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Home , Durrell family, Gerald Durrell, The Stationary Ark

BIBLIOTECA TECLA SALA April 20, 2017 My Family And Other Animals

(Gerald )

The world is as delicate and as complicated as a spider’s web. If you touch one thread you send shudders running through all the other threads. We are not just touching the web we are Contents: tearing great holes in it. - A 2 Brief Biography

My Family And Other 3 Gerald Durrell Animals - About

[https://www.durrell.org/about/gerald-durrell/gerald- A Triumph Of 4-7 durrell/] Conscious Craft

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Gerald Durrell - A Brief Biography

Gerald Durrell was born in Encouraged by Lawrence, he aged 70. He left an indelible Jamshedpur, India, on 7th began writing stories of his mark on the conservation January 1925. Following the animal escapades for magazi- world and a valuable legacy death of his father in 1928 the nes and radio broadcasts, for future generations. family moved back to the UK, publishing his first book, The Gerry’s mission and vision but spurred on by Gerald’s Overloaded Ark, in 1953. He continue through the tireless oldest brother, Lawrence, eventually wrote 33 books, work of Durrell’s dedicated they soon returned to a war- including the best-selling The conservationists throughout mer climate, this time the Bafut Beagles, A in My the world. island of . Luggage, Catch Me a Colobus, , The Ark’s Here Gerald Durrell’s in- Anniversary and, his final book, [https://www.durrell.org/ terest in animals and all things The Aye-aye and I, published in about/gerald-durrell/gerald- living blossomed, fuelled by a 1992. friendship with Dr Theodore durrell/] Stephanides, whose fascinati- Gerry’s unique insight into on with the animal world the animal kingdom and the inspired the 10-year-old Ge- engaging humour with which rald. he described his adventures made him one of the most In 1939, with a war looming, widely read authors of animal the moved stories. His humorous ac- back to the UK and settled in count of his Corfu childhood, the coastal town of Bourne- My Family and Other Animals, mouth. Gerald started has sold millions of copies working in a local pet shop worldwide and his books ha- and then as a stable-hand and ve been translated into 31 riding instructor. After the languages. war, he became a student keeper at the Zoological Soci- Gerry also hosted seven tele- ety of London’s Whipsnade vision series as well as making Park to gain experience with numerous appearances on a wider variety of animals. television and radio program- mes. His early years of collec- At the age of 21 he inherited ting expeditions were filmed £3,000 with which he finan- by the BBC Natural History ced, organised and led his first Unit. Later series, including animal collecting expedition – The Amateur Naturalist and to the British . Durrell in , were filmed For the next ten years he by independent producers for travelled to many lesser and subsequently known parts of the world, sold to networks and satellite acquiring animals for the ma- stations in over 40 countries, jor British zoological gardens. reaching 150 million viewers.

During brief interludes Gerald Durrell died on Ja- between expeditions, Gerry nuary 30th 1995, in , launched his second career.

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My Family And Other Animals - About The Book

