Ten years ago, in 1996, a book that changed my vision of life was published: The Northern lights. This wonderful book is the first part of a trilogy (in his dark materials) written by the British Philip Pullman. I first read this trilogy when I was 14, I immediately found it great. But it’s mostly when I re-read it in English this summer that I came to understand it fully: I was more than enthusiastic, I was hypnotized by this wonderful story that transported me through the best adventure I have ever known. According to me, the principal aim of a book is to make people think and/or dream. This book combines both with a dexterity I have rarely seen before.
It’s really difficult to summarise it because of its complexity and subtlety. There are many characters and the story consists of some storylines which are all, in one way or another, linked to the same issue.
Here’s a broad summary found on wikipedia:
“The trilogy follows the coming of age of two main characters, Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry, as they wander through a multiverse and a backdrop of epic events. The story begins in Northern Lights with fantasy elements such as gypsies, witches, and armoured bears. As the trilogy progresses, it acquires allegorical layers of meaning, introducing a broad range of ideas from fields such as metaphysics, quantum physics, philosophy (especially religious philosophy and, arguably, a certain position on the origin of consciousness), and Biblical symbolism.”
The different worlds in which the story is set contain strange things such as dæmons (the animal-shaped representation of the human soul), an alethiometer, a subtle knife capable of opening a window between different worlds, and so on. All these details reinforce the credibility of Pullman’s universes.
The trilogy was quite a success in Britain, so that it was adapted on a BBC radio drama in 2003 and brought in a theatrical version for London’s Royal National Theatre in 2004.
A film adaptation is stated for release in December 2007 by New Line Cinema (recent producers of the Lord of the Rings movies). At the moment filming is taking place in Britain. The film will cast Nicole Kidman (Mrs Coulter) and Daniel Craig (Lord Asriel).
However, I’m a bit concerned because I have read on the website of the BBC that all references to the church and to god will be removed from the movie because of the criticism made by some members of the Christian community.
I’m anxious to see the result because I don’t really understand how it is possible to adapt a book in a movie while removing one of its central themes.
The worse in this situation is that I will have to wait until December 2007 to make up my mind about this and to go along with Lyra in her adventures once more!
Finally, here are some in his dark materials websites:
http://www.hisdarkmaterials.org/
http://www.hisdarkmaterials.com/
http://www.bridgetothestars.net/index.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/His_Dark_Materials
http://www.darkmaterials.com/
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