View source for Michael Morpurgo

{{Short description|British children's writer (born 1943)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
| honorific_prefix = [[Sir]]
| name             = Michael Morpurgo
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE|FRSL|FKC|DL}}
| image            = Michael Morpurgo 20090315 Salon du livre 1.jpg
| image_upright    = 
| caption          = Morpurgo in 2009
| birth_name       = Michael Andrew Bridge 
   <!-- Morpurgo was his stepfather's surname, so he changed it to that -->| birth_date       = {{Birth date and age|1943|10|5|df=y}}
| birth_place      = [[St Albans]], [[Hertfordshire]], United Kingdom
| occupation       = {{hlist|Author|poet|playwright}}
| spouse           = {{marriage|[[Clare Morpurgo|Clare Lane]]|1963}}
| children         = 3
| parents          = [[Tony Van Bridge]] (father)<br>[[Kippe Cammaerts]] (mother)
| alma_mater       = [[King's College London]]
| notableworks     = ''[[War Horse (novel)|War Horse]]'', ''[[Why the Whales Came]]'', ''[[Private Peaceful]]''
| awards           = 
| website          = {{URL|michaelmorpurgo.com}}
}}

'''Sir Michael Andrew Bridge Morpurgo''' (''[[né]]'' '''Bridge'''; 5 October 1943)<ref name=about>{{Cite web|url=https://www.michaelmorpurgo.com/about-michael-morpurgo/|title=Much ado about... me|website=www.michaelmorpurgo.com|access-date=2020-01-05}}</ref> is an English book author, poet, playwright, and [[librettist]] who is known best for [[children's novels]] such as ''[[War Horse (novel)|War Horse]]'' (1982). His work is noted for its "magical storytelling",<ref name="guardian1"/> for recurring themes such as the triumph of an outsider or survival, for characters' relationships with nature, and for vivid settings such as the [[Cornwall|Cornish coast]] or the [[Trench warfare|trenches]] of the [[World War I|First World War]]. Morpurgo was the third [[Children's Laureate]], from 2003 to 2005,<ref name=laureate/> and is President of [[BookTrust]], a children's reading charity.<ref name=":0" />

==Early life==
Morpurgo was born in 1943 in [[St Albans]], [[Hertfordshire]], as '''Michael Andrew Bridge''', the second child of actor [[Tony Van Bridge]] and actress Kippe Cammaerts (daughter of the writer and poet [[Émile Cammaerts]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://michaelmorpurgo.org/loveetc.html|title=The author Michael Morpurgo; Jean Webb|publisher=Michaelmorpurgo.org|date=23 May 2006|access-date=6 November 2012}}</ref> Both [[RADA]] graduates, his parents had met when they were acting in the same repertory company in 1938.<ref name=Fergusson>{{Cite book|title=Michael Morpurgo: War Child to War Horse|last=Fergusson|first=Maggie|publisher=[[HarperCollins UK]]|year=2012|isbn=9780007387298}}</ref> His father came from a working-class family, while his mother's family included actors, an opera singer, writers, and poets.<ref name=Fergusson/> They were married in 1941 while Van Bridge, having been called up in 1939 and by then stationed in Scotland, was on leave from the army.<ref name=Fergusson/> Morpurgo's brother Pieter was born in 1942. When Morpurgo was born the following year, his father was stationed in [[Baghdad]].<ref name=about/> 

While Van Bridge was away at war, Kippe Cammaerts met Jack Morpurgo (subsequently [[Academic ranks in the United Kingdom#Professors|professor]] of American Literature at the [[University of Leeds]]<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/1370520/Professor-Jack-Morpurgo.html ''The Daily Telegraph'', Obituary, Published 16 October 2000]</ref>). When Van Bridge returned to England in 1946, Cammaerts obtained a divorce from him and married Jack Morpurgo in 1947. Although they were not formally adopted, Morpurgo and his brother took on their step-father's name.<ref name=five>{{Cite web|url=https://fivebooks.com/best-books/michael-morpurgo-on-his-novels/|title=Michael Morpurgo on His Novels|website=Five Books|language=en|access-date=2020-01-05}}</ref><ref name=best>{{Cite web|url=https://www.best-books-for-kids.com/michael-morpurgo.html|title=Michael Morpurgo. Author of Fantastic Books For 10–14 Year Olds|website=www.best-books-for-kids.com|access-date=2020-01-05}}</ref> Morpurgo's older brother, Pieter Morpurgo,<ref name=about/> later became a [[BBC]] television producer and director.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.guildfordas.org/public/archive/speakers/pieter-morpurgo.html|title=Guildford Astronomical Society – Pieter Morpurgo|website=www.guildfordas.org|access-date=2020-01-05}}</ref> He has two younger half siblings, Mark and Kay Morpurgo.<ref name=best/> Their mother was frail, having suffered a breakdown when she was 19, and grieved the loss of her brother Pieter, who was killed in the war in 1941, for the rest of her life.<ref name=Fergusson/>