My Family and Other Animals claimed to find writing a cho- pite the omissions and inaccu- (1956) is an autobiographical re, this book was different: his racies, work by British naturalist first wife Jacquie recalled commented "This is a very Gerald Durrell. It tells of the "Never have I known Gerry wicked, very funny, and I'm years that he lived as a child work as he did then; it see- afraid rather truthful book – with his siblings and widowed med to pour out of him". the best argument I know for mother on the Greek island Durrell maintained "he had keeping thirteen-year-olds at of Corfu between 1935 and started off like a good cook boarding-schools and not 1939. It describes the life of with three ingredients which, letting them hang about the the Durrell family in a humo- delicious alone, were even house listening in to conver- rous manner, and explores better in combination: na- sations of their elders and the fauna of the island. It is mely, the spellbinding landsca- betters". the first and most well-known pe of a Greek island before of Durrell's 'Corfu trilogy,' tourism succeeded in spoiling The book was first published together with Birds, Beasts, it for tourists; his discovery of by Rupert Hart-Davis Ltd in and Relatives and The Garden and friendship with the wild 1956 and in paperback by of the Gods (1978). denizens, both animal and Penguin Books in 1959 and Greek, of that island; and the has remained in print ever Durrell had already written eccentric conduct of all mem- since. several successful books bers of his family." The book about his trips collecting ani- was an instant success. mals in the wild for [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ when he published My Family Although My Family is presen- My_Family_and_Other_Anim and Other Animals in 1956. Its ted as autobiographical, if not als] comic exaggeration of the completely objective, the foibles of his family – especi- events described are not ally his eldest brother Law- always true – in particular rence Durrell, who became a Larry lived in another part of celebrated novelist and poet Corfu with his first wife – and his heartfelt appreciati- Nancy Durrell, whom Gerald on of the natural world made does not mention at all. The it very successful. Durrell was chronology of events as they able to found the - occur in the book is also inac- logical Park (now known as curate, and the reason for the the Durrell Wildlife Park) in Durrells' departure from the Channel Islands. He also Corfu (World War II) is not became known as a novel- given; instead, it is implied writer and television persona- that the family returned to lity. His books helped stimula- for the sake of Ge- te the development of rald's education. tourism in Corfu. However, the book does suc- The book was written in ceed in preserving the im- 1955 in , where pressions of ten- to fifteen- Durrell was recuperating year-old Gerald extremely from a severe attack of jaun- vividly and with a great deal dice. Whereas Durrell often of light-hearted humour. Des-

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A Triumph of Conscious Craft

[Simon Barnes celebrates the olchildren have grown up "The instant I met him it was 60th anniversary of My Family with the story of the Durrell as if a 1,000-watt lightbulb And Other Animals.] family's stay on their paradise had been switched on," Lee, island of Corfu in the five who is now 66, says. "The

years leading up to the out- power, the energy, the charis- Gerald Durrell was a man of break of the Second World ma – you knew at once that paradise. Paradise found, pa- War. And to mark the anni- you were in the presence of radise lost, paradise regained, versary of the book ITV will someone." The Jersey pro- paradise destroyed, paradise next year broadcast a drama ject, she says, "felt like a dreamed in a vision of hope, series called , ba- pretty enormous undertaking, paradise under siege, paradise sed on that same impossible but I went into it with my relieved, paradise unattaina- experience of paradise. A big eyes wide open. I knew that I ble, paradise built with his Gerald Durrell moment is was taking on a man and his own hands. Paradise was his upon us, not least because vision, and these things really business, his life, his des- the work of the Durrell couldn't be separated. And I troyer, his salvation. Wildlife Conservation Trust, wanted to do it with him." which he founded in 1959, is He produced a literary mas- Durrell died 21 years ago. He more important than ever. terpiece that remains the wrote more than 40 books, finest evocation of paradise The focal point of the Trust is most of them overflowing ever written. He built a para- a wildlife park – always envi- with light and life and humour dise based on his own beliefs saged by Durrell as "a statio- and joy. He was a man who of what a zoo should be. And nary ark" – that operates on knew black despair and bre- after his death in 1995, he left Jersey, where his widow Lee akdown but went on to find behind an organisation that still lives in the house she redemption. He was a man works to restore a touch of shared with him, working as ahead of his time; all conser- paradise to humanity and to the Trust's honorary direc- vationists are agreed on that. everything else that lives. tor. He was the first person with "The world needs Durrell," a large public following to She was just 29 when they says Sir . make the extinction crisis married, in 1978; Durrell was Durrell is a voice, an exam- plain. But he preached not a damaged visionary of 53. ple, a legacy, a belief, a cause. doom but action. He wanted They met while she was And while his message has the world to understand that studying communication in never gone away, it will be practical conservation is the lemurs, which made her proclaimed with renewed essential task of humankind – doubly irresistible. Durrell power in 2016. as essential for humans as it is later wrote to her from Jer- for other animals. "People Next year it will be 60 years sey: "Darling, I want you to think I'm just trying to look since the publication of Dur- be an important part of every after nice fluffy animals," Dur- rell's greatest book – My Fa- part of my life, and I want you rell said. "What I'm actually mily and Other Animals. It has to feel that at all times this trying to do is stop the hu- sold millions of copies place and what it does in the man race from committing worldwide, and across the future is just as much your suicide." decade's generations of scho- place as mine."

