Q & A's

Latest Q & A's

Question:

Mr Pullman, first off, congratulations in your success with these novels. I have read them and they are simply amazing. My question to you is, I have seen many places reporting about your "book of dust" and "green book". But what I wanted to know, are they really planned to be published, and when can we expect them. Thank You and again Congratulations!

Answer:

 Yes, both are planned, but I can''t tell you when they''ll be finished. I don''t work like that. My books have to grow organically and not according to a schedule.

Question:

You mentioned somewhere in the Q&A section that you hadn't seen any evidence for the existance of God. I was wondering, what would it take to convince you that he exists?

Answer:

 Well, how long have we both got? I''m coming to think that ''evidence'' is the wrong word to apply in this case. Apart from the simple-minded and the outright liars, most believers have no ''evidence'' either. Faith is belief in the absence of evidence, after all. Jesus himself says something to the point, but i can''t remember where. Well, it would take a total revolution in my way of thinking to convince me that God existed. Some people - St Paul is an obvious example - came to believe through an overwhelming emotional experience. I remain to be overwhelmed. I hope that if i was I''d be honest enough to say so. 

Question:

After reading the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy, i felt moved but also like i had been punched in the stomach it was that powerful. How did you feel once you had completed them?

Answer:

 I''m glad you felt it was powerful, but I wouldn''t like you to take me to court on the basis that my book had assaulted you. It would be hard to defend a case like that. More seriously, I think I have to say that I felt moved as well by the story. After all, I didn''t write it in cold blood, carefully calculating every effect and moving the emotions up or down a notch. I had to feel the things I was writing about.

Question:

Why do you make such a (commendable) effort to reply to the emails and letters you receive from fans? I have written to you twice, once as a young teen, once as an adult. You replied both times, and this surprised and delighted me. Is there a specific reason that you make such an effort to respond to correspondence? Kind regards, Vicky

Answer:

 Thank you for that.  I can''t reply to all of them, and I feel guilty about the ones I have to ignore. It''s the way i was brought up, I suppose. I should probably update this website more often too. But one can only do so much. 

Question:

Dear Philip, I am a Big fan of your Sally Lockhart Quartet, I noticed there aren't many questions about this particular book. But my question was how come you decided for Fred to die?

Answer:

 Good question!  I think I wanted Sally to develop in a different direction than she''d have been able to if Fred had lived. Ruthless? Probably. But I''m glad you are a fan of the Sally books. I certainly intend to do more stories about her and her friends.