Morpurgo and his brother were evacuated to Northumberland when they were very young.<ref name=about/> After they returned to London, the family lived in [[Philbeach Gardens]], [[Earl's Court]], where the children played on nearby bombsites.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/childrens-books/2011/mar/02/michael-morpurgo-interview-children|title=Michael Morpurgo answers your questions|date=2011-03-02|work=The Guardian|access-date=2020-01-05|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/comment/register/article/may-the-horse-be-with-you-fvgr8jpnq7d|title=May the horse be with you|last=Morpurgo|first=Michael|date=2016-02-21|work=The Sunday Times|access-date=2020-01-05|language=en|issn=0956-1382}}</ref> Morpurgo went to primary school at St Matthias, [[Earl's Court]]. The family later moved to [[Bradwell-on-Sea]] in [[Essex]], where Morpurgo would live during the school holidays,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/oct/06/michael-morpurgo-bradwell-sea-essex-village-home|title=Michael Morpurgo on Bradwell-on-Sea: 'The exhilaration of infinite beauty'|last=Morpurgo|first=Michael|date=2018-10-06|work=The Guardian|access-date=2020-01-05|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> having been sent to a [[boarding school]] in [[Sussex]] when he was seven years old. The school was very strict and the boys were beaten frequently. During this period Morpurgo developed a [[stutter]].<ref name=profile>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000cnc6|title=BBC Radio 4 – Profile, Michael Morpurgo|website=BBC|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-01-05}}</ref> His [[Boarding school#Psychological issues|unhappy experiences at boarding school]] would later inform his novel ''[[The Butterfly Lion]]''.<ref name=five/> After six years at The Abbey School in [[Ashurst Wood]],<ref name=about/> Morpurgo then went to the [[The King's School, Canterbury|King's School]], an [[independent school]] in [[Canterbury]], [[Kent]], where he felt less homesick than at his previous school.

==Later life==
Morpurgo did not learn who his biological father was until he was 19 years old.<ref name="horse">{{cite web|title=How a horse changed my life|url=http://www.saga.co.uk/saga-magazine/2012/january/how-a-horse-changed-my-life-michael-morpurgo-199.aspx|publisher=saga.co.uk|access-date=18 May 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130707060349/http://www.saga.co.uk/saga-magazine/2012/january/how-a-horse-changed-my-life-michael-morpurgo-199.aspx|archive-date=7 July 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> After the divorce from Michael's mother, Van Bridge had emigrated to Canada and was never talked about. Morpurgo never saw an image of his father until, while watching the 1962 [[CBC Television|CBC]] version of ''[[Great Expectations]]'' on TV with his mother, she recognised Van Bridge in the role of [[Abel Magwitch|Magwitch]] and said to Michael "That's your father!"<ref name=Lawson>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/mar/12/war-horse-michael-morpurgo|title=Mark Lawson talks to the writer of War Horse Michael Morpurgo about abandoning the army, his absent father – and making his acting debut|last=Lawson|first=Mark|date=2009-03-12|work=The Guardian|access-date=2020-01-05|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> They met in person nine years later.<ref name=Lawson/>

Morpurgo's stepfather was not encouraging to his sons and was disappointed that they were not meeting his expectations for them of going into academia like him, calling Michael "a bear with very little brain."<ref name=profile/><ref name=FT>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/c6aad900-206e-11e8-a895-1ba1f72c2c11|title='War Horse' writer Michael Morpurgo on Brexit and the art of grief|last=Gapper|first=John|date=2018-03-09|website=Financial Times|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-01-05}}</ref> His stepfather decided he should join the army and Morpurgo attended the [[Royal Military Academy Sandhurst]].<ref name="horse"/> He quickly realised that a soldier's life was not for him and left after nine months.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/student/career-planning/getting-job/my-first-job-michael-morpurgo-recent-childrens-laureate-recalls-his-days-as-a-soldier-518531.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220514/http://www.independent.co.uk/student/career-planning/getting-job/my-first-job-michael-morpurgo-recent-childrens-laureate-recalls-his-days-as-a-soldier-518531.html |archive-date=14 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=My First Job: Michael Morpurgo, recent Children's Laureate, recalls|date=2005-12-08|website=The Independent|language=en|access-date=2020-01-05}}</ref> He said later that reading the poems of the [[First World War]] poets when he was a young soldier were "part of the reason I left the army and became a teacher and then a writer of many books about war in which a longing for peace and reconciliation is always evident."<ref name="grdn2022">{{cite news |last1=Morpurgo |first1=Michael |title=Michael Morpurgo: 'The war poets were the reason I left the army and became a writer': The books of my life |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/nov/18/michael-morpurgo-war-poets-reason-i-left-the-army-became-writer |access-date=5 April 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=18 November 2022}}</ref>

