Michael Rosen is a British children's writer and actor, author of 140 books and laureate of the most prestigious literary awards. Michael is well versed in child and adolescent psychology and not only writes stories, novels and poems, but also illustrates them, and also performs his own works on radio and television.
Childhood and youth
Michael was born in 1948 in Harrow, Middlesex, to a family of professional educators. The boy's father taught in high school, later became a professor at the London Institute of Education. Mother worked as a primary school teacher. Michael's parents were active in politics, both were members of the British Communist Party. The family's active life position also influenced the future writer; later he joined the socialists and even ran for elections.
The formation of Michael's personality was also influenced by a confusing ethnic family history. Parents had mixed East Slavic roots, Rosen's ancestors lived in Poland, Romania and Russia. The family belonged to the Jewish community, the child was taught to speak Yiddish, but he did not receive an Orthodox Jewish education. The mother and father believed that the children (Michael and his brother) would be more suitable for a bohemian upbringing without unnecessary restrictions. Rosen later said that his childhood was very happy, full of discoveries and new acquaintances.
The boy changed several secondary schools, he studied well, especially he loved compositions and recitation lessons. In his youth, Rosen planned to become an actor, but under the influence of his older comrades, he decided to change his direction of activity and entered the medical faculty. However, the vocation took its toll - during the training, the young man began to write short stories, poems and mini-plays. He himself did not take his opuses seriously, believing that he had no special talent. However, Michael's classmates thought differently - several plays were successfully performed, and the handwritten stories were quickly read.
Realizing that nothing would work out with a medical career, Michael dropped out and entered the Faculty of English at Oxford University. He still dreamed of becoming an actor, but gradually realized that he could achieve more in the literary field.
Writer, Reader and Illustrator: Successful Careers
After completing his university course, Rosen found work with the Air Force. He wrote and edited scripts, specializing in entertainment and educational programs. The work went on quite successfully, but gradually the aspiring writer became disillusioned with the principles of the television studio, believing that the management "thinks narrowly" and did not want to consider new original ideas. The management was dissatisfied with the political views of the young graduate student (at that time they were on the extreme left). Rosen was asked to leave the post, at the same time blocking his path to other television studios that were ready to hire a promising author for a permanent job.
Left without work, Michael begins active writing. In 1974 he published the first collection of poems for children, Mind Your Own Business. It includes humorous, lyrical and even philosophical compositions that demonstrate deep knowledge of child psychology. Rosen spoke with children in their language, without using abstruse vocabulary and inappropriate didactics, his rhymes were easy to remember.
The first book was warmly received by the public, the author began to be invited on writing tours. However, Rosen himself was more willing to read his poems not to adults, but to children, arranging meetings in ordinary schools. Over the years, he has visited many educational institutions in the UK. Later there were trips to Canada, Australia and Singapore.
A few years later, it was time for prose - Rosen published his most famous novel, Let's Go Catching a Bear. The book was a huge success, and the publishing rights were bought by foreign companies. The children's novel was translated into several languages, and the illustrations for it were drawn by Mike himself.
Another poignant and very personal piece is The Book of Sorrow. The reason for its writing was a huge tragedy - the sudden death of the writer's son from meningitis. Rosen was very upset about the loss and was able to take up work only after a few years. In a book published in 2004, he describes all the feelings, thoughts and experiences that followed after the loss. Despite the complexity of the topic, the book inspires hope, a desire to live and overcome difficulties. Rosen himself believed that she could help anyone experiencing despondency and sadness. The writer illustrated the book with his own hand, and in many drawings he depicted himself and his deceased son Eddie.
In addition to writing, Michael Rosen:
- conducts copyright radio programs;
- teaches schoolchildren and students the basics of writing;
- organizes poetry workshops for teachers;
- writes and publishes articles in magazines and newspapers;
- reads his own stories and poems to schoolchildren.
In total, Rosen created about 140 books. Among them are collections of stories and poems, novels and even comics. The writer's works are highly appreciated - in 2007 he received the honorary title of the UK Children's Laureate, holding this title until 2009. In the list of awards:
- honorary degree from the University of Worcester;
- Order of Arts and Letters of the Government of France;
- the Fred and Ann Jarvis Award from the National Union of Teachers;
- doctorate in education from the University of Nottingham;
- doctorate from the Institute of Education, University of London.
Personal life
The private life of the writer is no less varied than his work. Rosen was married three times, has 5 children and 2 stepsons. He maintained good relations with all family members, the only tragedy that darkened the writer's life for a long time was the death of his son Eddie at the age of 18. Today Michael lives in London with his third wife Emma-Louise and two children together.
