The novel Born to Run by internationally acclaimed British author Michael Morpurgo tells the gripping story of a dog who, even at birth, is faced with fighting for his life. Rescued, kidnapped, abandoned to survive on the streets, he goes by different names, but always remains the same dog with a vibrant personality. By chance, he goes from owner to owner, from adventure to adventure, and always finds a way to survive.
The book has an introductory article about the writer’s work.
About the author
A young man, married with three children and already a six-time grandfather,” is what Michael Morpurgo says of himself. Born in 1943, he attended the London schools of Sussex and Canterbury (a distant description of one of which can be seen in the story “The Butterfly Lion”). He continued his studies at the University of London, taking French and English, and wanted to devote himself to a teaching career at an elementary school in Kent. It was then that Michael realized what he wanted to do.
“Every day we read a different story to the children, which seemed boring even to me. Then I thought I’d spice them up a little and make them come to life, make them look like little cartoons, and that option worked. The children were literally transformed, they listened to every word, and I myself became insanely interested.
In 1976, Michael and his wife Claire founded the Charity Fund to help urban children, to fill the lack of knowledge and experience in the overcrowded areas of the city. They are sent to work and rest on rural farms.
Michael now owns three such farms, Nethercote in Devon, Treginnis in Wales, and Wick in Gloucestershire. “As a teacher, I realized that the children had completely lost touch with the world around them. For them, the only thing that was real was the television. I wanted them to face life head-on.”
Over the past 30 years, more than 50,000 children from cities across the U.K. have spent a week on one of the three farms, resting and working.
The tranquil life in Devon, the music of Mozart, the teaching of children, that’s all Michael needs for inspiration. He spends half his time with his children, crafting ships or milking cows; the other half is spent fantasizing and writing new stories. “Fantasizing is the best part of the complicated writing process. Nurturing the idea for a new story until it folds neatly onto the pages of my new book. It’s not easy, but it’s so satisfying at the end to hold a finished copy and know that you can share your dreams with readers.”