Morpurgo later went to study at [[King's College London]], reading English, French, and Philosophy,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.warhorseonstage.com/staff/michael-morpurgo/|title=Michael Morpurgo|website=War Horse|access-date=2020-01-05}}</ref> and graduated with a [[British undergraduate degree classification#Third Class honours|third class degree]].<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00ymf57 "Richard Dimbleby Lecture"], BBC One. 15 February 2011, retrieved 17 April 2011.</ref> He then joined the teaching profession<ref name="horse"/> with a job at [[Wickhambreaux]] [[Primary School]] in [[City of Canterbury|Canterbury]], [[Kent]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/canterbury/news/michael-morpurgo-knighted-180115/|title=Michael Morpurgo knighted|date=2018-03-20|website=Kent Online|language=en|access-date=2020-01-05}}</ref> He also, in 1968, briefly taught at [[St. Faith's School]] in Cambridge.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sevenstories.org.uk/app_pages/collections/loupefancybox.aspx?url=%2Fapp_pages%2Fcollections%2Fimage.aspx%3Fid%3D2982&title=Letter%20of%20recommendation%20from%20the%20headmaster%20at%20a%20school%20at%20which%20Michael%20Morpurgo%20taught%20in%201970&description=Letter%20of%20recommendation%20for%20Michael%20Morpurgo%20from%20M.%20P.%20MacInnes%2C%20headmaster%20at%20St.%20Faith%E2%80%99s%2C%20Cambridge%2C%201970%3Cbr%3E%28MMo%2F11%2F03%2F02%29%3C%2Fbr%3E%C2%A9%20M.%20P.%20Macinnes%2C%20c.%201970%20%28presumed%29&tooltip=%E2%80%98Mr%20Morpurgo%20is%20above%20all%20an%20individualist%E2%80%99%20%E2%80%93%20this%20reference%20suggests%20Michael%20might%20not%20have%20always%20played%20by%20the%20rules%20as%20a%20teacher%2C%20something%20he%20explores%20in%20his%20short%20story%2C%20%E2%80%98Littlehampton%2012%20%E2%80%93%20Wickhamstead%200%E2%80%99%20%28featured%20in%20%27War%20Child%20to%20War%20Horse%27%2C%20HarperCollins%2C%202012%29 |title=St Faith's Headmaster letter of recommendation |access-date=2 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180827142359/https://www.sevenstories.org.uk/app_pages/collections/loupefancybox.aspx?url=%2Fapp_pages%2Fcollections%2Fimage.aspx%3Fid%3D2982&title=Letter%20of%20recommendation%20from%20the%20headmaster%20at%20a%20school%20at%20which%20Michael%20Morpurgo%20taught%20in%201970&description=Letter%20of%20recommendation%20for%20Michael%20Morpurgo%20from%20M.%20P.%20MacInnes%2C%20headmaster%20at%20St.%20Faith%E2%80%99s%2C%20Cambridge%2C%201970%3Cbr%3E%28MMo%2F11%2F03%2F02%29%3C%2Fbr%3E%C2%A9%20M.%20P.%20Macinnes%2C%20c.%201970%20%28presumed%29&tooltip=%E2%80%98Mr%20Morpurgo%20is%20above%20all%20an%20individualist%E2%80%99%20%E2%80%93%20this%20reference%20suggests%20Michael%20might%20not%20have%20always%20played%20by%20the%20rules%20as%20a%20teacher%2C%20something%20he%20explores%20in%20his%20short%20story%2C%20%E2%80%98Littlehampton%2012%20%E2%80%93%20Wickhamstead%200%E2%80%99%20%28featured%20in%20%27War%20Child%20to%20War%20Horse%27%2C%20HarperCollins%2C%202012%29 |archive-date=27 August 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Career==
===From teaching to writing novels===
It was not until he was teaching in Kent that Morpurgo discovered his vocation in life, of which he later said "I could see there was magic in it for them, and realized there was magic in it for me."<ref>{{Cite book|title=War Horse|last=Morpurgo|first=Michael|publisher=Scholastic Inc.|year=2010|isbn=9780545311854|chapter=An Interview with Michael Morpurgo|page=167}}</ref>

Morpurgo's writing career was inspired by [[Ted Hughes]]' ''Poetry in the Making'', [[Paul Gallico]]'s ''[[The Snow Goose: A Story of Dunkirk|The Snow Goose]]'' and [[Ernest Hemingway]]'s ''[[The Old Man and the Sea]]''.<ref name="guardian1">[https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/jun/12/michael.morpurgo "Michael Morpurgo,"] ''The Guardian'' (US). 22 July 2008, retrieved 17 April 2011.</ref> Hughes and another poet, [[Seán Rafferty]], were influential in his career, with Hughes becoming a friend, mentor and neighbour. Morpurgo credits Hughes and Rafferty with giving him the confidence to write ''War Horse'', his most successful work to date.<ref name=life/>

