Origins & Early Life

Sir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman (born 19 October 1946) 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.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

In 2017, he started a companion trilogy, The Book of Dust, of which the final novel, The Rose Field, was published in October 2025. He was knighted in the 2019 New Year Honours for services to literature, and has been awarded several honorary doctorates and other honours. Children's Literature Laureate Michael Morpurgo said of Pullman: "The range and depth of his imagination and of his learning certainly make him the Tolkien of our day". Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman was born in Norwich. His grandfather was a Church of England rector, and gave him a love of storytelling.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

His father, Alfred Outram Pullman, a Royal Air Force pilot, was killed in a plane crash in Kenya in 1954, when Pullman was seven, and was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). Pullman later said that, as a boy, he saw his father as "a hero, steeped in...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Adam Michnik — Contemporary (Born in 1946) (1946): Prominent Polish intellectual, dissident, and journalist advocating for democracy.
• Ahmed Zewail — Contemporary (Born in 1946) (1946): Pioneering chemist, acclaimed as the 'father of femtochemistry'.
• Al Green — Contemporary (Born in 1946) (1946): Iconic American soul singer, songwriter, and pastor celebrated for his timeless vocal artistry.
• Benjamin Banneker — Shared historical date (10-19 · Died) (1806): Self-taught polymath, surveyor, and advocate for racial equality in early America.
• Camille Claudel — Shared historical date (10-19 · Died) (1943): Pioneering French sculptor celebrated for figurative works in bronze and marble.
• Alan Rickman — Historical peer (Born in 1946) (1946): Iconic English actor celebrated for his distinctive voice and powerful stage presence.
• Alfred Jodl — Historical peer (Died in 1946) (1946): German general and war criminal, known for his role in the Wehrmacht High Command.
• Adolfo Pedernera — Historical peer (Died in 1995) (1995): Argentine football legend, nicknamed 'El Maestro,' pivotal in the 1940s.
• Alexander Knox — Historical peer (Died in 1995) (1995): Esteemed Canadian actor and writer, known for dramatic roles and literary contributions.
• A. E. van Vogt — Historical peer (Died in 2000) (2000): Influential Canadian-American science fiction writer known for bizarre narratives.
• 1946 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1946
• October 19 (10-19) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on October 19