My Family and Other Animals
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''My Family and Other Animals'' (1956) is an
autobiographical An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
book by British naturalist
Gerald Durrell Gerald Malcolm Durrell, (7 January 1925 – 30 January 1995) was a British naturalist, writer, zookeeper, conservationist, and television presenter. He founded the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Jersey Zoo on the Channel Island ...
. It tells in an exaggerated and sometimes fictionalised way of the years that he lived as a child with his siblings and widowed mother on the
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
island of
Corfu Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...
between 1935 and 1939. It describes the life of the
Durrell family The Durrell family was an English family, two of whose members were best-selling writers. It has been the subject of several autobiographies, the TV series ''My Family and Other Animals'' (1987), the television film ''My Family and Other Animals'' ( ...
in a humorous manner, and explores the fauna of the island. It is the first and most well-known of Durrell's
Corfu trilogy The Corfu trilogy is the unofficial name for three autobiographical books by British naturalist Gerald Durrell, giving humorous, exaggerated and sometimes fictionalised stories of the years that he lived as a child with his siblings and widowed moth ...
, which also includes ''
Birds, Beasts, and Relatives ''Birds, Beasts, and Relatives'' (1969) by British naturalist Gerald Durrell is the second volume of his autobiographical Corfu trilogy, published from 1954 to 1978. The trilogy are memoirs about his childhood with his family between 1935 and ...
'' (1969) and ''
The Garden of the Gods ''The Garden of the Gods'' (American title: ''Fauna and Family'') (1978) by British naturalist and author Gerald Durrell (1925–1995) is the third book in his autobiographical Corfu trilogy, following ''My Family and Other Animals'' and ''Bir ...
'' (1978). Durrell had already written several successful books about his trips collecting animals in the wild for
zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for Conservation biology, conservation purposes. The term ''zoological g ...
s when he published ''My Family and Other Animals'' in 1956. Its comic exaggeration of the foibles of his family – including his eldest brother
Lawrence Durrell Lawrence George Durrell (; 27 February 1912 – 7 November 1990) was an expatriate British novelist, poet, dramatist, and travel writer. He was the eldest brother of naturalist and writer Gerald Durrell. Born in India to British colonial pare ...
, who became a celebrated novelist and poet – and his heartfelt appreciation of the natural world made it very successful. Durrell was able to found the Jersey Zoological Park (now known as the
Durrell Wildlife Park Jersey Zoo (formerly Durrell Wildlife Park) is a zoological park established in 1959 on the island of Jersey in the English Channel by naturalist and writer Gerald Durrell (1925–1995). It is operated by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. ...
) in the
Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...
. He also became known as a novel-writer and television personality. His books helped stimulate the development of tourism in Corfu.


Summary

The book is an autobiographical account of five years in the childhood of naturalist Gerald Durrell, aged 10 at the start of the saga, of his family, pets and life during a sojourn on Corfu. The book is divided into three sections, marking the three villas where the family lived on the island. Gerald is the youngest in a family consisting of their widowed
mother ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given childbirth, birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the cas ...
, writer and eldest son Larry, the gun-mad Leslie, and Dieting, diet-obsessed sister
Margo *** People * Margo (actress) (1917–1985), Mexican-American actress and dancer * Margo (magician), American magic performer and actress * Margo (singer), Irish singer * Margo (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name ...
together with Roger the dog. They are fiercely protected by their taxi-driver friend Spiro (Spiro "Americano" Hakiaopulos) and mentored by the
polymath A polymath ( el, πολυμαθής, , "having learned much"; la, homo universalis, "universal human") is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific pro ...
Dr.
Theodore Stephanides Theodore Philip Stephanides (Greek: Θεόδωρος Φίλιππος Στεφανίδης; 21 January 1896 – 13 April 1983) was a Greek- British doctor and polymath, best remembered as the friend and mentor of Gerald Durrell. He was also kno ...
who provides Gerald with his education in natural history. Other human characters, chiefly eccentric, include Gerald's private
tutor TUTOR, also known as PLATO Author Language, is a programming language developed for use on the PLATO system at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign beginning in roughly 1965. TUTOR was initially designed by Paul Tenczar for use in co ...
s, the artistic and literary visitors Larry invites to stay, and the local people who befriend the family.