===Works===

Morpurgo is the author of dozens of books, including the notable titles:
{{div col}}
*''[[Friend or Foe (novel)|Friend or Foe]]'' (1977)
* ''All Around the Year'' (with [[Ted Hughes]]) (1979)
* ''[[The Nine Lives of Montezuma]]'' (1980)
* ''[[War Horse (novel)|War Horse]]'' (1982)
* ''[[Little Foxes]]'' (1984)
* ''[[Why the Whales Came]]'' (1985)
* ''[[King of the Cloud Forests]]'' (1987)
* ''Mossop's Last Chance'' (with [[Shoo Rayner]]) (1988)
*''[[My Friend Walter]]'' (1988)
* ''[[Waiting for Anya]]'' (1990)
* ''[[The Wreck of the Zanzibar]]'' (1995)
* ''[[The Butterfly Lion]]'' (1996)
* ''[[Farm Boy (novel)|Farm Boy]]'' (1997)
* ''[[Kensuke's Kingdom]]'' (1999)
*  ''[[Billy the Kid (novel)|Billy the Kid]]''  (2000)
* ''[[The Sleeping Sword]]'' (2002)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kellaway |first1=Kate |author1-link=Kate Kellaway |title=Sword's lore |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2002/mar/24/booksforchildrenandteenagers.michaelmorpurgo |access-date=27 July 2023 |work=The Observer |date=24 March 2002}}</ref>
* ''[[Private Peaceful]]'' (2003)
* ''[[Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (children's novel)|Sir Gawain and the Green Knight]]'' (2004)<ref>London: Walker Books. {{ISBN|978-0-7445-8646-6}}</ref>
* ''The Orchard Book of Aesop's Fables'' (2004), illustrated by Emma Chichester Clark<ref>London: Orchard Books. {{ISBN|978-1-84362-271-0}}</ref>
* ''War: Stories of Conflict'' (compiler) (2005)<ref>''War: Stories of Conflict'' (2005). HarperCollins. {{ISBN|978-1-4050-4744-9}}</ref>
* ''Meeting Cezanne'' (2005)
* ''[[The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips]]'' (2005)
* ''[[Alone on a Wide Wide Sea]]'' (2006)
* ''[[Beowulf]]'' (2006), illustrated by Michael Foreman
* ''Born to Run'' (2007)
* ''[[Running Wild (Michael Morpurgo)|Running Wild]]'' (2009)<ref>Newberry, Linda. [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/nov/07/running-wild-michael-morpurgo-review "Running Wild by Michael Morpurgo,"] ''The Guardian'' (UK). 7 November 2009, 17 April 2011.</ref>
* ''The Kites Are Flying!'' (2009)<ref>[http://www.walker.co.uk/The-Kites-Are-Flying-9781406317985.aspx "The Kites Are Flying!"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090807101316/http://www.walker.co.uk/The-Kites-Are-Flying-9781406317985.aspx|date=7 August 2009}} Walker Books, retrieved 17 April 2011.</ref>
* ''Not Bad for a Bad Lad'' (2010)<ref>{{cite book|author=Michael Morpurgo|title=Not Bad for a Bad Lad|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0S4kQwAACAAJ|date=May 2010|publisher=Templar Publishing|isbn=978-1-84877-308-0}}</ref>
* ''[[An Elephant in the Garden]]'' (2010)<ref>HarperCollins. {{ISBN|978-0-00-787563-4}}</ref>
* ''Shadow'' (2010)<ref>{{cite book|author=Michael Morpurgo|title=Shadow|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7bZgRwAACAAJ|year=2010|publisher=HarperCollins Publishers Limited|isbn=978-0-00-733960-0}}</ref>
* ''[[Little Manfred]]'' (2011)<ref>HarperCollins. {{ISBN|978-0-00-733966-2}}</ref>
* ''[[The Pied Piper of Hamelin (2011 novel)|The Pied Piper of Hamelin]]'' (2011)<ref>Walker Books. {{ISBN|978-1-4063-1511-0}}</ref>
* ''Sparrow: The True Story of Joan of Arc'' (2012)<ref>London: HarperCollins. {{ISBN|978-0-00-746595-8}}</ref>
* ''Outlaw: The Story of Robin Hood'' (2012)<ref>London: HarperCollins. {{ISBN|978-0-00-746592-7}}</ref>
* ''Homecoming'' (2012)<ref>London: Walker Books. {{ISBN|978-1-4063-3202-5}}</ref>
* ''[[Where My Wellies Take Me]]'' (with Clare Morpurgo) (2012)<ref>London: Templar Publishing. {{ISBN|9781848775442}}</ref>
* ''[[A Medal for Leroy]]'' (2012)<ref name="HC">London: HarperCollins. {{ISBN|978-0-00-748751-6}}</ref>
* ''Beauty and the Beast'' (2013)<ref name="HC" />
* ''The Castle in the Field – Little Gems'' (2013)<ref>Edinburgh: Barrington Stoke. {{ISBN|978-1-7811-2287-7}}</ref>
* ''Pinocchio By Pinocchio'' (2013)<ref name="HC" />
* ''The Goose is Getting Fat'' (2013)<ref>London: Egmont. {{ISBN|978-1-4052-6896-7}}</ref>
* ''All I Said Was'' (2014)<ref>Edinburgh: Barrington Stoke. {{ISBN|978-1-78112-348-5}}</ref>
* ''Half a Man'' (2014)<ref>London: Walker Books. {{ISBN|978-1-4063-5133-0}}</ref>
* ''[[Listen to the Moon]]'' (2014)<ref>London: HarperCollins. {{ISBN|978-0-00-733963-1}}</ref>
* ''Mini Kid'' (2014)<ref>Edinburgh: Barrington Stoke. {{ISBN|978-1-78112-352-2}}</ref>
* ''Such Stuff: A Story-Maker's Inspiration'' (2016)<ref>London: Walker Books. {{ISBN|978-1-4063-6457-6}}</ref>
* ''The Fox and the Ghost King (The Timeless Tale of an Impossible Dream)'' (2016)<ref>London: HarperCollins. {{ISBN|978-0-00-796026-2}}</ref>
* ''An Eagle in the Snow'' (2016)<ref>{{cite web|title=An Eagle in the Snow by Michael Morpurgo – Paperback {{!}} HarperCollins|url=https://www.harpercollins.co.uk/9780008134174/an-eagle-in-the-snow|website=HarperCollins UK|access-date=11 June 2017}}</ref>
* ''Greatest Magical Stories'' (2017)<ref>Oxford: OUP. {{ISBN|978-0-19-276403-4}}</ref>
* ''Lucky Button'' (2017)<ref>London: Walker Books. {{ISBN|978-1 4063-7168-0}}</ref>
* ''[[Toto: The Dog-Gone Amazing Story of the Wizard of Oz]]'' (2017)<ref>London: HarperCollins. {{ISBN|978-0-00 813459-4}}</ref> 
* ''[[Flamingo Boy]]'' (2018)<ref>London: HarperCollins. {{ISBN|978-0-00-813463-1}}</ref>
* ''In the Mouth of the Wolf'' (2018)<ref>London: Egmont. {{ISBN|978-1-4052-8526-1}}</ref>
* ''[[Flamingo Boy|The Day the World Stopped Turning]]'' (2019)<ref>New York: Feiwel Friends. {{ISBN|9781250107077}}</ref>
* ''Grandpa Christmas'' (2020)<ref>London: HarperCollins. {{ISBN|978-1-4052-9497-3}}</ref>
* ''A Song of Gladness'' (2021)<ref>London: Pan Macmillan. {{ISBN|978-1-5290-6331-8}}</ref>
* ''The Puffin Keeper'' (2021)<ref>London: Penguin Random House. {{ISBN|978-0-2414-5450-3}}</ref>
* ''[[When Fishes Flew: The Story of Elena's War]]'' (2021)<ref>London: HarperCollins. {{ISBN|978-0-0083-5218-9}}</ref>
* ''Carnival of the Animals'' (2021)<ref>London: HarperCollins. {{ISBN|978-0-0084-5982-6}}</ref>
* ''Flying Scotsman and the Best Birthday Ever'' (2022)<ref>London: Thames & Hudson. {{ISBN|978-0-50-065294-7}}</ref>
* ''Cobweb'' (2024)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bearn |first1=Emily |title=Schools don't teach history properly – thank goodness for Michael Morpurgo |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/childrens-books/review-cobweb-michael-morpurgo/ |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=11 September 2024}} {{ISBN|978-0-00-835216-5}}</ref>
{{div col end}}

