SF Signal: Philip Pullman in The New Yorker

Philip Pullman in The New Yorker

Easter Lemming Notebook points to a longish New Yorker article on Philip Pullman that's sure to irk some readers, especially considering Pullman's recent publicity anti-Narnia flap.

Pullman is a rangy, spirited man in his fifties with a bristling fringe of gray hair; at times, he resembles an intelligent and amused stork. At the lectern, he began, "Quite what prompted you to ask me to talk about religious education I can't immediately see. . . . Given that I've voiced some criticisms of religion in the past, and that various Christian groups have expressed their criticisms of me, it might be that whatever I said on the subject would be hostile in any case." He smiled. "Well, I hope it won't be that. But we shall see." He went on, "I don't profess any religion; I don't think it's possible that there is a God; I have the greatest difficulty in understanding what is meant by the words 'spiritual' or 'spirituality'; but I think I can say something about moral education, and I think it has something to do with the way we understand stories."