Background

The book was written in 1955 in
Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...
, where Durrell was recuperating from a severe attack of
jaundice Jaundice, also known as icterus, is a yellowish or greenish pigmentation of the skin and sclera due to high bilirubin levels. Jaundice in adults is typically a sign indicating the presence of underlying diseases involving abnormal heme meta ...
. Whereas Durrell often claimed to find writing a chore, this book was different: his first wife Jacquie recalled: "Never have I known Gerry work as he did then; it seemed to pour out of him". Durrell maintained that "he had started off like a good cook with three ingredients which, delicious alone, were even better in combination: namely, the spellbinding landscape of a Greek island before tourism succeeded in spoiling it for tourists; his discovery of and friendship with the wild denizens, both animal and Greek, of that island; and the eccentric conduct of all members of his family." The book was an instant success. Although ''My Family and Other Animals'' is presented as autobiographical, the events described are not always true. In particular, Larry lived in another part of Corfu with his first wife Nancy Durrell, whom Gerald does not mention at all. The chronology of events as they occur in the book is also inaccurate, and the reason for the Durrells' departure from Corfu (imminent outbreak of World War II) is not given; instead, it is implied that the family returned to England for the sake of Gerald's education. However, the book does succeed in preserving the impressions of ten- to fourteen-year-old Gerald extremely vividly and with a great deal of light-hearted humour. Despite the omissions and inaccuracies, Lawrence Durrell commented: "This is a very wicked, very funny, and I'm afraid rather truthful book – the best argument I know for keeping thirteen-year-olds at boarding-schools and not letting them hang about the house listening in to conversations of their elders and betters". The book was first published by Rupert Hart-Davis Ltd in 1956, and in paperback by
Penguin Books Penguin Books is a British publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
television series, ''
My Family and Other Animals ''My Family and Other Animals'' (1956) is an autobiographical book by British naturalist Gerald Durrell. It tells in an exaggerated and sometimes fictionalised way of the years that he lived as a child with his siblings and widowed mother on ...
'', written by Charles Wood and directed by Peter Barber-Fleming. It starred
Hannah Gordon Hannah Campbell Grant Gordon
Film reference website
(born 9 April 1941) is a Scottish actress and presenter ...
as
Louisa Durrell Louisa Florence Durrell (née Dixie; 16 January 1886 – 24 January 1964), was an Anglo-Irish woman born in India during the British Raj. She was the mother of Lawrence and Gerald Durrell. She was featured in Gerald Durrell's autobiographic ...
and
Brian Blessed Brian Blessed (; born 9 October 1936) is an English actor, presenter, writer and mountaineer. Blessed is known for portraying PC "Fancy" Smith in ''Z-Cars'', Augustus in the 1976 BBC television production of ''I, Claudius'', King Richard IV i ...
as Spiro Amerikanos, with Darren Redmayne playing the young Gerry. Nigel Marven of the Natural History Unit, Bristol was responsible for the animals side of the production; Denis McKeown, then PhD student in Psychology University of Sussex, did the training of the famous pigeon Quasimodo in the series. The whistling for the theme tune was provided by
Ken Barrie Leslie Hulme (9 January 1933 – 29 July 2016), known professionally as Ken Barrie, was an English voice actor and singer. He was best known for singing the theme tune of the BBC television programmes ''Hi-de-Hi!'', ''Postman Pat'' and ''Charli ...
, who was the original voice of the children's television character
Postman Pat ''Postman Pat'' is a British stop-motion animated television series first produced by Woodland Animations. The series follows the adventures of Pat Clifton, a postman who works for Royal Mail postal service in the fictional village of Greendal ...
.


