Writer Darrell Gerald list of works. Brief biography of Gerald Durrell

The younger brother of the famous novelist Lawrence Durrell.

Biography

He was the fourth and youngest child of British civil engineer Lawrence Samuel Durrell and his wife Louise Florence Durrell (née Dixie). According to relatives, at the age of two, Gerald fell ill with “zoomania,” and his mother recalled that one of his first words was “zoo” (zoo).

In 1928, after the death of their father, the family moved to England, and seven years later - on the advice of older brother Gerald Lawrence - to the Greek island of Corfu.

There were few real educators among Gerald Durrell's first home teachers. The only exception was the naturalist Theodore Stephanides (1896-1983). It was from him that Gerald received his first knowledge of zoology. Stephanides appears more than once on the pages of Gerald Durrell's most famous book, the novel My Family and Other Animals. The books “Birds, Beasts and Relatives” (1969) and “The Amateur Naturalist” (1982) are dedicated to him.

In 1939 (after the outbreak of World War II), Gerald and his family returned to England and got a job in the London Aquarium store.

But the real start of Darrell's research career was his work at Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire. Gerald got a job here immediately after the war as a “student caretaker,” or “animal boy,” as he called himself. It was here that he received his first vocational training and began collecting a “dossier” containing information about rare and endangered species of animals (and this was 20 years before the appearance of the International Red Book).

After the end of the war, 20-year-old Darrell decides to return to historical homeland- to Jamshedpur.

In 1947, Gerald Durrell, having reached adulthood (21 years old), received part of his father's inheritance. With this money, he organized three expeditions - two to British Cameroon (1947-1949) and one to British Guiana (1950). These expeditions do not bring profit, and in the early 50s Gerald finds himself without a livelihood and work.

Not a single zoo in Australia, the USA or Canada could offer him a position. At this time, Lawrence Durrell, Gerald's older brother, advises him to take up his pen, especially since “the English love books about animals.”

Gerald's first story, “The Hunt for the Hairy Frog,” was an unexpected success; the author was even invited to personally read this work on the radio. His first book, The Overloaded Ark (1953), was about a trip to Cameroon and received rave reviews from readers and critics alike.

The author was noticed by major publishers, and the royalties for “The Overloaded Ark” and Gerald Durrell’s second book, “Three Singles To Adventure” (1954), allowed him to organize an expedition to South America. However, at that time there was a military coup in Paraguay, and almost the entire collection of animals had to be left there. Darrell described his impressions of this trip in his next book, “Under the Canopy of the Drunken Forest” (The Drunken Forest, 1955). At the same time, at the invitation of his brother Lawrence, Gerald vacationed in Corfu.

Familiar places evoked a lot of childhood memories - this is how the famous “Greek” trilogy appeared: “My Family and Other Animals” (1956), “Birds, Animals and Relatives” (1969) and “The Garden of the Gods” (1978). The first book of the trilogy was a wild success. In the UK alone, My Family and Other Animals was reprinted 30 times, and in the USA 20 times.

In total, Gerald Durrell wrote more than 30 books (almost all of them were translated into dozens of languages) and made 35 films. The debut four-part television film To Bafut With Beagles (BBC), released in 1958, was very popular in England.

Thirty years later, Darrell managed to film in the Soviet Union, with the active participation and assistance of Soviet side. The result was the thirteen-episode film “Durrell in Russia” (also shown on Channel 1 of USSR television in 1986-88) and the book “Durrell in Russia” (not officially translated into Russian).

In the USSR, Darrell's books were published repeatedly and in large editions.

In 1959, Darrell created a zoo on the island of Jersey, and in 1963, the Jersey Wildlife Conservation Fund was organized on the basis of the zoo.

Darrell's main idea was to breed rare and endangered species of animals in a zoo with the aim of further resettling them in places natural habitat. This idea has now become generally accepted scientific concept. If it were not for the Jersey Foundation, many species of animals would only be preserved as stuffed animals in museums. Thanks to the Foundation, the pink dove, the Mauritian kestrel, the golden lion marmoset and marmoset monkeys, the Australian corroboree frog, the radiated tortoise from Madagascar and many other species were saved from complete extinction.

Gerald Durrell died on January 30, 1995, of blood poisoning, nine months after a liver transplant, at age 71.

Durrell's main expeditions

Major literary works

In total, Gerald Durrell wrote 37 books. Of these, 28 were translated into Russian.