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Durrell's best book is part of ted a dog or smelled a rose That wonderful title is a good the language, part of the way understands that. My Family joke, and so much more than we think. The broadcaster and Other Animals is the grea- a joke. We need to look after Clare Balding applied a neat test expression of biophilia in the planet for the sake of our twist to the title when she literature. Here is a boy in species and other animals: named her own childhood paradise, surrounded by an because without them we're memoir My Animals and Other eccentric loving family and by no good. Durrell – the man Family; being a well brought- the wonderful beasts of the and the organisation both – up girl, she asked Lee's per- Mediterranean islands. Here are still telling us that same mission to use it. the young Gerry kept owls old truth and it's as vivid and and pigeons and tortoises, as vital as ever. Of course when you bring witnessed a battle between a together the words Durrell My Family reads like a great praying mantis and a gecko – and literature, most people – gushing flow of spontaneous above, on, and finally in his of a certain age – assume that recollection, but in fact it is a bed. One day his magpies – you're talking about Lawrence triumph of conscious craft. the Magenpies – got loose Durrell. This is Gerald's older Durrell began the book with and trashed Larry's room and brother, author of the five bestsellers already on his all those pages full of death- "Alexandria Quartet" series CV and he set down to write less prose. of novels. Lawrence – Larry it in the certain knowledge in the Corfu books, 13 years Joy is at the heart of every- that this was the best material Gerald's senior – had a huge thing that Durrell wrote, but he would ever have. It was success with it. The Quartet most especially it is at the the one book he enjoyed wri- caught the wave of the 1960s heart of My Family and Other ting. to perfection and it was ac- Animals. Here is a book that It is built on a complex and cepted that the family contai- celebrates the wild world brilliantly managed structure. ned one great writer with more thoroughly and more The human characters leap works for all time, and ano- vividly than anything else ever from the pages like caricatu- ther who wrote relatively written. It is at the same time res drawn by an unusually ephemeral stuff that was en- funny and deeply serious; and knowing child. In history, bro- tertaining, even thought- it is a poor person who beli- ther Larry lived apart from provoking, but very much a eves that humour compromi- the family with his wife work of its time. I think that ses seriousness. It has rea- Nancy; for literary purposes view is 100 per cent correct ched people and moved them he is moved back in while – except that the world got to laughter and other emoti- Nancy is written out. Corfu is the brothers the wrong way ons, all them deep, powerful bounding with the life of hu- round. and packed with meaning. It mans and other animals: and has been a set book for It was the great American so it becomes all islands. It exams and it has taught the scientist and science writer becomes every golden age, it joys of reading along with all Edward O Wilson who becomes paradise. the other joys. The book tells coined the term biophilia: for us that we humans are not And that vision of a paradise the human affinity, the human complete alone: that without shared by human and non- need for non-human life. the wild world we are less human animals drove every- Everyone who has ever pat- than ourselves. thing Durrell ever did. The

