The author of over 100 books, Michael Morpurgo is perhaps most famous for his novels for young adults, War Horse (1982) and Private Peaceful (2003). These narratives reflect on the events of World War I, but they are not meant to be read as standard or traditional histories. War Horse, for instance, is told in the first person from the perspective of a farm horse (then cavalry horse, then ambulance horse) named Joey. Already distinctive in its use of perspective, this book further raised Morpurgo's profile when it was adapted for the stage (2007) by Nick Stafford and brought to the silver screen (2011) by director Steven Spielberg.
Morpurgo was born in Hertfordshire; he received his childhood education in England and eventually enrolled at King's College, London, where he studied English and French. He also served briefly in the British army. Eventually, Morpurgo became a primary school teacher, and in this role discovered his powers as a storyteller. In addition to his writing, he is known for running the charity Farms for City Children alongside his wife Clare. Morpurgo's life has been documented in the biography War Child to War Horse, by Maggie Fergusson. A few of his other well-known novels are The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips and Kensuke's Kingdom.
Published in 2003, Private Peaceful is a young-adult novel by English author Michael Morpurgo, notable for his children's book War Horse. The book is written from the perspective of a soldier discussing his life experiences both before and during...
War Horse is a children's novel set in Wartime Europe; the narrative concerns events from before the declaration of World War I to shortly after the Germans surrendered to the Allies. The narrator of the novel is a horse called Joey, a cavalry...