1953 - “The Overloaded Ark”
1954 - “Three Singles To Adventure”
1954 - “The Bafut Beagles”
1955 - “The new Noah”
1955 - “Under the canopy of the drunken forest” (The Drunken Forest)
1956 - “My Family and Other Animals”
1958 - “Encounters with Animals” / “Around the World”
1960 - “A Zoo in My Luggage”
1961 - “Zoos” (Look At Zoos)
1961 - “The Whispering Land”
1964 - “Menagerie Manor”
1966 - “Way of the Kangaroo” / “Two in the Bush” (Two in The Bush)
1968 - The Donkey Rustlers
1968 - “Rosy Is My Relative”
1969 - “Birds, Beasts and Relatives” (Birds, Beasts And Relatives)
1971 - “Halibut Fillet” / “Flounder Fillet” (Fillets of Plaice)
1972 - “Catch Me A Colobus”
1973 - “Beasts In My Belfry”
1974 - “The Talking Parcel”
1976 - “The Ark on the Island” (The Stationary Ark)
1977 - “Golden Bats and Pink Pigeons”
1978 - “The Garden of the Gods”
1979 - “The Picnic and Suchlike Pandemonium”
1981 - “The mockery bird”
1982 - “The Amateur Naturalist” was not translated into Russian
1982 - “Ark on the Move” was not translated into Russian
1984 - “How to Shoot an Amateur Naturalist”
1986 - “Durrell in Russia” (Durrell in Russia) was not officially translated into Russian (there is an amateur translation)
1990 - “The Ark’s Anniversary”
1991 - “Marrying Off Mother”
1992 - “The Aye-aye and I”

Awards and prizes

1956 - Member International Institute arts and literature
1974 - Member of the Institute of Biology in London
1976 - Honorary Diploma of the Argentine Society for the Protection of Animals
1977 - Honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters Yale University
1981 - Officer of the Order of the Golden Ark
1982 - Officer of the Order British Empire(OBE)
1988 - Honorary Doctor of Science degree, Honorary Professor at Durham University
1988 - Richard Hooper Day Medal - Academy natural sciences, Philadelphia
1989 - Honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Kent, Canterbury

March 26, 1999 - on the day of its 40th anniversary, the Jersey Zoo, created by Gerald Durrell, was renamed the Park wildlife Durrell, and the Jersey Wildlife Trust to the Durrell Wildlife Trust

Animal species and subspecies named after Gerald Durrell

Clarkeia durrelli is a fossil Early Silurian brachiopod from the order rhynchonellidae, discovered in 1982 (however, there is no precise information that it was named in honor of Gerald Durrell).
Ceylonthelphusa durrelli is a very rare freshwater crab from the island of Sri Lanka.
Benthophilus durrelli is a fish from the goby family, discovered in 2004.
Kotchevnik durrelli - moth from the woodworm family, discovered in Armenia and described in 2004.
Mahea durrelli

Gerald Malcolm Durrell - English naturalist, writer, founder of the Jersey Zoo and Wildlife Trust, which now bear his name - born January 7, 1925 in the Indian city of Jamshedpur.

He was the fourth and most youngest child in the family of British civil engineer Lawrence Samuel Durrell and his wife Louise Florence Durrell (née Dixie). According to relatives, at the age of two, Gerald fell ill with “zoomania,” and his mother recalled that one of his first words was “zoo” (zoo).

In 1928 After the death of their father, the family moved to England, and seven years later, on the advice of Gerald's older brother, Lawrence, to the Greek island of Corfu.

There were few real educators among Gerald Durrell's first home teachers. The only exception was the naturalist Theodore Stephanides (1896-1983). It was from him that Gerald received his first systematic knowledge of zoology. Stephanides appears more than once on the pages of one of Gerald Durrell's most famous books, the novel My Family and Other Animals. The books “Birds, Beasts and Relatives” are dedicated to him ( 1969 ) and "Amateur Naturalist" ( 1982 ).

In 1939(after the outbreak of World War II) Gerald and his family return to England and get a job in the London Aquarium store.

But the real start of Darrell's research career was his work at Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire. Gerald got a job here immediately after the war as a “student caretaker,” or “animal boy,” as he called himself. It was here that he received his first professional training and began collecting a “dossier” containing information about rare and endangered species of animals (and this was 20 years before the appearance of the International Red Book).

