. I'm 64 years young. I have a wife called Clare and three children and six grandchildren. Sadly our old dog Bercelet died last year so all we have are four bantams, three hens and a cockerel called George who loves to scratch up the flowers in the garden.
FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions) about Michael Morpurgo
Where do you get your ideas for books from?
From all around me. Places, people, stories I hear, little happenings, big happenings, history. I keep my eyes and ears open, my heart fresh.
How many books have you written?
Over one hundred. Private Peaceful was the hundredth. Sound a lot but that's fat ones, thin ones. All sorts.
Where do you write?
On my bed where I'm most comfortable. I pile the pillows up behind me, settle back and write by hand with my exercise book on my knees.
Are the stories true?
With each one there is an element of truth. I weave different truths into the same story to make another kind of truth. So with Kensuke's Kingdom, there was a Japanese soldier who decided to stay behind on an island after WW2, and people do hunt orangutans, kill the parents and kidnap their young, and people do sail around the world on yachts, and sometimes they fall overboard . . .
What was your first book?
Shan't tell you, because it wasn't much good.
What is the favourite book that you have written?
The Butterfly Lion or Kensuke's Kingdom or War Horse or Private Peaceful.
Who's your favourite author?
Robert Louis Stevenson (Treasure Island), Rudyard Kipling (The Just So Stories) and Ted Hughes (The Iron Man).
How long does it take to write a book?
It depends on how well I'm writing, how well it's flowing. But I usually spend several months dreaming it up in my head - I call it my 'dreamtime', the most important part of my story inventing when I try to weave the story together, do my research and find the right voice for the story. Once I begin writing, I write very fast and will finish a book in two or three months. Then revising it might take another month. So, on average, a novel takes upwards of 6 months to write.
How do you choose your illustrators?
By getting to know them. I've worked for many years now with Michael Foreman. Indeed, he's suggested many stories to me: Farm Boy, Billy the Kid, Arthur, High King of Britain. We really do spark off each other. I've worked very well too with Quentin Blake, Christian Birmingham, Tony Ross, Shoo Rayner and many others. The publishers sometimes help in choosing who should illustrate what. They know many more illustrators than I do, and can visualise a book better than me. But I know what I like.
How old are you? Have you got any children? Do you have any pets?
I'm very young. I'm 64 years young. I have a wife called Clare and three children and six grandchildren. Sadly our old dog Bercelet died last year so all we have are four bantams, three hens and a cockerel called George who loves to scratch up the flowers in the garden.