Michael Morpurgo

Poet, playwright, librettist and triumphant author of exceptional children’s literature, including the bestselling War Horse, Michael Morpurgo has been shortlisted for numerous awards, including the Carnegie Medal, and has won even more. Private Peaceful (2004), for instance, has won multiple awards and was adapted for the stage to sell-out performances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and London’s West End. Morpurgo was a participant in the conversation that led to the original idea for the Children's Laureate award, and he held the title himself from 2003 to 2005. Born in Hertfordshire, he was evacuated to Cumberland during the Second World War, studied English and French at King’s College London, and went on to be a primary school teacher. This was where he realised his passion for storytelling. ‘[I get my ideas] from all around me. Places, people, stories I hear, little happenings, big happenings, history. I keep my eyes and ears open, my heart fresh’.

Details on Michael Morpurgo and his work can be read in his Scotsman interview, his Rules for Writers in the Guardian and his interview on writing habits.