After the end of the war, 20-year-old Darrell decides to return to his historical homeland - Jamshedpur.

In 1947 Gerald Durrell, having reached adulthood (21 years old), received part of his father's inheritance. With this money he organized three expeditions - two to British Cameroon ( 1947-1949 ) and one to British Guiana ( 1950 ). These expeditions do not bring profit, and in the early 50s Gerald finds himself without a livelihood or job.

Gerald's first story, “The Hunt for the Hairy Frog,” was an unexpected success; the author was even invited to personally read this work on the radio. His first book, The Overloaded Ark ( 1953 ) was dedicated to a trip to Cameroon and received rave reviews from both readers and critics.

The author was noticed by major publishers, and the royalties for The Overloaded Ark and Gerald Durrell's second book, Three Singles To Adventure, 1954 ) - allowed him to organize in 1954 expedition to South America. However, at that time there was a military coup in Paraguay, and almost the entire collection of animals had to be left there. Darrell described his impressions of this trip in his next book, “Under the Canopy of the Drunken Forest” (The Drunken Forest, 1955 ). At the same time, at the invitation of his brother, Lawrence, Gerald vacationed in Corfu.

Familiar places evoked a lot of childhood memories - this is how the famous “Greek” trilogy appeared: “My Family and Other Animals” ( 1956 ), "Birds, animals and relatives" ( 1969 ) and "Garden of the Gods" ( 1978 ). The first book of the trilogy was a wild success. In the UK alone, My Family and Other Animals was reprinted 30 times, and in the US 20 times.

In total, Gerald Durrell wrote more than 30 books (almost all of them were translated into dozens of languages) and made 35 films. Debut four-part TV film “To Bafut With Beagles” (BBC), released in 1958, was very popular in England.

In 1959 Darrell created a zoo on the island of Jersey, and in 1963 The Jersey Wildlife Conservation Fund was established at the zoo.

Darrell's main idea was to breed rare and endangered species of animals in a zoo with the aim of further resettling them in their natural habitats. This idea has now become a generally accepted scientific concept. If it were not for the Jersey Foundation, many species of animals would only be preserved as stuffed animals in museums. Thanks to the Foundation, the pink dove, the Mauritian kestrel, the golden lion marmoset and marmoset monkeys, the Australian corroboree frog, the radiated tortoise from Madagascar and many other species were saved from complete extinction.

Gerald Durrell has died January 30, 1995 in St. Helier, Jersey, from blood poisoning, nine months after a liver transplant, at 71 years of age.

Basic literary works
In total, Gerald Durrell wrote 37 books. Of these, 28 were translated into Russian.
1953 - “The Overloaded Ark”
1954 - “Three Singles To Adventure”
1954 - “The Bafut Beagles”
1955 - “The new Noah”
1955 - “Under the canopy of the drunken forest” (The Drunken Forest)
1956 - “My Family and Other Animals”
1958 - “Encounters with Animals” / “Around the World”
1960 - “A Zoo in My Luggage”
1961 - “Zoos” (Look At Zoos)
1961 - “The Whispering Land”
1964 - “Menagerie Manor”
1966 - “The Way of the Kangaroo” / “Two in the Bush”
1968 - “The Donkey Rustlers”
1968 - “Rosy Is My Relative”
1969 - “Birds, Beasts And Relatives”
1971 - “Halibut fillet” / “Flounder fillet” (Fillets of Plaice)
1972 - “Catch Me A Colobus”
1973 - “Beasts In My Belfry”
1974 - “The Talking Parcel”
1976 - “The Stationary Ark”
1977 - “Golden Bats and Pink Pigeons”
1978 - “The Garden of the Gods”
1979 - “The Picnic and Suchlike Pandemonium”
1981 - “The mockery bird”
1982 - “The Amateur Naturalist”
1982 - “Ark on the Move”
1984 - “How to Shoot an Amateur Naturalist”
1986 - “Durrell in Russia” (Durrell in Russia)
1990 - “The Ark’s Anniversary”
1991 - “Marrying Off Mother”
1992 - “The Aye-aye and I”