===Adaptations===
''Gentle Giant'' was presented as an opera by composer Stephen McNeff and librettist Mike Kenny at the Royal Opera House in 2006. Film versions have been made of ''[[Friend or Foe (film)|Friend or Foe]]'' (1981), ''[[Private Peaceful (film)|Private Peaceful]]'' (2012) and ''[[When the Whales Came]]'' (1989), the latter also being adapted to a stage play. ''My Friend Walter'' (1988) 'Purple Penguins' (2000) and ''Out of the Ashes'' (2001) have been adapted for television.

Composer [[Stephen Barlow (conductor)|Stephen Barlow]] created a musical adaptation of ''Rainbow Bear'', narrated by his wife [[Joanna Lumley]]. This was subsequently presented as a ballet by the National Youth Ballet of Great Britain in August 2010.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kent-life.co.uk/people/making-of-a-ballet-1-1639423|title=Making of a ballet|website=Kent Life|date=20 July 2010|language=en|access-date=2020-01-05}}</ref>

''[[War Horse (novel)|War Horse]]'' has been adapted as a radio broadcast and as a [[War Horse (play)|stage play]] by [[Nick Stafford]], premiering at the [[National Theatre, London]], on 17 October 2007. The horses were played by life-sized horse puppets designed and built by the [[Handspring Puppet Company]] of [[South Africa]]. It won two [[Olivier Awards]] in 2007.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.londontheatredirect.com/news/the-national-theatres-war-horse-facts-and-figures|title=The National Theatre's War Horse: Facts And Figures|date=2013-08-05|website=www.londontheatredirect.com|language=en|access-date=2020-01-05}}</ref> Initially intended to run for 16 weeks, due to popular demand the show transferred to the [[New London Theatre]] in the [[West End theatre|West End]] on 28 March 2009.<ref>[http://westend.broadwayworld.com/article/WAR_HORSE_Opens_In_The_West_End_32809_20081218 "'War Horse' Opens In The West End 3/28/09"] broadwayworld.com, 8 December 2008</ref> It closed in the West End after eight years, having been seen by 2.7 million people in London and seven million worldwide at the time.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/war-horse-close-end-2016/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/war-horse-close-end-2016/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=War Horse to close after ailing ticket sales|last=Singh|first=Anita|date=2016-05-18|work=The Telegraph|access-date=2020-01-05|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}{{cbignore}}</ref> It was the most successful production of the National Theatre ever.<ref name=profile/>

On 15 March 2011, the show premiered on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] at the [[Vivian Beaumont Theater]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/146000-Seth-Numrich-to-Lead-War-Horse-on-Broadway-35-Member-Cast-Announced |title=Seth Numrich to Lead 'War Horse' on Broadway; 35-Member Cast Announced |last=Hetrick |first=Adam |date=20 December 2010 |magazine=Playbill |access-date=27 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110223210433/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/146000-Seth-Numrich-to-Lead-War-Horse-on-Broadway-35-Member-Cast-Announced |archive-date=23 February 2011}}</ref> The play's Broadway production won five [[Tony Awards]], including [[Tony Award for Best Play|Best Play]]. It went on several UK tours and was also staged in Australia, Canada, China, Germany, and The Netherlands.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/hong-kong/article/WAR-HORSE-Gallops-Into-Hong-KongThe-Only-Asian-Stop-in-Its-First-International-Tour-20190417|title=WAR HORSE Gallops into Hong Kong—The Only Asian Stop in Its First International Tour|last=Oliveros|first=Oliver|website=BroadwayWorld.com|language=en|access-date=2020-01-05}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/12/theater/war-horse-closes-in-britain-but-its-influence-gallops-on.html|title='War Horse' Closes in Britain, but Its Influence Gallops On|last=Trueman|first=Matt|date=2016-03-11|work=The New York Times|access-date=2020-01-05|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> It was seen by seven million people outside the UK.

In 2011, ''War Horse'' was adapted by [[Lee Hall (playwright)|Lee Hall]] and [[Richard Curtis]] as a British [[War Horse (film)|film]] directed by [[Steven Spielberg]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/jun/18/steven-spielberg-cast-war-horse|title=Steven Spielberg unveils cast for War Horse adaptation|last=Child|first=Ben|date=2010-06-18|work=The Guardian|access-date=2020-01-05|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> The film was nominated numerous awards, including six [[Academy Awards]] and five [[BAFTA Awards]].<ref>{{Citation|title=War Horse – IMDb|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1568911/awards|access-date=2020-01-05}}</ref>

''[[Waiting for Anya]]'' was adapted as a [[Waiting for Anya (film)|film of the same title]] released in 2020.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Minow |first1=Nell |title=Waiting for Anya movie review (2020) |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/waiting-for-anya-movie-review-2020 |website=[[RogerEbert.com]] |access-date=13 February 2020 |language=en |date=7 February 2020}}</ref> ''[[Kensuke's Kingdom]]'', following a fictionalised version of Morpurgo himself stranded on a [[desert island]] as a child, was adapted as a [[Kensuke's Kingdom (film)|film of the same title]] first released in 2023 and widely released in 2024, with Aaron MacGregor voicing a young Michael, and [[Sally Hawkins]] and [[Cillian Murphy]] voicing his parents.

