Luke’s Message (2009)

“Luke’s Message” was created for the if:book schools project MOFOHOB (Museum of the History of the Future of the Book). Pullinger and Joseph, along with other acclaimed authors, e.g. Naomi Alderman, were commissioned to write “literature of the future” for children. The project, led by Chris Meade, offered year 8/9 students examples of writing in various times and media (past, present and future) in order to encourage them to think about the role of literature, communication and books. The project included around 50 multimedia works; “Luke’s Message” and an animation of a Shakespeare sonnet were the most discussed. However, “Luke’s Message” (like other pieces created within the project) was mostly used in schools during workshops linked to the MOFOHOB project and has never been known to a wider public.

Pullinger and Joseph’s story is set in AD 2500, in a world “where there are no books, no paper in fact, no pens, no printers” and “only a few clunky old people who work in museums” know how to read. Its main protagonist, a boy named Luke, discovers how difficult it can be to send a message in a world where no one reads.

When the work was almost finished Pullinger advertised it on her blog: “it’s a cracker!!”.