Philip Pullman

English author · United Kingdom · On the map · Writers · Born 1946 · age 80

Sir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman is an English writer. He is best known for the fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials. The first volume, Northern Lights (1995), won the Carnegie Medal and later the "Carnegie of Carnegies". The third volume, The Amber Spyglass (2000), won the Whitbread Award.

Philip Pullman is read about 918 times a day, in 69 languages.

A typical day, 30 days to 6 November 2026

The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 400 days, one point a day.

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A life in dates

2019Knight BachelorAward2015“His (C. S. Lewis's) work is not frivolous in the way that Tolkien is frivolous, though it seems odd to call a novel of great intricacy and enormous popularity frivolous.”In their wordsSlate interview, 2015Read the whole statement

2010“Nobody has to read this book. Nobody has to pick it up. Nobody has to open it. And if they open it and read it, they don't have to like it.”In their wordsThe Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ (2010)Read the whole statement

2008Honorary DoctorateAward2005Astrid Lindgren Memorial AwardAward2004Commander of the Order of the British EmpireAward2003“All these tattered old bits and pieces have a history and a meaning.”In their wordsLyra's Oxford (2003)Read the whole statement

“Everything has a meaning, if only we could read it.”In their wordsLyra's Oxford (2003)Read the whole statement

2002“I'm caught between the words 'atheistic' and 'agnostic'. I've got no evidence whatever for believing in a God.”In their wordsNovember 2002"A dark agenda?" (November 2002)Read the whole statement

“Now here are these children who have gone through great adventures and learned wonderful things and would therefore be in a position to do great things to help other people.”In their wordsNovember 2002On The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. LewisRead the whole statement

Eleanor Farjeon AwardAward2001Fellow of the Royal Society of LiteratureAward1996Guardian Children's Fiction PrizeAwardNestlé Children's Book PrizeAward1995Carnegie MedalAward1946Born19 October 1946

People around Philip

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In their own words 4

Philip Pullman

4 statements, newest first

They’re often bracketed together, Tolkien and Lewis, which I suppose is fair because they were great friends - both Oxford writers and scholars, both Christians.
2015 · Slate interview, 2015, Own words
On an unseasonably, uncomfortably, unnaturally warm day in mid-October I sit here trying not to think about global warming. But it's difficult.
October 2006 · Entry at Philip-Pullman.com (October 2006), Own words
This book contains a story and several other things.
2003 · Lyra's Oxford (2003), Own words

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Awards

Knight Bachelor2019

Honorary Doctorate2008

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award2005

Commander of the Order of the British Empire2004

Eleanor Farjeon Award2002

Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature2001

Nestlé Children's Book Prize1996

Guardian Children's Fiction Prize1996

Carnegie Medal1995

About this person

In 2017, he started a companion trilogy, The Book of Dust, of which the final novel, The Rose Field, was published in October 2025.

Country

United Kingdom

Where to find them

XPhilipPullman IMDb Websitephilip-pullman.com

In the same film or series as Philip

Derek JacobiAlso in The Golden Compass (2007)

Calum WorthyAlso in I Was a Rat (2001)

Jim CarterAlso in The Golden Compass (2007)

Will SelfAlso in The Secret World of Lewis Carroll (2015)