Awards, titles and prizes:
1956 - Member of the International Institute of Arts and Letters
1974 - Member of the Institute of Biology in London
1976 - Honorary Diploma from the Argentine Society for the Protection of Animals
1977 - Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Yale University
1981 - Officer of the Order of the Golden Ark
1982 - Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
1988 - Honorary Doctor of Science, Honorary Professor, Durham University
1988 - Richard Hooper Day Medal - Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
1989 - Honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Kent, Canterbury

The future singer of the beast was born in 1925 in India. There, at the age of two, he chose a profession: not yet able to walk properly, Gerald was already interested in animals much more than people. In 1933, the Durrells moved to the island of Corfu, where Gerald spent his ideally paradisiacal childhood. The Durrells' house and garden are overrun with seagulls, hedgehogs, praying mantises, donkeys and scorpions in matchboxes, but the family patiently endures the difficult hobby of their youngest son.

ABOUT harmful influence alcohol on children's body back then it was not customary to think too energetically, so the taste of sunny Greek wine was familiar to Jerry from the very beginning. tender age. Darrell always drank a lot, but alcohol never bothered him. On the contrary, the splash of whiskey in a glass, warm palm wine in a pumpkin calabash, gin drunk from a bottle, became an obligatory poetic refrain in the description of his zoological expeditions, because it is one thing to simply catch a caiman with a net and quite another to do the same thing while staying slightly tipsy.

Lawrence Durrell once allowed himself to express skepticism about the work of his brother, who had become a world star: “This, of course, is not literature. Although, I must admit, your descriptions of animals and drinking bouts are really funny.”

Descriptions of animals and drinking bouts brought Gerald fame and money, which allowed him to fulfill his life's dream. In 1959, Darrell opened his own zoo on the island of Jersey. He made films about animals, wrote books about animals, and cared for animals in his zoo.

Addiction to alcohol did not affect Gerald's performance, sense of humor and surprisingly clear mind. His biographer D. Botting testified: “Gerald needs alcohol, like food and water, it allows him to work.” And yet alcohol won.

The writer’s personality did not suffer in any way from daily libations, but his liver turned out to be weaker. Cirrhosis forced him to give up alcohol, but it was too late: in 1995, Darrell died after an unsuccessful liver transplant operation.

Genius against use

1925-1933 Was the fourth child in a family in which everyone had their own passion. Mother loved cooking and gardening, older brother Larry loved literature (Lawrence Durrell became a serious writer), brother Leslie was obsessed with firearms, and sister Margot was obsessed with rags, flirting and cosmetics. Jerry's first word was not “mom,” but “zoo.” 1933-1938 Lives with family in Corfu. Naturalist Theodore Stefanidis becomes his favorite teacher. The family regularly serves wine for lunch and dinner. 1939-1946 Return to England. First Gerald works in a pet store, then at Whipsnade Zoo. Alcohol is a natural component of the life of a young animal lover; even then his ability to drink almost without getting drunk is revealed. 1947-1952 Goes on expeditions. In the jungle, selva and savannah does not neglect this known method disinfect the body like strong drinks. 1953-1958 The first books of the trapper writer - “The Overloaded Ark” and “Three Tickets to Adventure” - make him world famous. A considerable part of the books are occupied by descriptions of gatherings with African leaders or Guiana Indians. 1959-1989 Creates his own zoo on the island of Jersey. Durrell's 32 books are published in forty countries. He makes several films and TV series about animals. Still loves alcohol. 1990-1995 Liver disease caused by many years of alcohol consumption forced the writer to give up alcohol. Darrell underwent a transplant, but the operation did not save him.

Darrell about alcohol - with tenderness

THE HAUNGS OF BAFUTA Fon looked around carefully to see if anyone was overhearing us, but there were only about five thousand people crowded around, and he decided that he could tell me his secret. He leaned towards me and whispered: “Soon we’ll go to my house,” there was glee in his tone, “and we’ll drink White Horse whiskey!” THREE TICKETS TO THE ADVENTURE We are sitting in a bar on the outskirts of Georgetown, drinking rum and ginger beer... On the table in front of us large map Guiana, and from time to time someone leans down and, frowning fiercely, pierces her with his gaze. HALIBUT FILLET We lazily reclined on the sand, thoughtfully passing from hand to hand a huge bottle of turpentine-smelling Greek wine. They drank in silence, indulging in reflection.

Gerald Malcolm Durrell (eng. Gerald Durrell; January 7, 1925 - January 30, 1995) - English zoologist, animal writer, younger brother Lawrence Durrell.

