A few months ago, former British Prime Minister Cameron went to a restaurant in Chelsea for dinner with a few friends. When they were seated, they noticed that there were thirteen people dining together. The restaurant owner hurriedly brought in the fourteenth chair and placed his beloved Paddington Bear on the chair as the fourteenth guest.

In the UK, Paddington Bear can be seen everywhere, with a dazzling array of peripheral products and many street art sculptures about it. Since the story of Paddington Bear was created more than 50 years ago, Paddington Bear has always been Britain's favorite children's literary image. Paddington Bear and his story are known to everyone in the UK, from the royal family to the common people. His gentlemanly, elegant yet naive image has been perfectly integrated into the life and culture of the British people.

The story of Paddington Bear goes back about 50 years: There was a teddy bear from the Peruvian forest. Because his homeland suffered a major earthquake, in order to survive, he came to England alone to pursue a new life. A little bear who wandered thousands of miles lost his way at Paddington Station in London, and was later adopted by a British couple. He then experienced interesting, heartwarming, or adventurous stories with the British family. So far, 27 series of Paddington Bear stories have been published, and the total number of books found worldwide has exceeded 30 million.

In the UK, Paddington Bear carries the childhood memories of generations. As a well-known children's literature image, it has long been part of the British DNA and has been passed down from generation to generation. The British people's feelings for Paddington the bear can no longer be described by the simple word "like". In the hearts of a thousand people, there will be a thousand different emotions for Paddington.

Michael Bond, the creator of Paddington Bear, is a shy, neatly dressed British gentleman with melancholy eyes. Before his death, the old man lived with his second wife in Maida Vale, less than a mile away from Paddington Station. In addition to Michael and his wife, the family members also include a small turtle, a cat, and a guinea pig named "Okel". Speaking of Okel, he loved this little member of his family very much. He said: "You know, I have never seen a cute little creature like it that will constantly bring you surprises and laughter. Okel is usually the most My favorite sport is climbing stairs. It can run from the first floor to the top floor of the house, which is very interesting."

The famous British writer Humphrey Carpenter said in his work "The Secret Garden". He wrote: The 70 years from 1860 to 1930 were the golden age of children's literature. During that period, many British writers devoted themselves to the creation of children's literature. They believed that compared with the adult world with sinister hearts, the world of children was the happiest and purest pure land on earth.

In a sense, Paddington Bear lives in a world where everyone is humble, polite, kind and tolerant, but at the same time he is involved in the disturbing reality of life. The little teddy bear lives with Mr. and Mrs. Brown and housekeeper Mrs. Bird at 32 Windsor Gardens, London. We have no way of knowing whether the character Mrs Bird exists in real life, but at least Paddington’s good friend Mr Gruber did open an antique shop near Portobello Road in London. This shop still exists in real London. For those who are interested Friends can go inside and experience it.

Michael Bond has a similar life experience to Paddington Bear: he has beautiful childhood memories, the adult world when he grows up, and the real life that he has to face. In his autobiography, Bears and Forebears, he mentioned that he met a young man during World War II and became a male prostitute to make a living. When Michael was serving in the Royal Air Force, a toy cat named Bismarck always accompanied him. He said: “Whenever I was with Bismarck, he always gave me some morally breaking messages, and told me that these things were as serious as the sun rising and setting.

"In addition to Bismarck, there have been other toy cats that have delivered similar "negative energy chicken soup" to him.

Michael's experience with toy cats is really an outrageous thing. "In fact, Bismarck is a "It's a very small cat star," he explained. "It's not so much a toy cat, but more like another version of myself that once lived in my heart." ” During his years in the RAF, he kept Bismarck tucked into his uniform jacket, but once he sent the jacket to be cleaned and it disappeared without a trace. Although this story may sound possible It's incomprehensible, but its departure did leave a gap in his life.

Michael's study room is very simple, with a computer on the small table and some hanging on the wall. Corkscrew (he is a red wine lover). The house is surrounded by a metal guardrail, and the green grass in the yard is surrounded by a group of shy and beautiful flowers. Michael's "secret garden" is not as magnificent as described in the novel. and mysterious, but in reality, this small garden has a magical charm that can make people forget the troubles and hustle and bustle of the big city of London, making people feel like they are in a paradise.

