From The Times
October 30, 2008
October 30, 2008
Neil Gaiman: The most famous writer you've never heard of
Amanda Craig discusses his new novel The Graveyard Book and finds that his wild imagination knows no boundaries
UNTIL LAST YEAR, Neil Gaiman may have been the most famous writer you've never heard of, but with the filming of , and the Stardust and Beowulf dramatisation of The Wolves in the Walls by the National Theatre of Scotland, all that has changed. The equivalent to a rock god ever since his cult Sandman books were published 20 years ago, Gaiman is now one of the biggest things to hit children's publishing since J.K. Rowling - also, as it happens, published by Bloomsbury. 
I'm in Covent Garden to interview him about The Graveyard Book, an interlinked collection of tales about Nobody, a baby boy who escapes from the serial killer who murders his entire family, and is brought up in a graveyard by ghosts, vampires and werewolves. Like his bestselling children's novel Coraline (also being filmed for release next year), it takes you into some scary places but, as he points out, what adults read as the most uncomfortable thing they can imagine, children take as a huge and thrilling adventure.
I'm in Covent Garden to interview him about The Graveyard Book, an interlinked collection of tales about Nobody, a baby boy who escapes from the serial killer who murders his entire family, and is brought up in a graveyard by ghosts, vampires and werewolves. Like his bestselling children's novel Coraline (also being filmed for release next year), it takes you into some scary places but, as he points out, what adults read as the most uncomfortable thing they can imagine, children take as a huge and thrilling adventure.
Read Amanda Craig's ful report at The Times online.
FOOTNOTE:
Normally this blog receives 1000+ hits a day but one Sunday earlier this year this figure soared to almost 10,000, almost all out of the U.S. I was at a loss to know why until a little research revealed that Neil Gaiman had referred on his blog to a post on my blog and bingo many of his myriad of US fans paid a visit to Beatties Book Blog. Thanks Neil and all best with the new book. Have a look now at Neil's blog, it is well worth a visit.
And here is a list of his titles. You are going to hear a lot more about this writer,
Gaiman is WONDERFUL! I've loved his work ever since
ReplyDeleteSandman series...and "American Gods" says way more about USA - current & past - than most current top USA literary (whatever people choose that to mean - generally, certified by academics)novelists will ever be able to write.
Cool! Hadnt heard about the adaptation of "The Wolves In The Walls" or the new book about Nobody...treasures & pleasures to look forward too...
Incidentally, a *very* large number of people already know about Neil Gaiman. It's like the Pratchett fandom/readership: it just takes the conventional reader a long time to catch up...