Gerald Durrell was born in 1925 in the Indian city of Jamshedpur. According to relatives, at the age of two, Gerald fell ill with “zoomania”, and his mother even claimed that his first word was not “mom”, but “zoo” (zoo).

In 1928, after the death of their father, the family moved to England, and five years later - at the invitation of Gerald's older brother Lawrence Durrell - to the Greek island of Corfu. There were few real educators among Gerald Durrell's first home teachers.

The only exception was the naturalist Theodore Stephanides (1896–1983). It was from him that Gerald received his first knowledge of zoology. Stephanides appears more than once on the pages of Gerald Durrell's most famous book, the novel My Family and Other Animals. The book “The Amateur Naturalist” (1968) is also dedicated to him.

In 1939 (after the outbreak of World War II), Gerald and his family returned to England and got a job in one of the London pet stores. But the real start of Darrell's research career was his work at Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire. Gerald got a job here immediately after the war as an “animal boy.” It was here that he received his first professional training and began collecting a “dossier” containing information about rare and endangered species of animals (and this was 20 years before the appearance of the International Red Book).

In 1947, Gerald Durrell organized two expeditions - to Cameroon and Guyana. These expeditions do not bring profit, and in the early 50s Gerald finds himself without work. Not a single zoo in Australia, the USA or Canada could offer him a position. At this time, Lawrence Durrell, Gerald's older brother, advises him to take up his pen, especially since “the English love books about animals.”

Gerald's first story, “The Hunt for the Hairy Frog,” was an unexpected success; the author was even invited to speak on the radio. His first book, The Overloaded Ark (1952), was about a trip to Cameroon and received rave reviews from both readers and critics.

In total, Gerald Durrell wrote more than 30 books (almost all of them were translated into dozens of languages) and made 35 films. The debut four-part television film “To Bafut for Beef,” released in 1958, was very popular in England.

Thirty years later, Darrell managed to film in the Soviet Union, with active participation and assistance from the Soviet side. The result was the thirteen-episode film “Durrell in Russia” (also shown on Channel One of Russian television in 1988) and the book “Durrell in Russia” (not translated into Russian). In the USSR it was published repeatedly and in large editions.

In 1959, Darrell created a zoo on the island of Jersey, and in 1963, the Jersey Wildlife Conservation Trust was organized on the basis of the zoo. Darrell's main idea was to breed rare animals in a zoo and then resettle them in their natural habitats.

This idea has now become a generally accepted scientific concept. If it were not for the Jersey Trust, many animal species would survive only as stuffed animals in museums.

Books (17)

Ay-ay and me. Ark Jubilee

"Aye-aye and I" is a fascinating story about an expedition to one of the most enchanting islands, according to Darrell globe- Madagascar, which is famous for the fact that ninety percent of its flora and fauna are found nowhere else on the planet.

Recreating the picture of this picturesque piece of land, the Great Zoo Rescuer tells about the hunt for the Beast with the Magic Finger, about the giant jumping rat and the flat turtle from Morondava, about the gentle lemurs living in the reed thickets near the disappearing lake, and about other unusual representatives of the living world. "The Ark Jubilee" is the story of the fate of the famous zoo created by Durrell on the sunny island of Jersey, and the celebration of its anniversary.

Hounds of Bafut

Gerald Durrell's book tells about the expedition to West Coast Central Africa, to a world not yet touched by civilization.

You will get to know rare species animals of mountainous Cameroon, their funny habits, you will discover the cheerful philosophy of Lord Bafut and his simple-minded, crafty subjects.

Zoo in my luggage

The book by the world famous English zoologist and writer Gerald Durrell tells about his long journey to the mountain kingdom of Bafut and amazing adventures V tropical forest, about morals and customs local residents, as well as how wild animals are captured and tamed for the zoo.

Naturalist at gunpoint

The book “Naturalist at Gun” by Gerald Durrell, a widely known English naturalist writer, describes the filming of films for a television program about animals.

Filming took place in various parts of the Earth - on tropical islands off the coast of Panama and in the north of Canada, in the American Sonoran Desert and in national park Africa. This allowed the author to show not only the contrasts of nature, but also to introduce the reader to the diverse world of animals.

The reader has the opportunity to go on an exciting journey with Darrell, plunge into the atmosphere of making films about animals, and meet interesting people.