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idea that human lives are dra- good job of it in the circums- plans in place. Durrell told matically impoverished in the tances. But it cost him. Des- him airily: "Your trouble is absence of the natural world pair, breakdown and a busted that you always get bogged is now supported by findings first marriage: he went down in the minor details of on medicine, sociology, psy- through the soul-deep strug- life. I feel sure that you will be chology, urban planning, child gles that often tear exceptio- able to solve all those pro- welfare and even crime statis- nal people in half. blems." tics. Durrell recovered thanks to He did, they did, the Trust Durrell was conscious of loss his second marriage, with did. The Durrell Conservati- all his life. The fact that won- Lee. "He found hope in the on Academy on Jersey has derful things can be taken small victories, as we do in being going for 25 years, and away forever was something the Trust today," she says. has 5,000 graduates from 139 that defined him. His early "I've just heard from one of countries. People come to understanding of extinction our former keepers who runs Jersey to work because they was an aspect of that. "The an orangutan conservation want to spend their lives in world is as delicate and as project in Sumatra. He has conservation. It's been said – complicated as a spider's won a major court case though it's been said of many web," he wrote. "If you touch against a company illegally other things on the Durrell one thread you send shud- clearing land and planting oil CV – that this was the best ders running through all the palms. It's another small vic- thing he ever did. other threads. We are not tory." There was an occasion early just touching the web. We're Zoos can and should be in the Academy's history tearing great holes in it." about the informal education when the students were "He was a man who knew of the public, but Durrell taking a break from their stu- about despair," Lee says. "He always saw a bigger role: as a dies. "It was a perfect mo- had an apocalyptic vision of centre for science-based edu- ment," Lee remembers. the world, and the destructi- cation in conservation. He "Gerry had tears in his eyes on, stupidity and greed cau- was in on a conser- when he said to me, 'I never sed him very deep distress, vation trip in 1978 when he believed I would be playing and it was the reason for the said to his assistant John croquet and taking tea with drinking." At one stage a doc- Hartley: "I've often talked 10 conservationists from 10 tor rather rashly recommen- about turning the Trust into a different countries here on ded Guinness to improve his sort of miniature university of Jersey'." physical condition. Durrell conservation, and when we The Trust continues its work: took it on manfully, usually as see the minister this morning trying to integrate the wildlife breakfast. I am going to offer him a park, the needs of the paying scholarship for a young Mau- Most writers who create a public and the conservation ritian to come to Jersey for masterpiece and a series of activities that take places training." bestsellers are content to across the world – in Mauri- leave it at that. Not Durrell. Hartley was aghast. He poin- tius, , the Caribbe- Durrell had to save the world ted out that they had no faci- an, India and Brazil. These are as well, and he did a pretty lities for education, nowhere complex times, and the virtu- for students to stay and no

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es of and mosphere in which dedication assurance populations are no and knowledge are taken for longer universally accepted. granted. Durrell the man The Trust attempts to adapt would have been delighted by to changing needs while the vibe, and doubly delighted staying true to the original that it was all happening wi- vision. thout him needing to power it. "Perhaps the one thing that has changed and the one thing In 1988, they buried a time that would have given Gerry capsule in the park at Durrell. delight is the knowledge that It contains a letter to the fu- he is no longer alone," Lee ture, written by him. It con- says. "For years he felt that he cludes: "We hope that there was the only one who saw will be fireflies and glow- what was going on and who worms at night to guide you was trying to do something and butterflies in hedges and about it. But now there are forests to greet you. We ho- conservationists who share pe that your dawns will have his vision. The world is now an orchestra of birdsong and full of people who believe that the sound of their wings what Gerry believed." and the opalescence of their colouring will dazzle you. We The organisation is inspired hope that there will still be by the past but not stuck in it. the extraordinary varieties of Earlier this year I attended creatures sharing the land of the annual gathering of the the planet with you to en- home and overseas staff for chant you and enrich your the Conservation Workshop, lives as they have done for us. where they exchanged expe- We hope that you will be riences and methods and suc- grateful for having been born cesses and the occasional into such a magical world.” failures. They discussed pygmy hogs in India, ploughs- hare tortoises in Madagascar, [http:// Darwin's mangrove finches in www.independent.co.uk/arts- Galapagos, the world's rarest entertainment/books/ snake (the St Lucia racer), and features/my-family-and-other- two critically endangered animals-60th-anniversary- species of fruit bats. gerald-durrells-book-is-a- The occasion fizzed with ide- triumph-of-conscious-craft- as and challenges and it all a6782496.html] took place in a mood of seri- ousness and intellectual depth leavened with banter, an at-

BIBLIOTECA TECLA SALA

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