Richard George Adams (10 May 1920 – 24 December 2016) was an English novelist. He is best known for his debut novel ''

Watership Down ''Watership Down'' is an adventure novel by English author Richard Adams, published by Rex Collings Ltd of London in 1972. Set in Hampshire in southern England, the story features a small group of rabbits. Although they live in their natur ...

'' which achieved international acclaim. His other works included ''

Maia Maia (; Ancient Greek: Μαῖα; also spelled Maie, ; ), in ancient Greek religion and mythology, is one of the Pleiades and the mother of Hermes, one of the major Greek gods, by Zeus, the king of Olympus. Family Maia is the daughter of A ...

'', '' Shardik'' and '' The Plague Dogs''. He studied

Modern History The modern era or the modern period is considered the current historical period of human history. It was originally applied to the history of Europe and Western history for events that came after the Middle Ages, often from around the year 1500, ...

Worcester College, Oxford Worcester College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in 1714 by the benefaction of Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet (1648–1701) of Norgrove, Worcestershire, whose coat of arms was ad ...

, before serving in the British Army during World War II. After completing his studies, he joined the

British Civil Service In the United Kingdom, the Civil Service is the permanent bureaucracy or secretariat of Crown employees that supports His Majesty's Government, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government, which is led by a cabinet of ministers chosen ...

. In 1974, two years after ''Watership Down'' was published, Adams became a full-time author.

Early life and education

Richard Adams was born on 10 May 1920 in Newbury, Berkshire, the son of Lillian Rosa (née Button) and Evelyn George Beadon Adams, a doctor. He attended

Horris Hill School Horris Hill, is an independent day and boarding preparatory school for boys aged 4–13. It is located in Hampshire in England, south of Newbury in Berkshire and near the village of Newtown. The school was founded on its present site in 1888 ...

from 1926 to 1933 and

Bradfield College Bradfield College is a coeducational public school (independent boarding and day school) for pupils aged 13–18, in the village of Bradfield, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It is noted for its open-air Greek theatre and its trien ...

from 1933 to 1938. In 1938, he went to

, to read

. In July 1940, Adams was called up to join the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

. He was commissioned into the

Royal Army Service Corps The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air despatch, barracks administration, the Army Fire Service, staffing headquarters' units, supply of food, water, fuel and do ...

and was selected for the Airborne Company, where he worked as a brigade liaison. He served in

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

, Europe, and East Asia but saw no direct action against either the Germans or the Japanese. After leaving the army in 1946, Adams returned to Worcester College to continue his studies for a further two years. He received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in 1948, proceeding MA in 1953.

Civil Service career

After graduating in 1948, Adams joined the

Civil Service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

, rising to the rank of Assistant Secretary to the

Ministry of Housing and Local Government The Ministry of Housing and Local Government was a United Kingdom government department formed following the Second World War, covering the areas of housing and local government. It was formed, as the Ministry of Local Government and Planning, ...

, later part of the

Department of the Environment An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment, ...

. He began to write his own stories in his spare time, reading them to his children and later on, to his grandchildren.

Writing career

Adams originally began telling the story that would become ''

'' to his two daughters on a car trip. They eventually insisted that he publish it as a book. He began writing in 1966, taking two years to complete it. In 1972, after four publishers and three writers' agencies turned down the manuscript,

Rex Collings Gustav Rex Collings (18 June 1925 – 23 May 1996, Hitchin, Hertfordshire) was an English publisher who specialized in books relating to Africa and children's books. He ensured the publication of Wole Soyinka's plays, and was the first to publish ...

agreed to publish the work. The book gained international acclaim almost immediately for reinvigorating

anthropomorphic fiction Talking animals are a common element in mythology and folk tales, children's literature, and modern comic books and animated cartoons. Fictional talking animals often are anthropomorphic, possessing human-like qualities (such as bipedal walking, ...

with naturalism. Over the next few years ''Watership Down'' sold over a million copies worldwide. Adams won both of the most prestigious British children's book awards, one of six authors to do so: the Carnegie Medal and the

Guardian Children's Fiction Prize The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize or Guardian Award was a literary award that annually recognised one fiction book written for Children's literature, children or young adults (at least age eight) and published in the United Kingdom. It was conf ...