Oslokrady

In The Donkey Stealers, Gerald Durrell, a world-famous naturalist and writer, takes on the unusual role of telling funny children's stories. But even in this case, in the stories presented in the book, animals are the main characters.

cheerful, good stories will be interesting not only for children, but also for adults.

Picnic and other outrages. Mockingbird

“Picnic and Other Outrages” is a collection of short stories, which is a kind of continuation of the books “My Family and Other Animals”, “Birds, Animals and Relatives” and “The Garden of the Gods”. The main characters of this wonderful collection of stories were Darrell himself and his extraordinary relatives and acquaintances.

"Mockingbird" is witty, life-affirming and very instructive story Zenkali Island, surrounded by greenery and... does not actually exist! In Darrell’s own words, “if any reader is interested in how this book turned out, I can answer this: I wrote it in a good mood, when my heart was light, and, generally speaking, in make-believe. But events similar to those described in it happened and are happening in various parts Sveta".

Under the canopy of a drunken forest

Gerald Durrell and his wife Jackie are busy collecting a grandiose zoo collection. All of them free time spends time caring for capricious pets. The young couple travel around Argentina in search of new specimens, noticing anything except the fantastic drunken forests and their inhabitants. But a revolution begins in the country and the export of the unique collection is in doubt...

Catch me a colobus

The book by the world famous English zoologist and writer Gerald Durrell tells about his journey to Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and filming a film about the rich fauna of these places.

Exciting adventures await you in the wilds tropical forests and the most interesting encounters with rare animals. You will learn about the exotic lyrebird show, about the coexistence of birds with lizards, about the unusual births of kangaroos...

Menagerie Estate

The book by the world-famous English zoologist and writer Gerald Durrell tells a fascinating story about the life of wild animals in the zoo and their relationships with humans.

You will get acquainted with Darrell's curious observations of his pets, with unusual and little-studied aspects of animal behavior, with the conditions of their existence in a private menagerie.

These amazing stories many will reveal unknown pages from the history surrounding nature and will be attracted to important matter her security.

Donkey Snatchers (Donkey Stealers)

There are no insurmountable difficulties for true friends. Golden-haired Amanda, with a whole firework of ideas, and sensible David, a talented organizer, want to help a young Greek orphan save his father's inheritance. But to do this they will have to steal all the donkeys of the village...

A small British family, consisting of a widowed mother and three children no older than twenty, arrived for a long visit. A month earlier, the fourth son arrived there, who was over twenty - and besides, he was married; At first they all stopped in Perama. The mother and her younger offspring settled in the house, which later became known as the Strawberry-Pink Villa, and the eldest son and his wife initially settled in the house of a fisherman neighbor.

This, of course, was Darrell family. The rest, as they say, belongs to history.

Is it so?

Is not a fact. In the years since then, many words have been written about the Durrells and the five years they spent in Corfu, from 1935 to 1939, most of them by the Durrells themselves. And yet, there are still many unanswered questions regarding this period of their lives, and the main one is what exactly happened during these years?

Gerald Durrell. 1987

I managed to ask this question myself Gerald Durrell in the 70s when I took a group of school children to Durrell Zoo in Jersey during a trip to the Channel Islands.

Gerald treated us all with extraordinary kindness. But he refused to answer questions about Corfu unless I promised to return next year with another group of schoolchildren. I promised. And then he very frankly answered all the questions that I asked him.

At that time, I considered this a confidential conversation, so much of what was said was never retold. But I still used the main milestones of his story - to seek explanations from others. The detailed picture I was thus able to piece together was shared with Douglas Botting, who then wrote the authorized biography of Gerald Durrell, and with Hilary Pipety when she wrote her guidebook, In the Footsteps of Lawrence and Gerald Durrell in Corfu, 1935-1939.

Now, however, everything has changed. Namely, all members of this family died long ago. Mr Durrell died in India in 1928, Mrs Durrell in England in 1965, Leslie Durrell in England in 1981, Lawrence Durrell in France in 1990, Gerald Durrell in Jersey in 1995, and Finally, Margot Durrell died in England in 2006.

They all left children except Gerald; but the reason why it was impossible to report the details of that long-ago conversation died with Margot.

What needs to be said now?

I think some important questions O Durrellach in Corfu, which we still sometimes hear, require an answer. Below I try to answer them - as truthfully as possible. What I am presenting was, for the most part, told to me personally by Darrell.

