Librarians' Christian Fellowship

Louise Manners reports G. P. Taylor's lecture in the Belfrey Hall, York.

Graham Taylor's career includes periods working with the Sex Pistols, the police force and the Church of England. While he was an Anglican vicar and concerned at the popularity of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials novels, and the acclaim they were receiving, he journeyed to Hull to take a Mothering Sunday service. He raged to a rather startled congregation that children's books should be written from a Christian perspective to counter Pullman. After the service an elderly lady in the congregation told him to write such a book himself.

On the return journey to Scarborough the ideas for his first book, Shadowmancer, came to him. He sat down at a typewriter and typed, "It was a still October night ", the opening phrase of Shadowmancer. Mr. Taylor self-published Shadowmancer. It sold well and he was signed by Faber & Faber, a Christian foundation.

In the future films and television will be the battleground for children's minds, he believes. The films and television which children actually watch are dominated by sex, violence and the paranormal. He noted that the original script for the film version of the Chronicles of Narnia had the Christian allegories removed. Then another film company bought the project and re-instated the Christian allegories. When retail chain W. H. Smith promoted Mr. Taylor's Wormwood as the perfect partner to the final Harry Potter book, Wormwood reached the top of the paperback charts.

Mr. Taylor's writing is steeped in the atmosphere of Whitby and Scarborough. He was inspired by experiencing driving rain and dense fogs and learning of the folklore and legends. He made a clergyman a villain in his first book because he feels the Church has a lot to answer for with a wish-washy attitude to faith and its historical role in the slave trade.

More non-Christians than Christians read Mr. Taylor's books. He is appreciative of the prayer support he receives from prayer group 24/7 Prayer. He is currently writing an adult book with the working title of Suburban Father about a Roman Catholic girl and her family.

Gordon Harris and Graham Hedges with G. P. Taylor at the Belfrey Hall.

A longer version of this report appears in the Winter 2007 edition of Christian Librarian.