Philip Pullman, born on October 19, 1946, in Norwich, England, is a renowned English author best known for his fantasy trilogies His Dark Materials (1995-2000) and The Book of Dust (2017-2025). His impactful storytelling has garnered him worldwide recognition in young adult and children's literature. Pullman's early life involved extensive travel due to his father's career as a Royal Air Force pilot. He attended Oxford University, studying English literature. Before becoming a full-time writer in 1996, Pullman taught at various Oxford middle schools and Westminster College, nurturing creativity in young minds.
Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, comprising Northern Lights (also known as The Golden Compass), The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass, has received numerous awards, including the Carnegie Medal for Northern Lights and the Whitbread Award for The Amber Spyglass. He was even named 'Carnegie of Carnegies' in 2007. In 2017, he began a companion trilogy, The Book of Dust, with the final novel, The Rose Field, published in October 2025. Pullman was knighted in 2019 for his services to literature. He has also been a vocal advocate for civil liberties and critical of unimaginative education policies.
