Philip Pullman: Difference between revisions

Columnist [[Peter Hitchens]], in a 2002 article for ''[[The Mail on Sunday]]'', accused Pullman of "killing god" and described him as "the most dangerous author in Britain" because he said in an interview: "I'm trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief." Pullman responded by posting Hitchens' article on his study wall.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ross|first=Deborah|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/philip-pullman-soap-and-the-serious-writer-9247559.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/philip-pullman-soap-and-the-serious-writer-9247559.html |archive-date=26 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Philip Pullman: Soap and the serious writer|work=The Independent|date=4 February 2002|access-date=18 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Hitchens|first=Peter|url=https://catholicherald.co.uk/peter-hitchens-whats-happened-to-philip-pullman/|title=What's happened to Philip Pullman?|work=Catholic Herald|date=2 November 2017|access-date=14 June 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Hawkes|first=Rebecca|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/authors/philippullmanversus-god-author-became-enemy-religion/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/authors/philippullmanversus-god-author-became-enemy-religion/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Philip Pullman versus God: how the author became the enemy of religion|date=<!-- Wednesday -->18 October 2017|access-date=14 June 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In that interview, which was for a February 2001 article in ''[[The Washington Post]]'', Pullman acknowledged that a controversy would be likely to boost sales, but continued: "I'm not in the business of offending people. I find the books upholding certain values that I think are important, such as life is immensely valuable and this world is an extraordinarily beautiful place. We should do what we can to increase the amount of wisdom in the world."<ref name="Post">{{cite news|last=Wartofsky|first=Alona|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2001/02/19/the-last-word/4bad376f-4ab7-441c-9c50-afc7e63dd192/|title=The Last Word|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=19 February 2001|access-date=18 January 2020}}</ref> Hitchens also views the ''His Dark Materials'' series as a direct rebuttal of [[C. S. Lewis]]'s ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia]]'';<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archive.spectator.co.uk/article/18th-january-2003/18/a-labour-of-loathing|title=A labour of loathing|date=18 January 2003|access-date=18 January 2020|last=Hitchens|first=Peter|work=The Spectator|page=18}}{{subscription required}}</ref> Pullman has criticised the Narnia books as religious propaganda.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://humaniststudies.org/enews/?id=326&article=1 |title=The Golden Compass Author Avoids Atheist Labels |access-date=1 December 2008 |author=Crary, Duncan |format=Humanist Network News Interview |publisher=Humanist Network News |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071208222547/http://www.humaniststudies.org/enews/?id=326&article=1 |archive-date=8 December 2007 }}</ref> Hitchens' brother [[Christopher Hitchens]], author of ''[[God Is Not Great]]'', praised ''His Dark Materials'' as a fresh alternative to Lewis, [[J. R. R. Tolkien]] and [[J. K. Rowling]], describing the author as one "whose books have begun to dissolve the frontier between adult and juvenile fiction".<ref name="Vanity Fair">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2002/10/hitchens200210|title=Oxford's Rebel Angel|magazine=Vanity Fair|date=October 2002|access-date=15 January 2014}}</ref> However, he was more critical of ''[[The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ]]'', accusing Pullman of being a "Protestant atheist" for supporting the teachings of Christ but being critical of organised religion.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/11/books/review/Hitchens-t.html?pagewanted=all|title=In the Name of the Father, the Sons ...|last=Hitchens|first=Christopher|date=9 July 2010|website=The New York Times|access-date=30 June 2017}}</ref>

 

 

Donna Freitas, professor of religion at [[Boston University]], argued that challenges to traditional images of God should be welcomed as part of a "lively dialogue about faith". The Christian writers Kurt Bruner and Jim Ware "also uncover spiritual themes within the books".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tyndale.com/products/details.asp?isbn=978-1-4143-1564-5|title=Shedding Light on His Dark Materials|access-date=1 October 2007|author1=Bruner, Kurt |author2=Ware, Jim |name-list-style=amp |format=Tyndale Products review|publisher=Tyndale}}</ref> Pullman's contribution to the [[Canongate Myth Series|''Canongate Myth'' series]], ''The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ'', was described by Mike Collett-White as "a far more direct exploration of the foundations of Christianity and the church as well as an examination of the fascination and power of storytelling".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pullman-christianity-idUSTRE62R1L120100328|title=Pullman Risks Christian Anger With Jesus Novel|author=Collett-White, Mike|date=28 March 2010|access-date=15 January 2014|work=Reuters}}</ref>