Generally speaking, when people think of writers who have achieved success in the field of children's literature, they will think of their childhood experiences like this: only children, reading widely, liking small animals, being excluded and isolated by their classmates, so they put their emotions on These speculations were a surefire hit for Mr. Michael's childhood. "I grew up in a family where reading was a daily routine, but we didn't have the money to afford it," he recalls. book fees. My father worked at the post office in Reading, and every Friday I would go to the library with my mother and our dog Binkie to borrow a stack of books and take them home. My mother reads a book every day. I don’t think I would have developed the habit of reading without my mother. ”

“Books are like my friends, they make me feel happy and no longer lonely. When you walk alone, the protagonist in the book seems to be by your side. It is this interesting feeling that makes you no longer alone. If I met Paddington by chance on the street one day, I would not be surprised at all. It would just be like meeting an old friend, because it feels so real and cordial to me. ”

Mr. Michael once recalled the experience of being bullied in a Roman Catholic school: “I used to study in a Catholic school, and the monks liked to teach us with rubber whips in their hands during class. I remember one time in Brother Ambrose's class, I happened to be sitting in the first row of the classroom. For some unknown reason, he suddenly lost his temper and jumped off the podium. Since I was sitting very close to the front, the angry monks grabbed me and pushed me to the ground and beat me. "

"In addition to physical violence, I also suffered verbal violence," Mr. Michael said. "In school, my classmates always laughed at my big nose and gave me nicknames to deliberately make fun of me. Therefore, I was very resistant to going to school during that time. I once thought about finding a big rock and breaking my knee on the way to school, or even swallowing sugar-coated pills, so that I would have a reason not to go to school. ”

In addition to reading and writing puppet plays in his usual free time, Michael also goes to the cinema. He often sits in the cinema and watches two or three movies in a row before leaving. However, what really drives him The opportunity to embark on the path of literary creation was also attributed to the days when he was serving in Egypt. The office on duty was equipped with a typewriter. Perhaps out of curiosity about this equipment, Mr. Michael tried to use the typewriter one day, and it didn't take long. He wrote a short story. Then his creative inspiration seemed to be instantly inspired, and the stories bursting out of his mind kept beating at his fingertips, followed by one after another, Mr. Michael. Finally, his goal in life was clear: literary creation.

After returning to England, Michael began to write. However, the publishers repeatedly rejected the manuscripts, and his expectations were shattered again and again. , Michael still maintains an optimistic and persistent attitude.

Finally, one of his works got a chance to be published, which greatly encouraged him to continue on the path of creation.

During those unforgettable days, Mr. Michael worked as a photographer for BBC TV during the day, and after get off work he returned to the apartment on Portobello Road where he lived with his first wife to write. "At that time, my idea was very simple. I just hoped that I could maintain the habit of writing and get a salary of about 100 pounds. I would be satisfied. After all, it was doing what I loved."

Michael's Life The turning point came one morning in 1957. The scenery outside the window was nothing special as usual. He gently rolled a piece of paper into the typewriter. Without thinking too much, or even thinking about the ending of the story, he typed out the answer with his fingertips. Text that comes down: The Browns meet Paddington for the first time on the train platform...

"I never thought about one day writing this into a novel, just something to write about Maintaining inspiration, however, it continues to spark my imagination and propel me like a motor to continue creating. Just a few weeks ago, I bought a teddy bear for my wife as a Christmas present, and it was all alone at the time. It looked miserable sitting on the shelf, so I bought it home and named it Paddington without actually thinking too much about it. I just always wanted to use this name and thought it suited it well. It sounds very western.”

Regarding appearance, Paddington is wearing a horn-button coat and a wide-brimmed fedora hat, which is full of British style. There is a travel sign hanging around its neck, which reads: "Please take care of this bear, thank you." During World War II, a large number of refugees often fled from London to Reading by train. Among them, the most heartbreaking for Michael were the children who lost their parents because of the war. Like Paddington who was lost at the station, they (she) wore name tags with their names and home addresses, longing to be recognized like the Browns. Kind-hearted people took him in.

Paddington's character is heavily based on Michael's father. "Recently I discovered that my father is actually a gentleman who pays great attention to etiquette. I remember when I was a child, we often went to the beach on the Isle of Wight to play. But even when swimming in the sea, my father had to wear a top hat on his head. If someone passed by the beach, he would Then I can take my hat off in time. In the character creation of Paddington, I also drew on my father’s optimism, “He works very hard to do the best in everything and expects that things will turn out as they should in the end. "

It took Michael less than 10 days to complete the first work of the Paddington series. "Honestly, I never thought that the Paddington story would be so popular, even now. All are timeless. Then, we had our own son and daughter, which was a blessing in disguise.