===Reception and influence===
Morpurgo has thirty books on the HarperCollins list and has sold more than 35 million books worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web |title=HarperCollins Childrens signs multi-book deal with Michael Morpurgo |url=https://www.thebookseller.com/rights/harpercollins-signs-multi-book-deal-michael-morpurgo-942081 |access-date=2023-02-06 |website=The Bookseller |language=En}}</ref>

''Reading Matters'' website calls Morpurgo's 1999 ''Kensuke's Kingdom'' "A quietly told story, but plenty of drama and emotion."<ref name="Reading Matters">{{cite web|url=http://www.readingmatters.co.uk/book.php?id=57|title=Kensuke's Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo: book review|access-date=28 February 2013}}</ref>

''[[The Guardian]]'' described ''Private Peaceful'', Morpurgo's 2003 novel for older children, as a "humanising and humane work".<ref name="Samuels">{{cite news|last1=Samuels|first1=Diane|title=The lost generation|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2003/oct/18/booksforchildrenandteenagers.michaelmorpurgo|access-date=23 April 2017|work=The Guardian|date=18 October 2003}}</ref>

===Children's Laureate===
Morpurgo and Ted Hughes, then [[Poet Laureate]], originated the idea of the [[Children's Laureate]] role,<ref>UK Children's Laureate, [http://www.childrenslaureate.org.uk/About-the-award about the award]</ref> and Morpurgo later became the third person to fill the two-year position, from 2003 to 2005.<ref name=laureate/><ref name="lyall">Lyall, Sarah. [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/books/michael-morpurgo-author-of-war-horse-an-unlikely-hit.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=undaunted%20authro%20fo%20war%20horse&st=cse  "Undaunted Author of ‘War Horse’ Reflects on Unlikely Hit"]. ''The New York Times''. 11 April 2011; retrieved 17 April 2011.</ref>

===Literary awards and prizes===
;Shortlisted
*1991 [[Carnegie Medal (literary award)|Carnegie Medal]]: ''[[Waiting for Anya]]''
*1995 Carnegie Medal: ''Arthur, High King of Britain''
*1996 Carnegie Medal: ''[[The Wreck of the Zanzibar]]''
*2002 W. H. Smith Award for Children's Literature: ''Out of the Ashes''
*2003 [[Blue Peter Book Award]]: The Book I Couldn't Put Down:  ''Cool!''
*2003 Carnegie Medal: ''[[Private Peaceful]]''
*2004 Whitbread Children's Book Award: ''[[Private Peaceful]]''
* 2009 [[Sydney Taylor Book Award]] Notable title for Older Readers: ''The Mozart Question''
*2012 Bippo award for books
*2010 [[Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis]] ''(German youth literature prize)'': ''Warten auf Anya'' ''([[Waiting for Anya]])''
*2014 [[Costa Book Awards|Costa Children's Book Award]]: ''Listen to the Moon''

;Awarded
*1993 [[Prix Sorcières]] (France): ''King of the Cloud Forests''
*1995 Whitbread Children's Book Award: ''[[The Wreck of the Zanzibar]]''
*1996 [[Nestlé Smarties Book Prize]] (Gold Award): ''[[The Butterfly Lion]]''
*1999 Prix Sorcières (France): ''Wombat Goes Walkabout''
*2000 [[Red House Children's Book Award]]: ''Kensuke's Kingdom''<ref name=redhouse>{{cite web|title=Michael Morpurgo wins Children's Book Award for fourth time|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-40222762|website=BBC News|access-date=11 June 2017|date=11 June 2017}}</ref>
*2001 Prix Sorcières (France): ''Kensuke's Kingdom''
*2002 Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (Bronze Award): ''The Last Wolf''
*2004 Red House Children's Book Award: ''[[Private Peaceful]]''<ref name=redhouse />
*2005 Blue Peter Book of the Year Award: ''[[Private Peaceful]]''
*2005 [[Hampshire Book Award]]: ''[[Private Peaceful]]''
*2008 [[California Young Reader Medal]]: ''[[Private Peaceful]]''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081231124229/http://californiayoungreadermedal.org/index.htm California Young Reader Medal: 2008 Young Adult winner]</ref>
*2011 Red House Children's Book Award: ''Shadow''<ref name=redhouse />
*2017 Red House Children's Book Award: ''An Eagle in the Snow''<ref name=redhouse />
*2021 [[Chen Bochui Children's Literature Award]] (China) – best author

==Personal life==
In 1963, aged 19, Morpurgo married [[Clare Morpurgo|Clare Lane]], eldest daughter of [[Allen Lane]], the founder of [[Penguin Books]].<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tjrgz "Penguin, Puffin and the Paperback Revolution"]. BBC Four. 2 September 2010; retrieved 17 April 2011</ref><ref name=shotgun>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/hay-festival/9307630/Michael-Morpurgo-plans-to-make-up-for-shotgun-wedding.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/hay-festival/9307630/Michael-Morpurgo-plans-to-make-up-for-shotgun-wedding.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Michael Morpurgo plans to make up for shotgun wedding|last=Singh|first=Anita|journal=Daily Telegraph|date=2012-06-02|access-date=2020-01-05|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}{{cbignore}}</ref> They had met the previous year on holiday in Corfu through Morpurgo's stepfather, who was an editor at Penguin at the time.<ref name=penguin>{{Cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/penguin-books-turn-80-founders-daughter-reveals-sir-allen-lanes-defining-cultural-moment-a6685166.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220514/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/penguin-books-turn-80-founders-daughter-reveals-sir-allen-lanes-defining-cultural-moment-a6685166.html |archive-date=14 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|last=Smallman|first=Etan|title=Penguin Books' defining cultural moment|date=2015-10-07|website=The Independent|language=en|access-date=2020-01-05}}</ref> Lane was pregnant with their first child and Morpurgo has referred to it as a [[shotgun wedding]].<ref name=shotgun/> Their three children are all named after Shakespearian characters.<ref name=profile/>

