War Horse

War Horse
Elizabeth Thompson · Public domain · source
Name	War Horse
Author	Michael Morpurgo
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre	Historical novel
Publisher	Kaye & Ward
Pub date	1982
Media type	Print
Pages	184

War Horse

Michael Morpurgo's novel tells the story of a young man named Albert and his horse, Joey, set against the backdrop of the outbreak of the First World War. The narrative follows themes of friendship, duty, loss, and the human and animal experience during the First World War. The work has inspired stage and film adaptations and has become widely read in United Kingdom schools.

Plot

The novel opens on the Devon slopes of Exmoor where farmer Ted Narracott purchases a foal at an auctions held near Londonderry for his son Albert. The foal, later named Joey, is raised alongside Albert through local events such as county fairs and ploughing matches in Somerset and Devonshire. When war is declared in 1914 by United Kingdom and France against German Empire, Joey and other horses are requisitioned by the British Army and shipped to France for service on the Western Front, including near the Battle of the Somme and the trenches around Ypres. Albert enlists in the British Army and later embarks for France determined to find Joey. The horse passes through the hands of soldiers from the British Expeditionary Force, teamsters from Australia, cavalrymen of the German Empire, and a French artillery officer before being reunited with Albert amid the chaos of the final offensives. Key episodes include work pulling supply wagons, serving in cavalry charges, and surviving bombardments near Arras and Passchendaele.

Background and development

Morpurgo based the novel on oral histories and anecdotes collected from veterans and agricultural communities in Somerset and Devon. His research drew on primary accounts archived at institutions like the Imperial War Museum and contemporary histories of the First World War such as studies of equine logistics and the role of animals in warfare. The author’s interest in children's literature places the book within a lineage including A.A. Milne, Beatrix Potter, and Rudyard Kipling's animal-centered works. The novel's conception coincided with a revival of popular commemoration surrounding the First World War centenary and exhibitions at the National Museum of the Royal Navy and other museums. Morpurgo's collaboration with schools and theatre practitioners informed narrative pacing and dialogue.

Characters

Albert Narracott is a rural boy from Devon whose coming-of-age arc mirrors rites of passage depicted in literature by Thomas Hardy and D.H. Lawrence. Joey, the horse, functions as the narrative focalizer and is portrayed with animal cognition reminiscent of perspectives in works by Anna Sewell. Ted Narracott, Albert’s father, exhibits traits comparable to fictional rural figures in novels by George Eliot and John Steinbeck. Captain James Nicholls and Sergeant Major Perkins appear as representatives of the British Army command structure. Supporting figures include soldiers from Australia and New Zealand in the Australian Imperial Force and members of the French Army such as an artillery corporal whose stewardship of Joey evokes anecdotes documented at the Musée de l'Armée. German characters reflect perspectives found in memoirs by veterans like Ernst Jünger.

Themes and analysis

The novel examines sacrifice and the impact of mechanized conflict through episodes paralleling analyses found in works about the Battle of the Somme and technological change in warfare described in studies of trench warfare. Friendship and loyalty between human and animal align with pastoral themes traced to William Wordsworth and countryside portrayals in Jane Austen's fiction. Morpurgo's use of an animal narrator facilitates ethical questions about agency and suffering similar to debates in scholarship on wartime animals at the Imperial War Museum and in journals like War in History. The text engages with memory and national identity, intersecting with commemorative practices such as Remembrance Day observances organized by institutions like the Royal British Legion. Critics have compared its sentimentality and simplicity to children's historical novels by E. Nesbit and Rudyard Kipling while noting its capacity to introduce complex historical topics to readers familiar with curricula shaped by the National Curriculum (England).

Adaptations

The novel was adapted into a stage production by Royal National Theatre creative teams, featuring puppetry techniques associated with companies like Handspring Puppet Company. The theatrical version toured internationally and played at venues including Aldwych Theatre in London and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.. In 2011, director Steven Spielberg adapted the story into a film produced by DreamWorks Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, with a screenplay co-written by Lee Hall. The film's cast included actors with ties to Royal Shakespeare Company and premiered at festivals such as the Cannes Film Festival. Other adaptations include radio dramatizations broadcast by the BBC and illustrated editions published by houses connected to Walker Books.

Reception and legacy

Upon publication, the novel received awards from children's literature bodies including the Smarties Prize and was incorporated into school reading lists administered by the Department for Education (United Kingdom). The stage adaptation won multiple accolades including awards from the Laurence Olivier Awards and influenced contemporary puppet theatre practice seen in productions at Sydney Theatre Company and National Theatre of Scotland. The Spielberg film brought renewed global attention, garnering nominations from institutions such as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and screenings at national commemorations across Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The book has been cited in museum displays at the Imperial War Museum and referenced in scholarship on animals in war at universities including University of Oxford and University of Cambridge. Its legacy persists in educational programming, theatrical innovation, and public history commemorations.

Category:1982 novels Category:British children's novels Category:Works about the First World War