Michelle Paver biography
Michelle Paver is a novelist that is best known for the six books that make up The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness. She was born in 1960 in Malawi (then known as Nyasaland) to a South African father and a Belgian mother. Her father ran and wrote for the local Nyasaland Times whilst her mother contributed the gossip column.
The Paver family left Africa in 1963 and moved to England. Michelle was educated at Wimbledon and then Lady Margaret’s Hall in Oxford where she gained a first in biochemistry. It was while studying at Oxford that she made her first forays into writing children’s fantasy books. Although her books were rejected there was sufficient encouragement shown to keep the dream alive.
Following her graduation from Oxford University Michelle Paver qualified as a solicitor and was involved in many high profile scientific litigation cases. She was made a partner is the city law firm after just five years but the feeling that she was not doing what she really wanted to could not be shaken. In 1996, following the death of her father, Michelle took a year sabbatical which involved trips to Peru, Ecuador, South Africa, France and the United States of America. It was here that she wrote a book called Without Clarity.
Well, I never make concessions to the fact that some of the readers are going to be younger than others. I don't believe in using different language, or shrinking away from certain themes, like illness and death. Obviously, you've got to be responsible, and I don't like to linger on violence, or make it gratuitous. There's always got to be a point to it, and it's got to have consequences.
Once back in England and after just one day back in work she realised that she really had had enough and sent the Without Clarity manuscript to a publishers where it was accepted and a publishing contract offered.
It was in 2003 that work began on what was to become the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness. The Chronicles would consist of six books and the setting would be a prehistoric time but with the addition of enchantment and fantasy elements. Since a child, Paver had dreamt of running with the wolves in a prehistoric forest.
For inspiration, Paver read Roger Lancelyn Green’s tales of Norsemen and the Ancient Egyptians. For the research into wolf behaviour she studied David Mech, Michael Fox and Lois Crisler, renowned wolf researchers. Paver once carried out volunteer work in the Calapathian Mountains and this enabled her to study wildlife in its natural habitat, information that proved vital when constructing The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness.
Michelle Paver had always had a secret dream of writing a story of an orphaned boy surviving alone with his beloved wolf cub and she was able to use notable works such as Boyer’s Religion explained and Steve Mitten’s Prehistory of the Mind to help form Torak’s world.
Inspiration for the Chronicles also came from other sources but it is said that the Mesolithic peoples (Maglemosians, Ertebølle and the Kongemose) of Northern Scandinavia were very influential to Torak’s world, as were the Native Americans, the Ainu of Japan, the Sami of Lapland and the Aborigines of Australia.
Official website - http://www.michellepaver.com/
Michelle Paver books
- Wolf Brother (2004)
- Spirit Walker (2005)
- Soul Eater (2006)
- Outcast (2007)
- Oathbreaker(2008)
- Ghost Hunter (2009)
Latest news: Michelle Paver
Niffenegger praises Jonathan Strange, JK Rowling tweets and thumbs up for Ghost Hunter
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Michelle Paver UK Book Tour begins on Sunday
Michelle Paver, author of The Chronicles Ancient Darkness series, begins her UK tour on August 23, 2009 at Waterstones in Bluewater. You will be able to meet Michelle and get your books signed. Ghost Hunter, the sixth and final book in the series was published yesterday (August 20, 2009). Below we [...]
Bath Festival of Children’s Literature – September 2009
After the huge success of the Bath Festival of Children's Literature in the past two years, the organisers are delighted to announce a third programme of events for children and families featuring some of the biggest names in the children's book world. Jacqueline Wilson, Terry Deary, Francesca Sim [...]
Michelle Paver and Marcus Sedgwick to appear at Wimbledon Bookfest
The organisers of Wimbledon Bookfest have promised to keep the community at the heart of the party, as the annual event grows in its third year. More than 50 literary events are set to take place in venues across Merton from October 3 to 11. They include a screening of Slumdog Millionaire with its [...]
Simon Prebble interview (March 2009)
British born performer Simon Prebble is a stage, film and television actor who has played everything from Soaps to Shakespeare. As a narrator of some 350 audio book titles he has received critical acclaim from both fans and peers. He is one of Audiofile’s ‘Golden Voices’ and Voices of the Century’, [...]
James Johnson interview (October 2008)
Richard ‘James Johnson’ was born in Derby, England in 1976. Having studied Graphic Design at Bedfordshire University he went on to win a prestigious D&AD first award. Developing a taste for writing early on in life, his passion for storytelling culminated in two books (he’d rather forget) at th [...]
Bath's Literature Festival a real success
Bath's second children's literature festival has come to an end with organisers celebrating record ticket sales. The Bath Children's Literature Festival saw events taking place across the city, giving young people from teenagers to toddlers the chance to meet their literary heroes. Organisers of [...]
Michelle Paver to appear at The Bath Festival of Children's Literature
Until Sunday, September 28, Bath.
THE last few days of The Bath Festival of Children's Literature this weekend promise to bring the event to a compelling conclusion. Now in its second year the festival, sponsored by The Daily Telegraph, caters for babies and the youngest book fans as well as spec [...]
Oathbreaker by Michelle Paver
Oath Breaker, the fifth and penultimate book of Michelle Paver's Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series, opens with a roll-call of familiar characters. On the choppy waters of Bay of Seals, Torak, the 15-year-old clanless hero who can "spirit-walk" into the imagination of different species, is racing [...]
Oath Breaker by Michelle Paver available at Audible.co.uk
One month before the publication of Michelle Paver's Oath Breaker in print, Audible.co.uk can offer the audio-book, read by Sir Ian McKellan, for download in unabridged format.
Brief synopsis
When he was outcast, Torak was the hunted one. The following spring, he becomes the hunter when he swear [...]
Michelle Paver interviews
Audio interview with Orion books - http://www.orionbooks.co.uk/author_audio_interview.aspx?athid=11257
In-depth interview on BookBrowse
http://www.bookbrowse.com/author_interviews/full/index.cfm?author_number=1109
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