. In 1974, following publication of his second novel, '' Shardik'', he left the Civil Service to become a full-time author. He was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the ...

in 1975. At one point, Adams served as writer-in-residence at the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

and at

Hollins University Hollins University is a private university in Hollins, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary in the historical settlement of Botetourt Springs, Virginia, Botetourt Springs, it is Timeline of women's colleges in the Un ...

in Virginia. Adams was the recipient of the inaugural Whitchurch Arts Award for inspiration in January 2010, presented at the Watership Down pub in Freefolk, Hampshire. In 2015 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the

University of Winchester The University of Winchester is a public research university based in the city of Winchester, Hampshire, England. The university has origins tracing back to 1840 as a teacher training college, but was established in 2005. Winchester University ...

Animal welfare

Adams was a strong advocate of

animal welfare Animal welfare is the quality of life and overall well-being of animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures ...

. In 1980, Adams served two years as president of the

RSPCA The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is a charity operating in England and Wales which promotes animal welfare. The RSPCA is funded primarily by voluntary donations. Founded in 1824, it is the oldest and largest a ...

. He resigned in 1982, commenting that the Society "seemed to be more concerned with each other than with the animals". Adams was involved with

Cruelty Free International Cruelty Free International is a British animal rights and advocacy group that campaigns for the abolition of all animal testing. It organises certification of cruelty-free products which are marked with the symbol of a leaping bunny. It was fo ...

. He was also a patron of

Animal Aid Animal Aid is a British animal rights organisation, founded in 1977 by Jean Pink. The group campaigns peacefully against the consumption of animals as food and against animal cruelty such as their use for medical research—and promotes a cruel ...

. Besides campaigning against fur, Adams wrote '' The Plague Dogs'' to satirise

animal experimentation Animal testing, also known as animal experimentation, animal research, and ''in vivo'' testing, is the use of animals, as model organisms, in experiments that seek answers to scientific and medical questions. This approach can be contrasted ...

(as well as government and the tabloid press). He also made a voyage through the

Antarctic The Antarctic (, ; commonly ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the South Pole, lying within the Antarctic Circle. It is antipodes, diametrically opposite of the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antar ...

in the company of the ornithologist

Ronald Lockley Ronald Mathias Lockley (8 November 1903 – 12 April 2000) was a Welsh ornithologist and naturalist. He wrote over fifty books on natural history, including a study of shearwaters, and the book ''The Private Life of the Rabbit'', which was used ...

. Just before his 90th birthday, he wrote a new story for a charity book, ''Gentle Footprints'', to raise funds for the

Born Free Foundation The Born Free Foundation is an international wildlife charity that campaigns to "Keep Wildlife in the Wild". It protects wild animals in their natural habitat, campaigns against the keeping of wild animals in captivity and rescues wild animals i ...

Personal life

In 1949, Adams married Barbara Elizabeth, daughter of RAF Squadron-Leader Edward Fox Dyke Acland, son of the barrister and judge Sir Reginald Brodie Dyke Acland, whose father, the scientist Henry Wentworth Dyke Acland (himself created a baronet of St Mary Magdalen, Oxford) descended from the Acland baronets of Columb John. Until his death, Adams lived with his wife in Church Street,

Whitchurch, Hampshire Whitchurch is a town in the borough of Basingstoke and Deane in Hampshire, England. It is on the River Test, south of Newbury, Berkshire, north of Winchester, east of Andover, Hampshire, Andover and west of Basingstoke. Much of the town is ...

