Skellig

Skellig  

First edition cover
Author(s) David Almond
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Genre(s) Fantasy, Mystery
Publisher Hodder Children's Books
Publication date 11 August 1998
Media type Print (Paperback)
Pages 176 pp
ISBN 0340716002
OCLC Number 41320835
Followed by Kit's Wilderness

Skellig is a novel by David Almond, for which Almond was awarded the Carnegie Medal in 1998 and also the Whitbread Children's Book of the Year Award. The book won the 2000 Michael L. Printz Honor from YALSA in the United States. In 2007 it was selected by judges of the CILIP Carnegie Medal for children's literature as one of the ten most important children's novels of the past 70 years.

Contents

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Plot summary

A boy, Michael and his family have moved into a new house that is tumbledown. He and his parents are anxious as his new baby sister was born prematurely and may not live, due to a heart condition. When Michael goes into the garage, amid all the boxes, debris and dead insects he finds a strange emaciated man. Michael assumes that he is a homeless person, but decides to look after him and takes him food, though he is crotchety and arthritic, demanding aspirin, Chinese food (specifically menu order numbers 27 and 53) and brown ale. Michael hears a story that human shoulder blades are a vestige of angel wings. Meanwhile his friends from school become more and more distant as Michael stops attending school and so spends less time with them.

He meets an interesting girl named Mina from across the road and throughout the story they become close friends. Minna is home schooled and is interested in nature, birds, drawing and poems by William Blake to which her parents introduced her. She takes care of some baby birds who live in her garden and teaches Michael to hear their tiny sounds. Michael decides to introduce her to the strange old man. As the dilapidated garage is to be demolished the two children move their new companion into an abandoned house that is held in trust for Mina. They discover the man has wings, although they are dry and folded up, and that he seems young and beautiful, contrary to earlier impressions.

Michael asks about arthritis and how to cure it, talking to doctors and patients in the hospital where his baby sister is being treated. The man whom Michael had moved from the garage introduces himself as "Skellig" to Michael and Mina. The owls, whose company Skellig has enjoyed while living in the old house, bring him mice to eat. Skellig, Michael and Mina share a mystical experience in which they fly and can see ghostly wings sprouting from each others' shoulder blades. Michael finds he can feel the heartbeat of his baby sister and starts to believe that love can help people to get better.

Michael's baby sister comes dangerously close to death and must undergo heart surgery. His mother goes to hospital to stay with the baby and, that night, dreams or sees Skellig come in, pick up the baby and hold it high in the air. Skellig then flies away to an unknown destination and the baby survives. Michael maintains his friendship with Mina, as well as with his classmates, and develops his artistic side. Mina paints a picture that Michael's mother recognizes as the man she saw in the hospital. At the end of the novel, everyone is finally happy. The baby is named Joy in the book, and Grace in the movie. Grace was named after an old woman in the movie who told Michael about treating arthritis. They become good friends, but she dies in hospital before Michael's visit.

Ideas

The book is deliberately ambiguous about the "Skellig"[1] Although the obvious implication is that he is some kind of angel, his general demeanour and attitude contrasts with traditional ideas about angels, leading the reader to consider ideas of religious imagery and the role of mysteries in life. There are obvious religious references in the text but, like the poet William Blake (who is quoted in the novel), many of them revolve around unconventional religious concepts. Early in the novel there are numerous references to evolution, some in a spiritual context.

The names "Skellig" and "Michael" are derived from the Skellig Islands off the coast of County Kerry, Ireland.[2] One of them is Skellig Michael Island; St Michael is also the name of an archangel. Mina is either a diminutive of Wilhemina, a female form of the name "William", as Mina's parents are devotees of William Blake or a reference to the Myna bird famous for their "imitative skills". The short text brings in so many ideas that readers and critics report widely divergent ideas of "what the book is about". Short speeches on art, love, health, life and death, evolution, nature, Blake, education and family share a common context.

