Skellig
Encyclopedia
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.
He meets an interesting girl named Mina (whom he likes as a friend, and becomes quite close friends with during the story) who lives opposite his house, who 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 out of the garage and into an abandoned house that is held in trust for Mina. They discover the don't know as wings, although they are dry and folded up, and that he seems young and beautiful, contrary to the impression the author had created in the first few chapters.
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 up 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 passes away before Michael gets to visit her in hospital.
, 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
. 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.
, 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.
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
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
.
The Opera starred Omar Ebrahim as Skellig with Sophie Daneman and Paul Keohone as Michaels parents.
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. Filming started on the 2 September 2008 in Caerphilly
.
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. The film is scripted by Irena Brignull and directed by Annabel Jankel
.
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.
David Almond
David Almond is a British children's writer who has written several novels, each one to critical acclaim.-Early life:Almond was born and raised in Felling and Newcastle in post-industrial North East England and educated at the University of East Anglia, he was born in 1951...
, for which Almond was awarded the Carnegie Medal
Carnegie Medal
The Carnegie Medal is a literary award established in 1936 in honour of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and given annually to an outstanding book for children and young adults. It is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...
in 1998 and also the Whitbread Children's Book of the Year Award. The book won the 2000 Michael L. Printz Honor
Michael L. Printz Award
The Michael L. Printz Award is an annual award in the United States for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a school librarian from Topeka, Kansas, who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association...
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.
Plot summary
Michael and his family have moved into a new house that is badly in need of repair. He and his parents are anxious as his new baby sister has been born prematurely and may not live, due to her dysfunctional heart. When Michael goes into the garage, amid all the boxes, debris and dead insects he finds a strange man who seems to have almost wasted away. At first Michael assumes that he is a junkie or 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 (whom he likes as a friend, and becomes quite close friends with during the story) who lives opposite his house, who is home schooled
Homeschooling
Homeschooling or homeschool is the education of children at home, typically by parents but sometimes by tutors, rather than in other formal settings of public or private school...
and is interested in nature, birds, drawing and poems by William Blake
William Blake
William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
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 out of the garage and into an abandoned house that is held in trust for Mina. They discover the don't know as wings, although they are dry and folded up, and that he seems young and beautiful, contrary to the impression the author had created in the first few chapters.
Michael asks about arthritis
Arthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
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 up 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 passes away before Michael gets to visit her in hospital.
Ideas
The book is deliberately ambiguous about the nf "Skellig" Although the obvious implication is that he is some kind of angelAngel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
, 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
William Blake
William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
(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
Skellig Islands
The Skellig Islands , once known as the Skellocks, are two small, steep, and rocky islands lying about 13 km west of Bolus Head on the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland...
off the coast of County Kerry
County Kerry
Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. One of them is Skellig Michael
Skellig Michael
Skellig Michael , also known as Great Skellig, is a steep rocky island in the Atlantic Ocean about 9 miles from the coast of County Kerry, Ireland. It is the larger of the two Skellig Islands...
Island; St Michael
St Michael
St Michael was a brand that was owned and used by Marks & Spencer from 1928 until 2000.-History:The brand was introduced by Simon Marks in 1928, after his father and co-founder of Marks & Spencer, Michael Marks. By 1950, virtually all goods were sold under the St Michael brand...
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
Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel José de la Concordia García Márquez is a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo throughout Latin America. He is considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in...
's short story "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
"A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" is a fictional short story by author Gabriel García Márquez written in 1955. It falls within the genre of magic realism, and is one of the short stories included in the book Leaf Storm.-Plot summary:...
". 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.
2009 play
Skellig was adapted into a play in 2003 directed by Trevor NunnTrevor Nunn
Sir Trevor Robert Nunn, CBE is an English theatre, film and television director. Nunn has been the Artistic Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. He has directed musicals and dramas for the stage, as well as opera...
, 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.
In March 2011 the play was performed at the New Victory Theatre
New Victory Theatre
The New Victory Theater is an Off-Broadway theater located at 209 West 42nd Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues, in Midtown Manhattan. The New Victory is New York's first and only theater for children and family audiences...
