My family and other animals
My family and other animals —My Family and Other Animals— is an autobiographical and comedy novel written by British naturalist, broadcaster, conservationist, and author Gerald Durrell. The work was published by the Rupert Hart-Davis publishing house in 1956, paving the way for the corfu trilogy, composed, in turn, by the titles Bugs and other relatives y the garden of the gods. The complete material also has short stories.
The novel has enjoyed great popularity since its release. For sample, in 1987, the BBC television network created a ten-part series based on it. The film had a script by Charles Wood and direction by Peter Barber-Fleming. Later, in 2005, the same television network adapted it again, this time as a movie, which was written by Simon Nye.
Synopsis of My Family and Other Animals
A trip to Corfu and other adventures
My family and other animals It is one of those titles that can be read at any age. The magic of its pages lies in the use of its author's memory, how he romanticizes and leads to comedy (all at the same time) that period in which he was immersed in a beautiful place, which marked him to a great extent. .
The novel is located temporarily and physically in the paradisiacal island of Corfu, Greece, between 1935 and 1939 —although in the book it says that they are five years—, a time in which the Durrells lived great and fun experiences.
This particular protagonist clan It is composed of Gerald (Gerry, the smallest); his mother widow; their larry brothers —the know-it-all— and Leslie; his sister margo, and his roger dog. Each of them has a magnetic and unique personality.
Gerry He is fond of nature and everything that concerns him, As the animals. For this reason, since he moved to Corfu, he has adopted three other dogs, a gecko, several "Magpies", a mantis named Cicely and a tortoise named Achilles.
About the other main characters
Gerry's mother:
It is a very English woman, of refined character and sweet treatment. She tends to be very innocent, but also very level-headed.
Larry:
It's a lovely book eater. This Gerry's brother is somewhat cynical, selfish and absurd. He always makes an intellectual conversation, and often complains about everything (years later he became a famous writer).
Leslie:
What else enjoy this character are guns and hunting. He does not live for anything else, except for boats, of course.
Margo:
It could be said that Margo she is the typical teenager. constantly feels concerned about her aesthetics. He suffers from acne, so it is common to read his complaints about it. Also, another recurring theme for her is her supposed overweight.
Secondary characters
Spiro:
Also known as Spiros "American" Halikiopoulos, He is a taxi driver and a great friend of the Durrell family.. She's very protective of them, which is equally endearing and hilarious.
Theodore Stephanides:
It's a scholar in charge of guiding the whole family, especially Gerry, with whom he shares his wisdom, teaching him natural history and other fundamental disciplines.
Other characters
Most of the rest of the human characters that make up this work are made up of eccentric beings. Foremost among them are little Gerry's guardians, some Corfu locals, guests, intellectual friends and generally artistic from Larry. And in general, colorful people who make friends with the whole family.
Main themes of My family and other animals
Gerald Durrell was a great lover of wildlife, so it is not absurd to think that his novel alludes to this love. The animals here are not only key narrative elements —because in the novel the proper care for each pet is explained in great detail—, but also pillars in the formation of the author. His vocation was with them, and that devotion was something he was born with when he was a child, in the villas where he lived with his family.
Other themes that the novel addresses are humor, the rapport with the family nucleus —the importance of this—, environmental conservation, and a different way of living.
My family and other animals is, in essence, a diary of personal and family anecdotes about Gerald and the other Durrells. The novel is told through the elegant pen of its author, which, in turn, becomes nostalgic, tender and hilarious.
About the author, Gerald Malcolm Durrell
Gerald Durrell
Gerald (Gerry) Malcolm Durrell was born in 1925, in Jamshedpur, british indian. He was the son of Louisa Dixie Durrell, of English descent, and Lawrence Samuel Durrell, of Irish origin. Both parents were born in India. It was in his native country where Gerry first visited a zoo, discovering a passion that moved him for the rest of his life: animals. The Durrells moved frequently, so the author was exposed to an interesting variety of species.
Gerald Durrell lived his early childhood in Corfu, where he studied with private tutors and some friends of his family, especially with the polymath Theodore Stephanides. Later, they moved to England, which coincided with the start of World War II. Since Gerry had no formal education, he began working at Whipsnade Zoo as an intern.. It was from then on that she began to live the dream of his life.
Other books by Gerald Durrell
biographies
- The Overloaded Ark — the overloaded ark (1953);
- Three Singles to Adventure — Three tickets to adventure (1954);
- The Bafut beagles — The Hounds of Bafut (1954);
- The New Noah — the new noah (1955);
- The Drunken Forest — the drunken jungle (1956);
- Encounters With Animals — animal encounters (1958);
- A Zoo in My Luggage — A zoo in my luggage (1960);
- The Whispering Land — Land of murmurs (1961);
- two in the bush — Travel to Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia (1966);
- Birds, Beasts and Relatives — Bugs and other relatives (1969);
- Fillets of Plaice — sole fillets (1971);
- Catch me a Colobus — catch me that monkey (1972);
- A Bevy of Beasts — A zoo on my roof (1973);
- The Stationary Ark — the motionless ark (1976);
- Golden Bats and Pink Pigeons — Golden bats and pink doves (1977);
- The Garden of the Gods — the garden of the gods (1978);
- The Picnic And Suchlike Pandemonium / The Picnic and Other Inimitable Stories — The tour (1979);
- How to Shoot an Amateur N
- naturalist — How to Hunt an Amateur Naturalist (1984);
- Durrell in Russia — Durrell in Russia (1986);
- The Ark's Anniversary — The anniversary of the Ark (1990);
- Marrying Off Mother and Other Stories — A boyfriend for mom and other stories (1991)