Gerald Darrell "My Family and Other Animals"

In fact, "My family and other animals"(In another translation -"My family and other animals") Is an autobiography in which GeraldDarrell talks about his childhood spent on the Greek island of Corfu. His widow mother moved there with four children when Gerald was ten years old. The Darrel family spent five years in Corfu before returning to England.

The book "My family and other animals" was written in 1956. This is the first part of the so-called "The Corfu Trilogy". In the other two parts - "Birds, animals and relatives"(1969) and"The Garden of the Gods"(1978) Darrell also talks about his childhood years in Greece.

Initially, Darrell was not going to write an autobiography, he just wanted to describe the animal kingdom of the island withsome share of nostalgia for the past days of childhood. But in his memoirs, he confessed that when he started writing a book, he made a serious mistake: he let his relatives into the front pages. They began to "manage", brought all the heads of their friends to all the chapters, and there was nothing left for the author, except to reconcile and defend at least a few pages entirely devoted to animals.

With astounding warmth, which is not even hidden by the proverbial jocular tone of the narrative, Darrel talks about his family and friends. About the mother, who after the death of her husband hadbring up four children alone. About older brothers - Larry and Leslie - and about Margo's older sister. About his teacher Theodore Stephanides, a famous Greek poet, writer, physician and naturalist, instilled in him a love for animals and in many ways determined the future fate of the little Jerry. About the kind, cheerful and sympathetic inhabitants of the island, who helped his family than they could.

The book, of course, full of branded Darrel humor - soft, subtle and not offensive - irony andself-irony. Reading the autobiography of Gerald Darrell, it is impossible not to smile and not empathize with the heroes. And if you try hard, you can close your eyes and imagine a lake with lilies, cyclamen groves and quiet bays of the island of Corfu and for a short while - at least for a second! - imagine yourself as a friend of the Darrell family.

The story was twice filmed. In 1987, director Peter Barber-Fleminsch shot the eponymous miniseries on her, and in 2005, after the author's death, the light saw a full-length film directed by Sheri Folkson.

Quotations from the book

"Is it not funny that future generations will be deprived of my book only from the fact that some idiotic idiot has decided to tie this disgusting beast of cattle right under my window!

"Yes, dear," my mother responded. "Why do not you take it away if it hinders you?"

"Dear Mom, I do not have time to drive donkeys through olive groves." I ran into it a book on the history of Christianity. What do you think I could still do? "

"They say," she began, "they say that whena person becomes old, like me, everything slows down in his body. No, I do not believe this. This is not true. I have my own theory. Not in a man everything slows down, but life slows down for him. You understand me? Everything becomes as it were tightened, and when everything moves more slowly, you can notice much more. You can see everything! All the extraordinary that is happening around you, which you did not even suspect about before. What a wonderful experience, just wonderful. "

"Well, people," Larry lamented. - No reciprocity, no participation in the neighbor.

"You have a lot to do with your neighbor," Margot said.

"And it's all your fault, Mom," Larry said seriously. - Why did you bring up such egoists?

"Just listen!" Exclaimed Mom. "I brought them up egoists!"

"Of course," Larry said. "Without external assistance, we would not be able to achieve such results."