Compared with whimsical literary works, the charm of Paddington lies in the vivid authenticity of the story. In real life, we will not meet a talking teddy bear, but apart from that, the author's Paddington is a flesh-and-blood "human" with a full character. One impressive thing is that it loves marmalade sandwiches. Mr. Michael simply explained: "I know bears like to eat sweets, so I set his favorite food to be marmalade sandwiches." However, Patin The reason why Dun is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people is as Mike Morpurgo said: "It is a dignified bear. Although it is ridiculed and despised by many people, it still has an optimistic and strong heart. Its portrayal of human nature is very successful. "

The full name of the story is "A Bear from Paddington". Afterwards, Michael took Paddington to visit numerous publishing houses, and finally achieved its first release in 1958. However, in the early days, the Paddington story was still tepid. Gradually, its popularity continued to accumulate among the people, and eventually it became a well-known children's literature in the UK. Later, it was translated into 30 languages ??and published around the world.

A year later, the sequel to Paddington came out.

Once, Michael accidentally discovered the pattern of his writing: the Paddington series had similar beginnings and turns. For example, the plot twist was set to Paddington once again causing hilarious trouble, and the ending was a bear Once again, misfortunes turned into good fortune and the family was reunited.

As Paddington became more and more famous, many stores began to sell its peripherals, people began to shoot advertisements for Paddington, and the story was adapted into a stage play. The National Bank of Japan once set a bear as its mascot; a little Paddington will be placed next to every cash machine. I think the Japanese must have taken a fancy to the integrity and reliability of this furry little bear wearing a horn-buttoned coat.

"To this day, readers still write to me and tell me how much Paddington means to them. Most of them are adults. A lot of it is in the letters. A whisper that I only wrote: Even when I grow up, I will always be inseparable from my toy bear, and I will confide in it when I am sad..."

Mr. Michael said: "I still I received a thank-you note from a nun who told me that she didn’t have much time left and that Paddington had always been a source of spiritual comfort to her. It was strange to hear this from a nun, but I was. Understand her. "

In the 1970s, Mr. Michael suffered from depression due to excessive workload. He once wanted to end his life to get rid of the pain. Without Paddington's support at that time, it would be difficult for Michael to get out of adversity. "It is my spiritual support and gives me great comfort. Whenever I feel lost and decide to give up, Paddington will encourage me to pick myself up again with optimistic thoughts.

Soon after, Paddington Paddington participated in the TV series of the late famous actor Michael Hodder, which is also the bear's screen debut. Hodder believes that Little Paddington is a subject worthy of continuous exploration and has unlimited creativity and extension.

Has Michael's worldview changed from childhood to now? The writer responded: "Of course not. Paddington is my destination in modern society. To be honest, I still miss the past more. era. Nowadays, people gradually forget what humility is and become very impetuous. In the era I lived in, people would politely give way to pedestrians coming towards me on the street. However, for me now, an old man in his sixties, when they see me, they may give way to me. Or simply walk by and ignore it. "

In addition to the Paddington series, Michael also created "The Adventures of the Guinea Pig", in which the protagonist is Olga, a guinea pig also from Peru (the prototype should be the little athlete in his family who likes to climb stairs) ), and an adult novel "Monsieur Palplemousse", which tells the story of a French food detective, but Paddington is still his favorite creation. After all, Paddington Station is very close to Michael's home, just like Paddin. Dun Xiong has always been by his side, and the relationship has deepened over time.

"Although I can't say whether there is a tacit understanding between myself and Paddington Station, the childhood memories here are really very good. good. At that time, steam trains were still running on the tracks. People would wave to the driver after getting off the train, and the driver would wave as he drove the train out of the station. This is the simplicity and purity of that era, but unfortunately not many people can realize it in this era. Now when I have free time, I still come to the station to visit my old friend Paddington. People have built a memorial sculpture for him. Sitting with us are passengers eating sandwiches. In short, Paddington loves it most. It's a marmalade sandwich. ”

Mikel Bond created Paddington Bear in the purest and simplest language, leaving a profound mark on children’s literature. Paddington Bear has also become the writer’s spiritual support and encouragement. He walked through life with determination. This is the story between Paddington Bear and its author, Mr. Michael. Unfortunately, Mr. Michael Bond passed away this year (June 27, 2017). But I believe that the story of Paddington Bear and the spirit of the author will always be passed down by people.

Thank you for his great contribution to British and world children's literature. Best of luck to you, Mr. Michael.

Dear readers, do you like Paddington the Bear? Do you have a story to share with us about your bear? If so, please tell us in the comment area below. We picked out the best stories and gave them our gift: a Paddington Bear purchased and sent from London Paddington Station.

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