, New York by the Birmingham Stage Company
Birmingham Stage Company
The Birmingham Stage Company is a theatre company resident at the Old Rep Theatre in Birmingham, England.It was founded by the Actor/Manager Neal Foster in 1992, with Sir Derek Jacobi and Paul Scofield CH as patrons...
who previously toured the UK with their production
2008 opera
Skellig has been adapted into a contemporary opera with music by American composer Tod MachoverTod Machover
Tod Machover , is a composer and an innovator in the application of technology in music. He is the son of Wilma Machover, a pianist and Carl Machover, a computer scientist....
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
Northern Sinfonia
The Northern Sinfonia is a British chamber orchestra, based initially in Newcastle upon Tyne, and currently in Gateshead. For the first 46 years of its history, the orchestra gave the bulk of its concerts at the City Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne. Since 2004, the orchestra has been resident at The...
.
The Opera starred Omar Ebrahim as Skellig with Sophie Daneman and Paul Keohone as Michaels parents.
2009 film
In 2009, Sky 1SKY 1
The Box is an entertainment channel in New Zealand available on SKY Network Television.The channel shows are a variety of the most recent shows such as from the United States, for example CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Simpsons, Family Guy, World Wrestling Entertainments hit shows, and...
announced that an adaption of the book was in production to be shown over Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
in both standard definition and high definition
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
. Skellig
Skellig (film)
Skellig known in North America as Skellig: The Owl Man is a 2009 British fantasy, drama film directed by Annabel Jankel and starring Tim Roth and Bill Milner...
, produced by Feel Films, is part of the channel's plan to invest £10 million to produce three new high-definition dramas. Filming started on the 2 September 2008 in Caerphilly
Caerphilly
Caerphilly is a town in the county borough of Caerphilly, south Wales, located at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley, with a population of approximately 31,000. It is a commuter town of Cardiff and Newport, which are located some 7.5 miles and 12 miles away, respectively...
.
Cast members include Oscar
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
-nominee Tim Roth
Tim Roth
Simon Timothy "Tim" Roth is an English film actor and director best known for his roles in the American films,Legend of 1900, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Four Rooms, Skellig, Planet of the Apes, The Incredible Hulk and Rob Roy, receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for...
in the title role and Bill Milner
Bill Milner
William Henry "Bill" Milner is an English child actor, best known for his roles as Will Proudfoot in Son of Rambow, Edward in Is Anybody There? and the young Magneto in X-Men: First Class.-Life and career:...
as Michael Cooper, Skye Bennett
Skye Bennett
Skye Deva Bennett is an English teen actress, best known for her role as Sarah in the 2008 film Dark Floors, as well as for her role as Martha in The Pillars of the Earth.-Personal life:...
as Mina, with Kelly MacDonald
Kelly Macdonald
Kelly Macdonald is a Scottish actress, known for her role in the independent film Trainspotting and mainstream releases such as Nanny McPhee, Gosford Park, Intermission, No Country for Old Men and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2...
and John Simm
John Simm
John Simm is an English stage and screen actor. In recent years he is best known for his roles as Sam Tyler in the detective drama Life on Mars and as The Master in the revival of the science fiction series Doctor Who, but he has also starred in many highly acclaimed award-winning television...
cast as Michael's parents, Louise 'Lou' and Steve Cooper. The film is scripted by Irena Brignull and directed by Annabel Jankel
Annabel Jankel
Annabel Jankel is an award-winning British film and TV director who first came to prominence as a music video director and the co-creator and director of the pioneering cyber-character Max Headroom...
.
The first showing of Skellig on Sky 1
SKY 1
The Box is an entertainment channel in New Zealand available on SKY Network Television.The channel shows are a variety of the most recent shows such as from the United States, for example CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Simpsons, Family Guy, World Wrestling Entertainments hit shows, and...
was on 12 April 2009.
The first showing of "Skellig" in Australia ABC TV 1 was on 26 December 2010.