His mother died in London in 1993.<ref>"MORPURGO Catherine Noel Kippe of 12 Laurence Mews Askew Road London died 16 February 1993" in ''Probate Calendar (England and Wales)'' (1993), Grid K14</ref>

Morpurgo was diagnosed with [[laryngeal cancer]] in 2017 and received radiotherapy.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-44310240|title=War Horse author reveals cancer battle|date=2018-05-30|access-date=2020-01-05|language=en-GB}}</ref> He has since recovered.<ref name=profile/>

==Farms for City Children==
{{Main|Farms for City Children}}
In 1976, Morpurgo and his wife Clare established the charity [[Farms for City Children]],<ref>{{EW charity|325120|Farms for City Children}}</ref> with the primary aim of providing children from inner city areas with experience of the countryside.<ref>{{YouTube|Ktl3_VFg6qo|AdventureBox Books Interview on Farms for Children}}</ref> The programme involves the children spending a week at a countryside farm, during which they take part in purposeful farmyard work.<ref>[http://www.farmsforcitychildren.co.uk Farms for City Children webpage], farms4citychildren.co.uk; accessed 14 October 2015.</ref><ref name=FT/> The charity's first president was the couple's close friend and neighbour, [[Ted Hughes]].<ref name=life>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/jul/11/once-upon-life-michael-morpurgo-farms-city-children|title=Once upon a life: Michael Morpurgo|last=Morpurgo|first=Michael|date=2010-07-10|work=The Guardian|access-date=2020-01-05|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

About 85,000 children have taken part in the scheme since it was set up, and the charity now has three farms in [[Wales]], [[Devon]], and [[Gloucestershire]]. Morpurgo has referred to the charity as his greatest achievement in life.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/c6d4e7a6-133e-11e7-b0c1-37e417ee6c76|title=A Q&A with writer Michael Morpurgo|newspaper=Financial Times|date=2017-03-31|access-date=2020-01-05|last1=Lacey|first1=Hester}}</ref>

==Political views==
In a January 2014 article, Morpurgo stated "as we begin to mark the century of the first world war, we should honour those who died, most certainly, and gratefully too, but we should never glorify. Come each November over the next four years, let the [[Remembrance poppy|red poppy]] and the [[white poppy]] be worn together to honour those who died, to keep our faith with them, to make of this world a place where freedom and peace can reign together."<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/01/first-world-war-centenary-michael-morpurgo First world war centenary is a year to honour the dead but not to glorify] ''The Guardian'', 1 January 2014.  Retrieved 17 January 2015.</ref>

In August 2014, Morpurgo was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to ''[[The Guardian]]'' expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in September's [[2014 Scottish independence referendum|referendum on that issue]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/aug/07/celebrities-open-letter-scotland-independence-full-text |title=Celebrities' open letter to Scotland – full text and list of signatories |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=7 August 2014 |access-date=26 August 2014}}</ref>

Prior to the [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015 general election]], Morpurgo endorsed the parliamentary candidacy of the [[Green Party of England and Wales|Green Party]]'s [[Caroline Lucas]].<ref>{{cite news | url= https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/apr/24/celebrities-sign-statement-support-caroline-lucas-not-green-party | title= Celebrities sign statement of support for Caroline Lucas – but not the Greens | work=The Guardian | location=London | first=Jessica | last=Elgot | date=24 April 2015 | access-date=22 July 2015}}</ref>

In 2016, he condemned government plans to extend grammar schools as divisive and "quite deeply stupid".<ref>{{cite news | url= https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/sep/13/grammar-school-plans-divisive-stupid-michael-morpurgo-war-horse | title= Grammar school plans are divisive and stupid, says Michael Morpurgo | access-date=16 September 2016}}</ref>

In the run-up to the [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum]], Morpurgo expressed his support for the [[European Union]] in an interview with the [[BBC News|BBC]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36165924/michael-morpurgo-history-tells-me-what-i-need-to-know-about-europe|title=Michael Morpurgo: 'History tells me what I need to know about Europe'|date=29 April 2016|website=BBC News|access-date=2017-08-28}}</ref> and reinforced this with a ten-minute [[BBC Radio 4]] ''[[List of BBC Radio 4 programmes|A Point of View]]'' interview on 5 August 2018.

==Honours and appointments==
Morpurgo and his wife Clare were each appointed [[Order of the British Empire|Members of the Order of the British Empire]] (MBE) in the [[1999 Birthday Honours]] for services to young people. He was advanced to Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the [[2006 Birthday Honours]] for services to literature and was made a [[Knight Bachelor]] in the [[2018 New Year Honours]] for services to literature and charity.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=55513 |date=12 June 1999 |page=20 |supp=y}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette |issue=58014 |date=17 June 2016 |page=12 |supp=y}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette |issue=62150 |date=30 December 2017 |page=N2 |supp=y}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-42504660|title=Honours for Gibb, Starr and Bussell|date=2017-12-30|access-date=2020-01-05|language=en-GB}}</ref>

In 2012, Morpurgo was made an Honorary Graduate of the [[University of Suffolk]].<ref>[https://www.uos.ac.uk/people/michael-morpurgo "Michael Morpurgo"], University of Suffolk, accessed 9 June 2024</ref> 

