Sir Philip Pullman: fantasy can be unsatisfactory

‘A lot of the fantasy that I have read is unsatisfactory for me
because it's not interested in psychology, it's not interested
how people think or feel’


Katie Razzall speaks to renowned British author Sir Philip
Pullman as he publishes his latest, and final book in the series,
The Rose Field. He’s best-known for writing the award-winning
‘His Dark Materials’ - a series of novels beloved by children and
adults alike all over the world. The books follow the adventures
of the two main characters - Lyra and Will - across a series of
parallel universes, where Pullman blends magical storytelling
with physics, philosophy and theology.


Pullman was a part-time English lecturer when the first
instalment in the series was published thirty years ago. Tens of
millions of copies have been sold across multiple continents, and
the stories have been translated into 40 languages.


The commercial and critical success spawned a follow-up series,
The Book of Dust, which came out nearly a decade ago. The
79-year-old has now picked up his pen to publish this latest and
final instalment.


Although loved all over the world, the stories have also
attracted controversy for their criticism of religion. Pullman,
who once described himself as a ‘Church of England atheist’, is
outspoken on a number of modern-day issues - such as politics,
free speech, and indeed faith - with his views regularly
influencing his writing.


Thank you to the Culture team for their help in making this
programme. The Interview brings you conversations with people
shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews
from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays
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Presenter: Katie Razzall Producers: Ben Cooper and Roxanne
Panthaki Editor: Justine Lang


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(Image: Sir Philip Pullman. Credit: Massimiliano
Donati/Awakening/Getty Images)