''Tarka the Otter: His Joyful Water-Life and Death in the Country of the Two Rivers'' is a 1927 novel by English writer Henry Williamson, first published by G. P. Putnam's Sons with an introduction by Sir John Fortescue. It won the

Hawthornden Prize The Hawthornden Prize is a British literary award given annually to a British, Irish or British-based author for a work of "imaginative literature" – including poetry, novels, history, biography and creative non-fiction – published in the pre ...

in 1928,Stade and Karbiener (eds). ''Encyclopedia of British Writers, 1800 to the Present, Volume 2'', 2009, p.522 and has never been out of print.Gavron, J. "Introduction" to ''Tarka the Otter'', Penguin, 2009, v (all subsequent page references refer to this edition) The novel describes the life of an

otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which includes weasels, badgers, mink, and wolverines, among ...

, along with a detailed observation of its habitat in the country of the

River Taw The River Taw () in England rises at Taw Head, a spring on the central northern flanks of Dartmoor, crosses North Devon and at the town of Barnstaple, formerly a significant port, empties into Barnstaple Bay in the Bristol Channel, having form ...

and

River Torridge The River Torridge is a river in Devon in England; it rises near Meddon. The river describes a long loop through Devon farming country where its tributaries the Lew and Okement join before meeting the Taw at Appledore and flowing into the Bristol ...

in north

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

(the "Two Rivers"); the name "Tarka" is said by Williamson to mean "Wandering as Water" (p. 10). Although not written for children, the book soon became popular with young readers, and also influenced literary figures as diverse as

Ted Hughes Edward James Hughes (17 August 1930 – 28 October 1998) was an English poet, translator, and children's writer. Critics frequently rank him as one of the best poets of his generation and one of the twentieth century's greatest writers. He wa ...

and

Rachel Carson Rachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist, writer, and conservation movement, conservationist whose sea trilogy (1941–1955) and book ''Silent Spring'' (1962) are credited with advancing mari ...

Plot summary, style

The book is separated into two main parts, "The First Year" and "The Last Year". It begins shortly before the birth of Tarka in an otter holt on the River Torridge, near the Rolle Canal aqueduct on the Beam estate. After a period learning to swim and hunt, and losing a sibling in a trap, he is separated from his mother and wanders around north Devon alone. His first mate is an elderly otter called Greymuzzle, who is killed during Tarka's first winter, which is unusually harsh. In his second year, he fathers a litter of cubs with his second mate, White-tip. Throughout the book Williamson juxtaposes Tarka with his main enemy, the local otter hunt, and particularly the pied

otterhound The Otterhound is an English dog breed. It is a scent hound and is currently recognised by the Kennel Club as a Vulnerable Native Breed with around 600 animals worldwide.

Deadlock, "the truest marking-hound in the country of the Two Rivers" (p. 23). The book ends with a climactic nine-hour hunt of Tarka by the pack, and a confrontation between Tarka and Deadlock. Williamson's attitude to the hunt is somewhat ambivalent: while admiring them for their own regard for and knowledge of the otter, and despite being personally friendly with his local hunt, the violence and cruelty of some of his descriptions of hunting is clear.Gavron, 2009, xi Locations featured in the book include

Braunton Burrows Braunton Burrows is a sand dune system on the North Devon coast. It is privately owned and forms part of the Christie Devon Estates Trust (see Tapeley Park). Braunton Burrows is a prime British sand dune site, the largest sand dune system (psammo ...

, the clay pits at Marland, Morte Point, Hoar Oak Water and the Chains. The book begins and ends in the vicinity of Torrington. Williamson wrote with a descriptive style which some, such as

, have characterised as poetic: in his memorial address for Williamson, quoted by Roger Deakin in his book ''Waterlog'', Hughes described him as "one of the truest English poets of his generation".Quoted in Deakin, R. ''Waterlog'', Random House, 2009, p.84 His writing is also characterised by a lack of sentimentality about the animals it describes; Williamson is generally careful to avoid anthropomorphising them and rarely attempts to present any but their most basic or instinctual mental processes.Hogan, W. ''Animals in Young Adult Fiction'', 2009, p.7

History and reception

Williamson, who was born in London and had moved to Georgeham, Devon, in 1921, began making notes for ''Tarka'' about two years later: although he was usually a rather rapid writer, the book took him around four years to write thanks to the large amount of detailed research needed.Gavron, 2009, vi–vii Williamson often claimed that he was inspired to write ''Tarka'' after rescuing and raising an otter cub, but the truth of this story is uncertain and it seems likely that the 1909 book ''The Life Story of an Otter'', by Cornish naturalist John Coulson Tregarthen, was a more substantial influence.Gavron, 2009, vi Nevertheless, Williamson spent a great deal of time gathering information on otters' habits and behaviour. The original edition featured illustrations by Charles Tunnicliffe. The book was extremely well-received on publication, attracting praise from

Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Literary realism, Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry ...

and T. E. Lawrence, amongst others. Although not written for children, the book soon became popular with young readers.Hunt, P. ''International Companion Encyclopedia of Children's Literature'', Routledge, p.286

Influence

''Tarka'' has been an influential work. American writer

once wrote that Williamson's work had "deeply influenced" her and said that ''Tarka the Otter'' and '' Salar the Salmon'' would be two of three books she might take to a desert island.Quaratiello, A. R. ''Rachel Carson: A Biography'', 2009, p.29

, who later became friends with an elderly Williamson, repeatedly cited reading the book as an important experience for him, while the author Roger Deakin wrote that he admired the "beauty and ice-clear accuracy" of Williamson's writing and described ''Tarka'' as a "great mythic poem".Deakin, 2009, p.185 Others to whom the book was significant included the nature writers

Kenneth Allsop Kenneth Allsop (29 January 1920 – 23 May 1973) was a British broadcaster, author and naturalist. Early life Allsop was born on 29 January 1920 in Holbeck, Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire. He was married in St Peter's Church, Ealing, in ...

Andresen, M. ''Field of Vision: The Broadcast Life Of Kenneth Allsop'', Trafford, 2005, p.11 and

Denys Watkins-Pitchford Denys James Watkins-Pitchford Order of the British Empire, MBE (25 July 1905 – 8 September 1990) was an English naturalist, artist and author under the pen name 'BB'. He won the 1942 Carnegie Medal for Writing, Carnegie Medal for ''The Little G ...

('BB'), who described it as "the greatest animal story ever written"."BB" (Watkins-Pitchford), ''The Pegasus Book of the Countryside'', 1964, p.143 At the time the book was published, otters were generally regarded as vermin, but ''Tarka'' (and more specifically its later

film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...

) is credited with inspiring a transformation in public attitudes to otters.Scheel, D. "Otters back on stream", ''

New Scientist ''New Scientist'' is a popular science magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. Based in London, it publishes weekly English-language editions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. An editorially separate organ ...

'', 28 January 1988 The book remains well-known, and is often used to promote the area of North Devon where it is set. The Tarka Line railway line to

Barnstaple Barnstaple ( or ) is a river-port town and civil parish in the North Devon district of Devon, England. The town lies at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool from ...

, and Tarka Trail long distance footpath and cycle path, are named after the book. The book has lent its name to the Tarka Country Trust, a registered charity.

Audiobook

In 1978 Sir

David Attenborough Sir David Frederick Attenborough (; born 8 May 1926) is an English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and writer. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Studios Natural History Unit, the nine nature d ...

narrated an audiobook version of the story, released as a double audio cassette.ASIN: B00130EJVC

Film adaptation

The novel has been adapted into a film, '' Tarka the Otter''. In 1974, Williamson began working on a script for a film treatment of the novel, but it was not regarded as suitable to film. Having previously rejected two offers from

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...

, Williamson finally accepted an offer to make the film from English wildlife documentary film-maker David Cobham, whom he trusted. The film, narrated by

Peter Ustinov Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, director and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits for much of his career. Ustinov received #Awa ...

, was released in 1979, with a screenplay by

Gerald Durrell Gerald Malcolm Durrell Order of the British Empire, OBE (7 January 1925 – 30 January 1995) was a British naturalist, writer, zookeeper, conservation movement, conservationist, and television presenter. He was born in Jamshedpur in British Ind ...

. One of Williamson's sons, Richard, and his daughter-in-law appear in the film. It was voted the 98th greatest family film in a

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

poll. The soundtrack for the film was composed by David Fanshawe and performed by Tommy Reilly.

Notable editions

*1927, UK, G. P. Putnams Sons, 1927, Hardback *1937, UK, Penguin Books, Paperback *1962, UK, Revised edition, Puffin Books, Paperback *1965, UK, Bodley Head, 1965, Hardback *1971, UK, Puffin Books , January 1971, Paperback (C.F. Tunnicliffe, Illustrator) *1981, US, Nelson Thornes , March 1981, Hardcover (C.F. Tunnicliffe, Illustrator) *1982, US, Salem House Publishers , 1982, Paperback *1990, US, Beacon Press , 1990, Paperback (Concord Library Series) *1995, UK, Puffin Books , June 1995, Paperback (Annabel Large, Illustrator) *2009, UK, Penguin Modern Classics , Paperback (Jeremy Gavron, Introduction)

References

External links

*
Tarka the Otter manuscript in the Henry Williamson archive
at University of Exeter Special Collections {{DEFAULTSORT:Tarka The Otter 1927 British novels British novels adapted into films Novels set in Devon Fictional otters Novels about otters Hawthornden Prize–winning works NYRB Classics Novels by Henry Williamson