, within of his birthplace. Their daughters, to whom Adams originally related the tales that became ''Watership Down'', are Juliet and Rosamond. Adams celebrated his 90th birthday in 2010 with a party at the White Hart in Whitchurch, where

Sir George Young George Samuel Knatchbull Young, Baron Young of Cookham, (born 16 July 1941), known as Sir George Young, 6th Baronet from 1960 to 2015, is a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament (Un ...

presented him with a painting by a local artist. Adams wrote a poetic piece celebrating his home of the past 28 years. Adams died on 24 December 2016 at the age of 96 in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, from complications of heart failure and a

blood disorder Hematologic diseases are disorders which primarily affect the blood and blood-forming organs. Hematologic diseases include rare genetic disorders, anemia, HIV, sickle cell disease and complications from chemotherapy or transfusions. Myeloid * ...

Works

*''

'' (1972) *'' Shardik'' (1974) *''Nature Through the Seasons'' (1975) *''The Tyger Voyage'' (1976) , with Nicola Bayley (reprinted 2013, David R. Godine, Publisher, ) *'' The Plague Dogs'' (1977) *'' The Ship's Cat'' (1977, text of

picture book A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The ima ...

illustrated by

Alan Aldridge Alan Aldridge (8 July 1938 – 17 February 2017) was a British artist, graphic designer and illustrator. He is best known for his psychedelic artwork made for books and record covers by The Beatles and The Who and for creating the original desig ...

) *''Nature Day and Night'' (1978) (with M. D. Hooper) *'' The Girl in a Swing'' (1980) *''The Iron Wolf and Other Stories'' (1980), published in the US as ''The Unbroken Web: Stories and Fables''. Color Illustrations by

Yvonne Gilbert Anne Yvonne Gilbert (born ) is a British artist and book illustrator. Her cover design of Frankie Goes To Hollywood's 1983 single "Relax" has been described as "one of the most famous record sleeves of all time". While much of her career since ...

, b&w illustrations by Jennifer Campbell. *''The Legend of Te Tuna'' (1982),

Sylvester & Orphanos Sylvester & Orphanos was a publishing house originally founded in Los Angeles by Ralph Sylvester, Stathis Orphanos and George Fisher in 1972. When Fisher moved to New York City, ''Sylvester & Orphanos'' specialized in limited-signed press books. Or ...

, *''Voyage Through the Antarctic'' (1982 with

Allen Lane Sir Allen Lane (born Allen Lane Williams; 21 September 1902 – 7 July 1970) was a British publisher who together with his brothers Richard and John Lane founded Penguin Books in 1935, bringing high-quality paperback fiction and non-fictio ...

*''

'' (1984) *''A Nature Diary'' (1985) , *''The Bureaucats'' (1985) , *'' Traveller'' (1988) *''The Day Gone By'' (autobiography) (1990) *''

Tales from Watership Down ''Tales from Watership Down'' is a collection of 19 short stories by Richard Adams, published in 1996 as a follow-up to Adams's highly successful 1972 novel about rabbits, '' Watership Down''. It consists of a number of short stories of rabbit ...

'' (collection of linked stories) (1996) *''The Outlandish Knight'' (1999) *''Daniel'' (2006) *"Leopard Aware" in ''Gentle Footprints'' (2010)

Notes

References

External links

* * * * *
Jungian analyst Vera von der Heydt interviewed by novelist Richard Adams in 1978 - CG Jung Institute of Los AngelesRichard Adams at Wrecking Ball PressRichard Adams's Desert Island Discs appearance - 5 November 1977
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Richard George 1920 births 2016 deaths 20th-century English novelists 21st-century English novelists Alumni of Worcester College, Oxford English animal welfare workers British Army personnel of World War II English expatriates in the United States British people in Mandatory Palestine Carnegie Medal in Literature winners Civil servants in the Department of the Environment Civil servants in the Ministry of Housing and Local Government Constructed language creators Deaths from blood disease Deaths from congestive heart failure in the United Kingdom English adventure novelists English children's writers English fantasy writers Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Guardian Children's Fiction Prize winners Hollins University faculty Military personnel from Berkshire People from Sandleford, Berkshire People educated at Bradfield College People from Newbury, Berkshire People from Whitchurch, Hampshire Royal Army Service Corps officers RSPCA workers University of Florida faculty Writers from Berkshire