I
discovered Pullman some years ago. My daughter was ten and she picked up his
Northern Lights, the first of his Dark Materials Trilogy in the children’s
section of the British Library. She was looking for something else like Harry
Potter and she probably liked what she read on the back cover. She didn’t put
that book down till she had finished it and then she said we had to read it
too. What a wonderful discovery that was! We devoured his three Dark Materials
books – the other two are The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass, recommended
them to all our friends when they were looking for something to read and looked
for every book he’s written in the bookstores. (The movie The Golden Compass,
based on his first book is very watchable too). Truth be told, I didn’t enjoy
his other books as much as I did the trilogy but it’s unfair to compare.
Speaking of truth, one of the most interesting devices that the
Dark Materials books feature is the Alethiometer which is rather like a compass
pointing you to the truth. (That's why the film is titled The Golden Compass).
The little heroine in the stories, Lyra, can read it because she does so instinctively.
Does Heaven really lie about us in our infancy? She can’t do that once she
falls in love with Will and maybe loses those clouds of glory trailing behind
us in our innocence. It's another world, different experiences and yet, the
feelings are so universal. The Dark Materials trilogy is all about the old
order of heaven and earth passing away and a new order coming into being where
the Republic of Heaven will have everyone equal, respecting one another,
believing in what they like, doing what they like and living life fully. An
idealistic world but what a tumultuous ride to get there.
It's a magical place he leads us into, a place where every person
has an alter-ego, usually an animal that best personifies the person. It is
this 'other' that makes the person complete, that brings about balance. When
the two are separated, the person is as good as dead. The stories in his book
exemplify this theme and make it come alive. The world is filled with good and
evil people but there is a constant struggle to attain perfection and this is
what makes it different. It is, on the surface, a simple children's story but
scratch the surface and you'll find embedded within, the seeds of morality, of
idealism and of quantum physics.
Then, one birthday, a friend gave me a gift – his latest book. I
doubt most Christians will open this book, forget about reading it, once they
see the title. I know my parents won’t, even though they are the most wonderful
people alive. However, if you leave your beliefs aside for a while – a
suspension of belief if you will, and read it like you would a story, it’s a
wonderful read. It’s the story we all know, told with a twist and the thing is,
it’s almost believable. If you were to go beyond that and think of the issues
that are brought up, maybe we all have to agree that what has happened to the
Church is a far cry from what the Saviour taught.
You need to read it to fully appreciate it and you also need to go
beyond the words to the deep meaning that the story contains. As an aside, the
book was printed with white jackets and gold printing and with black jackets
and gold printing. An advertising gimmick – but so relevant, I thought! Pullman
wrote this book as part of Canongate’s ‘The Myths Series’.
There’s been so much in Philip Pullman’s writing that I’ve
connected with. He writes in such a wonderful way that draws you in, makes you
feel like you're a part of the book. Here are a few nuggets from his books, his
essays and his talks. I hope you find them as powerful as I do.
