Output details

The Savage

The Savage is a story about grieving, and about the healing and civilising power of storytelling and art. It began as a short story commission from ITV and Seven Stories, initially read for TV by the actor Kevin Whateley, accompanied by a 15-minute interview with me about the writing process. Subsequently, it was rewritten and extended and published as a book with artwork by Dave McKean. Among the questions I set out to answer creatively were whether a publication could contain two distinct visions through art and writing, and what would be the effect of a book containing artwork not just for young children, but also older children and adults. The work developed out of previous collaborations, including My Dad’s a Birdman with Polly Dunbar. One challenge was the inclusion of misspelled passages, written when the narrator is very young. More collaborations followed, with McKean and Oliver Jeffers. The book has been used widely with young people who are troubled. In 2009, it was chosen as the Liverpool Reads book. It has been widely reviewed and translated, was shortlisted for the Greenaway Medal and won the Prix Sorcieres in France.