World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Michael Morpurgo

マイケル・モーパーゴ

Maikeru Mōpāgo

Aliases: Sir Michael Morpurgo / Michael Andrew Bridge Morpurgo / Michael Bridge

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1943-10-05 (St Albans, Hertfordshire)
Nationality
United Kingdom, British
Languages
English, French
Residence History
Devon → Bradwell-on-Sea, Essex → Earl's Court, London

Career

Occupations
Author, Poet, Playwright, Librettist, Teacher
Active Years
1977-2024
Affiliations
BookTrust (President), Farms for City Children (Co-founder)
Memberships
Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL), Fellow of King's College (FKC)
Influenced By
Ted Hughes, Paul Gallico, Ernest Hemingway, Seán Rafferty
Influenced
Many children's authors
Nominations
Carnegie Medal shortlist: Waiting for Anya (1991), Carnegie Medal shortlist: Private Peaceful (2003)

Education

King's College London
English, French, and Philosophy
Degree: BA (Third-class honours)
Year of Graduation: 1967
Country: United Kingdom
The King's School, Canterbury
Country: United Kingdom
Boarding school
The Abbey School, Ashurst Wood
Country: United Kingdom
Boarding school for 6 years

Awards

Nestlé Smarties Book Prize
1996
Work: The Butterfly Lion
Organization: Nestlé
Result: Gold Award
Whitbread Children's Book Award
1995
Work: The Wreck of the Zanzibar
Result: Won
Red House Children's Book Award
2000
Work: Kensuke's Kingdom
Result: Won
Prix Sorcières
1993
Work: King of the Cloud Forests
Result: Won
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
2006
Organization: British Monarchy
Result: Won
Knight Bachelor
2018
Organization: British Monarchy
Result: Won

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

War Horse

1982 Children's novel

Story of Joey the horse and boy Albert during WWI.

WarFriendshipSurvivalNature
Adaptations
  • [Stage play] War Horse / Nick Stafford (2007)
  • [Film] War Horse / Steven Spielberg (2011)

Private Peaceful

2003 Children's novel

Story of two brothers in WWI.

WarFamilyCourage
Adaptations
  • [Film] Private Peaceful (2012)

Kensuke's Kingdom

1999 Children's novel

Boy stranded on a desert island.

SurvivalFriendshipNature
Adaptations
  • [Film] Kensuke's Kingdom (2024)

Bibliography

  • Friend or Foe (1977)
  • Why the Whales Came (1985)
  • The Butterfly Lion (1996)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Magical storytellingVivid settings
Recurring Motifs
Triumph of an outsiderRelationships with natureSurvival in war

Health

  • Laryngeal cancer
    2017-現在
    Received radiotherapy and recovered.

Legacy

Renowned children's author, War Horse success, over 35 million books sold worldwide.

In Popular Culture

  • War Horse adapted into Spielberg film

Quotes

  • The war poets were part of the reason I left the army and became a writer.
    Source: The Guardian (2022)

Trivia

  • Married daughter of Penguin Books founder.
  • Co-founded Farms for City Children charity.