2005

In 2005, it was adapted by the BBC as a 90-minute film, ''
My Family and Other Animals ''My Family and Other Animals'' (1956) is an autobiographical book by British naturalist Gerald Durrell. It tells in an exaggerated and sometimes fictionalised way of the years that he lived as a child with his siblings and widowed mother on ...
'', starring
Eugene Simon Eugene Michael Simon (born 11 June 1992) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Jerome Clarke in the Nickelodeon mystery series ''House of Anubis'' (2011–2013) and Lancel Lannister in the HBO fantasy series '' Game of Thro ...
as the young Gerry,
Imelda Staunton Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton (born 9 January 1956) is an English actress and singer. After training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Staunton began her career in repertory theatre in 1976 and appeared in various theatre produ ...
as Mrs. Durrell and
Omid Djalili Omid Djalili ( fa, امید جلیلی; born 30 September 1965) is a British actor, comedian and writer. Early life and education Djalili was born on 30 September 1965 in Chelsea, London, to Iranian Baháʼí parents. He attended Holland Park ...
as Spiro. This adaptation was written by
Simon Nye Simon Nye (born 29 July 1958) is an English screenwriter, best known for television comedy. He wrote the hit sitcom ''Men Behaving Badly'', and all of the four ITV Pantos. He co-wrote the 2006 film ''Flushed Away'', created an adaptation of Ric ...
.


2016–2019

On 3 April 2016
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
began running the six-part series ''
The Durrells ''The Durrells'' (known in North America as ''The Durrells in Corfu'') is a British comedy-drama television series loosely based on Gerald Durrell's three autobiographical books about his family's four years (1935–1939) on the Greek island of ...
'', also adapted by Simon Nye. Loosely based on the Corfu trilogy, it stars
Keeley Hawes Claire Julia Hawes (born 10 February 1976), known professionally as Keeley Hawes, is an English actress. After beginning her career in a number of literary adaptations, including ''Our Mutual Friend'' (1998) and ''Tipping the Velvet'' (2002), Haw ...
as Louisa Durrell and
Milo Parker Milo Parker is a British actor. He is known for his roles as Connor in ''Robot Overlords'', Roger Munro in ''Mr. Holmes,'' Hugh Apiston in ''Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children'' and Gerry Durrell in ITV's ''The Durrells''. Life and wor ...
as Gerald Durrell. Three subsequent series of ''The Durrells'' were broadcast, in 2017, 2018, and 2019. The first series is set in 1935, the second in 1936, the third in 1937, and the fourth in 1938–39.


Theatre

In 2006, the Jersey Arts Centre's Theatre in Education company produced the first stage version, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the book's publication in 1956. Adapted and directed by Daniel Austin, the play premiered on 22 February 2007 at Rouge Bouillon School in
St Helier St Helier (; Jèrriais: ; french: Saint-Hélier) is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel. St Helier has a population of 35,822 – over one-third of the total population of Jersey – ...
.


Similar titles

Several books have alluded to the title of Durrell's book, including Josephine Feeney's 1995 novel ''My Family and Other Natural Disasters'',
Simon Doonan Simon Doonan (born 1952 He worked at Barneys until it closed in 2019. He writes a column on style for ''Slate''. In his book, ''Eccentric Glamour'', he decried porno chic in Western society in general. Interviewed for an article for the ''New ...
's 2005 memoir ''Nasty: My Family and Other Glamorous Varmints'',
Kirin Narayan Kirin Narayan (born November 1959) is an Indian-born American anthropologist, folklorist and writer. Early life, education, and career Narayan is the daughter of Narayan Ramji Contractor, a civil engineer from Nashik, and Didi Kinzinger, a Ger ...
's 2007 memoir ''My Family and Other Saints'', and Clare Balding's 2014 autobiography, ''My Animals and Other Family''. In ''
Nanny Ogg's Cookbook ''Nanny Ogg's Cookbook'' is a recipe book written from the in-world perspective of ''Discworld'' character Nanny Ogg. ''Nanny Ogg's Cookbook'' was written by Terry Pratchett, Stephen Briggs and Tina Hannan, and illustrated by Paul Kidby Paul ...
'' by
Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English humourist, satirist, and author of fantasy novels, especially comical works. He is best known for his ''Discworld'' series of 41 novels. Pratchett's first nov ...
, there is reference to a fictional book titled ''My Family and Other Werewolves''.
Martin Clunes Alexander Martin Clunes OBE DL (born 28 November 1961) is an English actor, comedian, director and television presenter. He is best known for portraying Martin Ellingham in the ITV comedy-drama series ''Doc Martin'' and Gary Strang in ''Men Be ...
hosted a British reality TV show on ITV called ''My Travels and Other Animals''.


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:My Family And Other Animals 1956 books British autobiographies Books by Gerald Durrell Books about Greece British novels adapted into films 1930s in Greece Rupert Hart-Davis books