Truth in fantasy: what Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials taught us over its 30-year run

"Twenty years ago, I visited the Botanic Garden in Oxford for the first time. Among the winding pathways lined with flowers, about halfway back, stood a bench under a tree, largely identical to the others throughout the park. Was this the one? I wondered. I didn't have to question it for long. A closer look revealed words and images etched along its wooden slats, all along similar lines: Lyra + Will, they said. Or: Pantalaimon and Kirjava. Tucked between the bench's arm and seat was a folded-up scrap of paper with a handwritten message of thanks."

"After His Dark Materials, Pullman wrote The Book of Dust, a second trilogy set in the same world(s). In October, the final book in that trilogy, The Rose Field, was published, bringing readers' time with Lyra Silvertongue, the fantasy series' protagonist, to a close. It marks the end of one of the great literary accomplishments of recent decades: the Guardian listed The Amber Spyglass among its top 10 books of the 21st century, and the BBC, Newsweek and other prominent publications have made similar assessments. The original trilogy has inspired a film, a BBC/HBO series, a National Theatre production and a Kate Bush song. The two trilogies and companion books have sold more than 49m copies; the original has been translated into 40 languages. Many children are now named Lyra (not least Ed Sheeran's kid)."

A bench in the Oxford Botanic Garden bears etched names and a folded thank-you note that connect it to the conclusion of The Amber Spyglass. A statue of the dæmons Pantalaimon and Kirjava was installed behind that bench in 2019. A second trilogy, The Book of Dust, followed, and its final volume, The Rose Field, was published in October, closing Lyra Silvertongue's narrative. The original trilogy received major critical recognition, inspired film, television, theatre and music adaptations, and helped the books reach over 49 million sales and translations into forty languages. The name Lyra has entered contemporary naming practices.

Read at www.theguardian.com