In his research article "Magical Realism and the Child Reader: The Case of David Almond's Skellig", Don Latham compares Almond's novel to Gabriel García Márquez's short story "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings". Latham states that despite the many similarities between the two works, Almond's child protagonists are much more caring and accepting than the close-minded and sometimes cruel adults in Márquez's story. Also, Mina and Michael keep Skellig a secret from the rest of human society. Thus, while still expressing negative comments on medical institutions and other aspects of adult society, the social commentary in Skellig is not as harsh as in Márquez's story. However, Almond himself has acknowledged that "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" had some influence on the writing of Skellig.[3]

Prequel

In 2010 Almond's prequel to Skellig, was published — My Name is Mina.[4]

Adaptations

2009 play

Skellig was adapted into a play in 2003 directed by Trevor Nunn, who thought it was important to follow the book's example of not revealing Skellig's exact nature. The play was later performed by Playbox Theatre Company in 2008.[5] In March 2011 the play was performed at the New Victory Theatre, New York by the Birmingham Stage Company who previously toured the UK with their production[6][7]

2008 opera

Skellig has been adapted into a contemporary opera with music by American composer Tod Machover and libretto by David Almond himself. The opera was staged at The Sage Gateshead from 4 November to 19 December 2008, with orchestration by the Northern Sinfonia.[8] The Opera starred Omar Ebrahim as Skellig with Sophie Daneman and Paul Keohone as Michaels parents.

2009 film

In 2009, Sky 1 announced that an adaption of the book was in production to be shown over Easter in both standard definition and high definition. Skellig, produced by Feel Films, is part of the channel's plan to invest £10 million to produce three new high-definition dramas.[9] Filming started on the 2 September 2008 in Caerphilly.[10]

Cast members include Oscar-nominee Tim Roth in the title role and Bill Milner as Michael Cooper, Skye Bennett as Mina, with Kelly MacDonald and John Simm cast as Michael's parents, Louise 'Lou' and Steve Cooper.[11] The film is scripted by Irena Brignull and directed by Annabel Jankel.[10]

The first showing of Skellig on Sky 1 was on 12 April 2009.

The first showing of "Skellig" in Australia ABC TV 1 was on 26 December 2010. [12]

References

  1. ^ Berman, Matt. "Common Sense Review". Common Sence Media. http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/Skellig.html. Retrieved 2008-02-12. 
  2. ^ "David Almond Q+A". http://www.davidalmond.com/schools/qa.html. 
  3. ^ Latham, Don (2006-01-02). "Magical ll Realism and the Child Reader: The Case of David Almond's Skellig". Ninth Wonder. Archived from the original on 2008-03-25. http://web.archive.org/web/20080325073415/http://tlg.ninthwonder.com/rabbit/v10i1/alice1.html. Retrieved 2008-02-21. 
  4. ^ Hodder. ISBN 9780340997253.
  5. ^ Cripps, Charlotte; l (2003-11-26). "The creature in the garage". The Independent.co.uk. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre/features/the-creature-in-the-garage-736933.html. Retrieved 2008-09-15. 
  6. ^ Page on the play at www.newvictory.org
  7. ^ Page on the play at birminghamstage.com
  8. ^ Whetstone, David (2008-11-13). "Skellig, the opera, The Sage". Journal Live. http://www.journallive.co.uk/culture-newcastle/culture-latest-news/2008/11/13/skellig-the-opera-the-sage-61634-22245484/. Retrieved 2008-12-09. 
  9. ^ West, Dave (2008-03-19). "Sky One sets three major HD series". Digital Spy. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/a91895/sky-one-sets-three-major-hd-series.html. Retrieved 2008-09-02. 
  10. ^ a b Holmwood, Leigh (2008-09-02). "Tim Roth to don wings as Skellig". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/sep/02/bskyb.television?gusrc=rss&feed=media. Retrieved 2008-09-02. 
  11. ^ Fletcher, Alex (2008-09-02). "Tim Roth confirmed for 'Skellig' cast". Digital Spy. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/a128686/tim-roth-confirmed-for-skellig-cast.html. Retrieved 2008-09-02. 
  12. ^ <http://www.abc.net.au/tv/guide/all/netw/201012/20101226.htm>, accessed 14 December 2010.

External links

Awards
Preceded by
River Boy
Carnegie Medal recipient
1998
Succeeded by
Postcards from No Man's Land