- “It all began when I bought a small toy bear on Christmas Eve 1956,” he recalls. “I saw it left on a shelf in a London store, and felt sorry for it. I took it home as a present for my wife Brenda, and named it Paddington, as we were living near Paddington Station at the time. I wrote some stories about the bear, more for fun than with the idea of having them published. After ten days I found that I had a book on my hands.“[1]
Biography[]
Author of over one hundred books, Michael Bond was born in Newbury, Berkshire, in 1926 and grew up in Reading. On leaving school at the age of fourteen, he spent a year in a lawyers' office before joining the BBC as an engineer. During the war he served with both the RAF and the army, and it was in 1947, while stationed in Cairo, that he wrote his first short story. Its acceptance by London Opinion sowed the seeds of a future career, but before becoming a full-time writer he was to spend many happy and fruitful years as a BBC television cameraman.
The inspiration for his most famous creation came one snowy Christmas Eve. He was taking refuge in Selfridges when he came across a small toy bear, literally left on the shelf. Bought as a ‘stocking filler’ for his first wife, Brenda, it was to act as the inspiration for A Bear Called Paddington, first published 13 October 1958. Bears don't need much encouragement, and Paddington has since filled the pages of fourteen novels, a variety of picture books, and many other projects written for the young at heart of all ages.
Michael has twice been recognised for his services to children's literature: in 1997 Michael Bond was awarded an OBE and in 2002 he was honoured in an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London, celebrating a century of childrens authors.[2]
Michael Bond is still sadly missed since he died in 2017 June, but he left us a present - one last adventure for Paddington Bear. This adventure is called Paddington at St. Paul's, and was published on 27 June 2018, one year after Bond's death.[3]
Personality[]
His daughter, Karen Jankel, described her father as a “master of one-liners”, who could see the humour in any situation and had “a twinkle in his eye”. Paddington was so real to them that the bear was seen as a member of their family and “an extension of my father, which means he will always be with us,” she said.[4]
References[]
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