NYTimes.com: "Before it was made into a hit West End play, before it was bound for Broadway, before it was set to be Steven Spielberg’s next big movie, “War Horse” was a slim, powerful children’s book about a young man and his beloved horse on the front lines of World War I.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Michael Morpurgo, Author of ‘War Horse,’ an Unlikely Hit
NYTimes.com: "Before it was made into a hit West End play, before it was bound for Broadway, before it was set to be Steven Spielberg’s next big movie, “War Horse” was a slim, powerful children’s book about a young man and his beloved horse on the front lines of World War I.
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3 comments:
I think it's great when you hear about authors, or artists, who produce tons of work and then are finally realized years later. It's sad that Morpurgo's work did not reach audiences in the 1980's when it was published, but I think the success that he has acquired now makes up for it. The fact that his children's book that was pretty close to unknown became a broadway play is wonderful and to be commended. It's funny how books can become popular years after they were written; it makes you wonder why they came into fad so many years after being published.
While I do agree that it is great that Morpurgo is being recognized now, I disagree with the transition to new mediums and that the book is any more popular than when it was it was written, especially now that the story has been produced in other mediums. The story is beautiful in it's original form and I have no doubt that it would not have become popular on it's own since it's story follows the likes of Black Beauty and other classic horse stories which would always appeal to those who are fans of the genre. I am particularly interested to see how the movie affects the story, since the book in question is so short and I am afraid the embellishments of Hollywood will destroy the beauty and simplicity of the original story.
This just goes to show you that children books can be just as influential and powerful as an adult novel. Perhaps the reason his story was not so successful when it first came out was not because of the political climate, but because it just simply works better on the stage. I think people are often led to believe that the original media an art is presented in is the only true way to enjoy it and other medias just chip away at it, but I don't think that's always true. It would be interesting to read the book then see the show to see how each one is different in the way it affects the audience.
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