1. Is Gerald's book “My Family and Other Animals” more of fiction or more of non-fiction?

Documentary. All characters mentioned in it - real people, and all of them are carefully described by Gerald. The same goes for animals. And all the cases described in the book are facts, although not always stated in chronological order, but Gerald himself warns about this in the preface to the book. The dialogue also accurately reproduces the manner in which the Durrells communicated with each other.

2. If this is so, then why is Lawrence living with his family in the book, when in fact he was married and living separately in Kalami? And why is there no mention of his wife Nancy Durrell in the book?

Because in fact, Lawrence and Nancy spent most of their time in Corfu with the Durrell family, and not at the White House in Kalami - this dates back to the period when Mrs. Durrell rented the huge Yellow and Snow White villas (that is, from September 1935 to August 1937 and from September 1937 until leaving Corfu. They rented the strawberry-pink villa for the first time, and it lasted less than six months).

In fact, the Durrells have always been a very close-knit family, and Mrs. Durrell was the center during these years family life. Both Leslie and Margot, after they turned twenty, also lived for a time on Corfu separately, but wherever they settled in Corfu during these years (the same goes for Leslie and Nancy), Mrs. Durrell's villas were always among these places.

However, it should be noted that Nancy Durrell never truly became a member of the family, and she and Lawrence separated forever - shortly after leaving Corfu.

Lawrence and Nancy Durrell. 1930s

3. “My Family and Other Animals” - more or less true account events of that time. What about Gerald's other books about Corfu?

Over the years, more fiction has been added. In his second book about Corfu, Birds, Beasts and Kinsmen, Gerald told some of his best tales about his time in Corfu, and most of these tales are true, although not all. Some of the stories were pretty stupid, so much so that he later regretted including them in the book.

Many of the events described in the third book, Garden of the Gods, are also fictitious. In short, the most complete and detailed information about life on Corfu told in the first book. The second included some stories that were not included in the first, but there weren’t enough for a whole book, so I had to fill in the gaps with fiction. And the third book and the collection of stories that followed it, although they contained some real events, mainly represent literature.

4. Were all the facts about this period of the family's life included in Gerald's books and stories about Corfu, or was something deliberately omitted?

Some things were deliberately left out. And even more than intentionally. Towards the end, Gerald grew increasingly out of his mother's control and lived for some time with Lawrence and Nancy in Kalami. For a number of reasons, he never mentioned this period. But it was at this time that Gerald could rightfully be called a “child of nature.”

So, if childhood is indeed, as they say, “a writer’s bank account,” then it was in Corfu that both Gerald and Lawrence more than replenished it with the experiences later reflected in their books.

5. The Durrells are said to have led an immoral lifestyle in Corfu that offended local population. Is it so?

Not Gerald. In those years he Corfu was just a small and adored boy. He was loved not only by his mother and other family members, but also by everyone who surrounded him: the islanders, whom he knew and with whom he communicated in quite passable Greek; the numerous teachers he had over the years, and especially Theodore Stephanides, who treated him like his own son, and the Durrells' guide and mentor - Spiro (Americanos), a taxi driver.

However, other family members did insult public opinion, namely: Nancy and Lawrence got rid of their first child and buried the fetus on the shore of Kalami Bay; Margot, of which there is little doubt, became pregnant without a husband and had to go to England to give the child up for adoption; Finally, Leslie, who had impregnated a maid, Maria Condou, refused to marry her and provide for their son.

Gerald alluded to the case of Margot at the beginning of the chapter “The Confrontation with the Spirits” in the book “Birds, Beasts and Relatives”, but he only reports there that at the height of their stay in Corfu Mrs. Durrell had to urgently send Margot to London in connection with "sudden obesity"

The events described at the beginning of Chapter 12 of the book “My Family and Other Animals” are also authentic. The main villain turned out to be Gerald's teacher, Peter, in real life Pat Evans. Pat was expelled from the Durrell family, but after leaving Corfu, he did not leave Greece and during World War II became a hero of the Greek Resistance. He then returned to England and got married. However, he never told either his wife or son about the Durrells.

The White House in Kalami on the island of Corfu, where Lawrence Durrell lived

6. During the years of life in Corfu and post-war years The Durrells were not very famous. How much has their fame grown since then?

