Philip Pullman was born in Norwich in 1946 and grew up in Zimbabwe and Wales. As one of the most highly respected children’s authors writing today, he has won many prestigious awards, including the Carnegie Medal, the Guardian Children’s Book Award and the Whitbread Award. His acclaimed fantasy trilogy, His Dark Materials, has been published into 40 languages and sold 17.5 million copies worldwide. He lives in Oxford with his wife, and has two sons.