Michael Bond

For other people named Michael Bond, see Michael Bond (disambiguation).
Michael Bond
CBE
Born Thomas Michael Bond
(1926-01-13) 13 January 1926
Newbury, Berkshire
Residence London, England, UK
Nationality English
Citizenship British
Education Presentation College, Reading
Occupation Author
Years active 1945-present
Known for Author of the Paddington Bear series
Home town Newbury, Berkshire
Religion Roman Catholic
Children 2 children

Thomas Michael Bond, CBE (born 13 January 1926) is an English author, best known for his Paddington Bear series of books. Bond was awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2015.[1]

Early life

Michael Bond, Saint Mary's Square, Paddington

Bond was born in Newbury and raised in Reading, Berkshire, where his visits to Reading Station to watch the Cornish Riviera Express go steaming through started a love of trains. His father was a manager for the post office.[2] He was educated at Presentation College, a school in Reading, Berkshire. His time there was unhappy. He told UK newspaper The Guardian in November 2014 that his parents had chosen the school "for the simple reason my mother liked the colour of the blazers. She didn’t make many mistakes in life but that was one of them". Consequently, he left education aged fourteen, despite his parents’ wishes for him to go to university.[2] World War II was under way and he went to work in a solicitor's office for a year and then as an engineer's assistant for the BBC.

In February 1943, Michael Bond survived an air raid in Reading. The building in which he was working collapsed under him, killing 41 people and injuring many more.[3][4] Shortly afterwards he volunteered for aircrew service in the Royal Air Force as a 17-year-old but he was discharged after suffering from acute air sickness.[5] He then served in the Middlesex Regiment of the British Army until 1947.[6]

Author

Bond began writing in 1945 whilst stationed with the army in Cairo and sold his first short story to the magazine London Opinion. He was paid seven guineas, and thought he "wouldn't mind being a writer".[2] In 1958, after producing a number of plays and short stories and while working as a BBC television cameraman (where he worked on Blue Peter for a time), his first book, A Bear Called Paddington, was published. This was the start of Bond's series of books recounting tales of a bear from "Darkest Peru", whose Aunt Lucy sends him to the United Kingdom, carrying a jar of marmalade; the Brown family found the bear at Paddington Station, and adopted him, naming the bear after the railway station.[6] By 1967, Bond was able to give up his BBC job to work full-time as a writer.

Paddington's adventures have sold over 35 million books, have been published in nearly twenty countries, in over forty languages, and have inspired pop bands, race horses, plays, hot air balloons, a movie and television series.[6][7] Bond stated in December 2007 that he did not plan to continue the adventures of Paddington Bear in further volumes.[8] However, in April 2014 it was reported a new book, titled Love From Paddington, would be published that autumn. In a film, Paddington (2014), based on the books, Bond has a credited cameo as the Kindly Gentleman.[9]

Bond has also written another series of children's books, the adventures of a guinea pig named Olga da Polga, named after the Bond family's pet,[2] as well as the animated BBC television series The Herbs (1968). Bond also writes culinary mystery stories for adults featuring Monsieur Pamplemousse and his faithful bloodhound, Pommes Frites.

Bond wrote a Reflection on the Passing of the Years shortly after his 90th birthday. The piece was read by David Attenborough, who also turned 90 in 2016, at the national service of thanksgiving to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II's 90th birthday at St Paul's Cathedral in June 2016.[10]

Honours

In 1997, Bond was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to children's literature. On 6 July 2007 the University of Reading awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Letters.

Personal life

Bond is married, has two adult children and lives in London, not far from Paddington Station, the place that inspired many of his books.

Bibliography

Paddington Bear series

Olga da Polga series

Chapter Books

Picture Books

Monsieur Pamplemousse series

Other

References

  1. ↑ "Birthday Honours 2015", BBC News, 13 June 2015
  2. 1 2 3 4 Pauli, Michelle (28 November 2014). "Michael Bond: 'Paddington stands up for things, he's not afraid of going to the top and giving them a hard stare'". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  3. ↑ Midgley, Emma (13 February 2012). "Paddington Bear 'inspired by evacuees' says author Bond". BBC. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
  4. ↑ "Paddington Bear writer's wartime Reading Podcast now online". Reading Borough Council. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
  5. ↑ Michael Bond at jrank. Retrieved 2 November 2014
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Paddington Bear author Michael Bond writes new book". BBC News. 9 April 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  7. ↑ John Plunkett (22 January 2008). "BBC celebrates 50 years of Paddington". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 15 October 2008.
  8. ↑ Richard Lea (11 December 2007). "Paddington Bear faces questions on asylum status". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 15 October 2008.
  9. ↑ Lang, Kirsty. "Paddington creator Michael Bond makes cameo in new film", BBC News, 13 October 2014
  10. ↑ "Attenborough to read Bond's tribute at Queen's birthday service". BBC News. 8 June 2016.
  11. ↑ Nicholas Lezard (19 January 2005). "Classic of the month: A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 15 October 2008.
  12. ↑ "In praise of...Paddington Bear". The Guardian. London. 2 June 2008. Retrieved 15 October 2008.

External links

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