Lawrence is now considered one of the most important writers of the 20th century. Almost all of his books are still being published, and two early novels are being prepared for republication within next year(2009 - OS) by the Durrell School on Corfu and its founding director Richard Pyne. In addition, his travelogues are also highly regarded.

Gerald Durrell, in turn, wrote 37 books during his life, but only a few of them are still in print. Unlike brother Lawrence, Gerald went down in history not so much as a writer, but as a naturalist and educator. His main legacy was the Jersey Zoo, where rare animals are bred and released into the wild, and the book “My Family and Other Animals,” one of best books about travels in the history of literature.

Gerald Durrell and his wife Jackie. 1954

7. The Durrells seem to have decided to leave Corfu in 1938 - seventy years have passed since then. Firstly, for what reason did they go to Corfu in the first place? Why did you leave in 1939? And why did they never come there again if the experience gained there became key for writing career Lawrence and Gerald?

Early in 1938 they realized that a new World War, and began to prepare to leave the island in 1939. Would they have had the opportunity to stay in Corfu if not for the war - controversial issue. Mrs. Darrell first went to Corfu following her son Lawrence in 1935, since she could live much better there on her pension than in Britain. But by 1938 she was having financial difficulties and would have had to return home anyway. In addition, during this time the children grew up and left their father's house, and Gerald, the youngest, had to study.

By the end of World War II, everything changed. Gerald turned twenty, and by that time the rest of the children had found their path in life. In addition, in the post-war world it was hardly possible to afford to lead the same lifestyle as before the war with rather meager means.

And Corfu has changed forever.

Nevertheless, the Durrells repeatedly came there to relax. Laurence and Gerald bought houses in France, and Margot bought houses near her mother in Bournemouth. Only Leslie proved financially insolvent and died in relative poverty in 1981.

Gerald, Louise and Lawrence Durrell. 1961

8. Is anyone alive today who knew the Durrells in Corfu? And what places in Corfu are worth visiting to restore the course of events?

Mary Stephanides, Theodore's widow, although now advanced in age, still lives in London. Her daughter Alexia lives in Greece. And in Corfu itself, in Perama, the Kontos family, who knew the Durrells since 1935, still lives. The head of the family remains Menelaos Kontos, who owns the Aegli Hotel in Perama. Vasilis Kontos, his son who runs Corfu Holidays, owns Strawberry Pink Villa, the Durrells' first Corfu retreat. It is now on sale for 1,200,000 euros.

Next door to Aegli is the Batis tavern, owned by Helen, Menelaos' sister. And Elena’s son and daughter-in-law - Babis and Lisa - own luxury apartments on a hill overlooking the tavern. Her daughter and granddaughter also own hotels, including Pondikonissi, which is across the road from Aegli and directly on the beach the Durrells went to when they lived in Perama.

The best chronicle of these years is Hilary Pipety's book, In the Footsteps of Lawrence and Gerald Durrell in Corfu, 1935-1939.

And in the center of Corfu town there is the Durrell School, where courses are held every year under the guidance of one of Lawrence Durrell’s biographers, Richard Pine.

9. Finally, what, if any, contribution did the Durrells make to the development of Corfu?

Invaluable. At the same time, both the government and the population of Corfu are only now beginning to realize it. The book “My Family and Other Animals” not only sells millions of copies around the world, but has already been read by several generations of children as part of school curriculum. This book alone brought great fame and prosperity to the island and the people of Corfu.

Add to this all the other books written by or about the Durrells; all of this together resulted in what can be called the “Darrell industry,” which continues to produce huge turnover and attract millions of tourists to the island. Their contribution to the tourism industry has been enormous and it now exists on the island for everyone - whether you're a Durrell fan or not.

Gerald himself regretted the influence he had on the development of Corfu, but in fact the influence was largely for the better, since when the Durrells first arrived there in 1935, most of the population lived in poverty. Now, largely thanks to their stay there, the whole world knows about the island and most of the locals live quite comfortably.

This is the Durrells' greatest contribution to the life of Corfu.

(c) Peter Harrison. Translation from English by Svetlana Kalakutskaya.

First published in The Corfiot, May 2008, No. 209. Publication of the portal openspace.ru

Photos: Getty Images / Fotobank, Corbis / Foto S.A., amateursineden.com, Montse & Ferran ⁄ flickr.com, Mike Hollist / Daily Mail / Rex Features / Fotodom

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