Morpurgo was awarded an [[Honorary degree|honorary doctorate]] at [[Bishop Grosseteste University]] on 17 July 2013.<ref>[http://www.bishopg.ac.uk/war-horse-author-to-receive-bgu-honour/ "War Horse author to receive BGU honour"] {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}</ref> He was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the [[University of Chichester]] in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Honorary Awards |url=https://www.chi.ac.uk/alumni/honorary-awards/ |access-date=2025-06-10 |website=University of Chichester |language=en-GB}}</ref>

He was awarded the honorary degree of [[Doctor of Letters]] (D.Litt.) by [[Newcastle University]] on 12 July 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/archive/2017/07/honorarydegrees/|title = Achievements of leading figures celebrated with honorary degrees| date=14 July 2017 }}</ref>

Morpurgo was appointed a [[Deputy Lieutenant]] for Devon on 10 April 2015.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=61201 |date=16 April 2015 |page=7110}}</ref>

Morpurgo is also President of [[BookTrust]], the UK's largest children's reading charity.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Our President {{!}} BookTrust |url=https://www.booktrust.org.uk/about-us/governance/our-president/ |access-date=2022-11-15 |website=www.booktrust.org.uk}}</ref>

On 9 November 2023 Morpurgo was awarded an [[Honorary degree|honorary doctorate]] at [[University of Plymouth]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-09 |title=War Horse author and charity founder awarded honorary doctorate |url=https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/news/war-horse-author-and-charity-founder-awarded-honorary-doctorate |access-date=2023-11-10 |website=University of Plymouth |language=en}}</ref> after writing almost all of his 150 books in the county of [[Devon]].

==Radio and television broadcasts==
*''The Invention of Childhood'' (2006) (with Hugh Cunningham), [[BBC Radio 4]]<ref>[http://www.open2.net/theinventionofchildhood/meetthepresenter.html BBC/OU Open2.net – The Invention of Childhood – Meet the presenter]. Open2.net (21 August 2006). Retrieved 6 April 2011.</ref>
*''Set Our Children Free'': the 2011 [[Richard Dimbleby Lecture]]. [[BBC One]], 15 February 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2011/02_february/15/dimbleby.shtml|title=Former Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo OBE calls for recognition of children's rights in BBC One's Richard Dimbleby Lecture|publisher=BBC|work=Press Office|date=15 February 2011|access-date=15 February 2011}}</ref>
*"[[Alone on a Wide Wide Sea]]": [[BBC Radio 2]], 7–10 August 2017

==Biographies==
* {{Cite book |last=Carey |first=Joanna |year=1999 |title=Interview with Michael Morpurgo |isbn=9780749738662}}
* {{Cite book |last=Fergusson |first=Maggie |title=Michael Morpurgo: War Child to War Horse |year=2012 |isbn=9780007387267 |ref=none |author-link=Maggie Fergusson}}
* {{Cite book |last=Fox |first=Geoff |year=2004 |title=Dear Mr Morpingo: Inside the World of Michael Morpurgo |publisher=Wizard |isbn=9781840466072}}
* {{Cite book |last=McCarthy |first=Shaun |year=2005 |title=Michael Morpurgo |isbn=9780431179957}}


==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=laureate>
[http://www.childrenslaureate.org.uk/previous-laureates/michael-morpurgo/ "Michael Morpurgo"]. Children's Laureate (childrenslaureate.org.uk). [[Booktrust]]. Retrieved 28 September 2013.</ref>
}}

==Further reading==
* Morpurgo, Michael et al. ''La Revue Des Livres Pour Enfants'' Number 250, December 2009: "Michael Morpurgo" pp 79–124. {{in lang|fr}}
*{{cite news | last =Franks | first =Alan | title =Courses for horses | newspaper =[[The Times]] | date =22 September 2007 | url =http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article2483974.ece | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110615122409/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article2483974.ece | url-status =dead | archive-date =15 June 2011 | access-date =23 September 2007  }}

==External links==
{{Portal|Children's literature |Poetry}}
* {{official website|www.michaelmorpurgo.com }}
* {{official website|www.michaelmorpurgo.org }} (old version)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081204064350/http://www.egmont.co.uk/contributor.asp?contid=104 Michael Morpurgo] at publisher [[Egmont Books]]
* {{british council|michael-morpurgo}}
* {{LCAuth|n83017937|Michael Morpurgo|81|ue}}
*[https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/jul/11/once-upon-life-michael-morpurgo-farms-city-children The Observer: "Once upon a life: Michael Morpurgo"]
*{{IMDb name|606190}}
* {{ISFDB name}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-culture}}
{{succession box
|title=[[Children's Laureate|Children's Laureate of the United Kingdom]]
|before=[[Anne Fine]]
|after=[[Jacqueline Wilson]]
|years=2003–2005}}

{{s-end}}
{{Michael Morpurgo}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morpurgo, Michael}}
[[Category:1943 births]]
[[Category:20th-century English male writers]]
[[Category:20th-century English novelists]]
[[Category:21st-century English male writers]]
[[Category:21st-century British novelists]]
[[Category:Alumni of King's College London]]
[[Category:Associates of King's College London]]
[[Category:British Children's Laureate]]
[[Category:British people of Belgian descent]]
[[Category:Deputy lieutenants of Devon]]
[[Category:English children's writers]]
[[Category:English historical novelists]]
[[Category:English male novelists]]
[[Category:English male poets]]
[[Category:Fellows of King's College London]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature]]
[[Category:Knights Bachelor]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:New Statesman people]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:People educated at The King's School, Canterbury]]
[[Category:Writers from St Albans]]