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Find out moreGerald Durrell was born in Jamshedpur, India, in 1925. He returned to England in 1928 before settling on the island of Corfu with his family. In 1945 he joined the staff of Whipsnade Park as a student keeper, and in 1947 he led his first animal-collecting expedition to the Cameroons. He later undertook numerous further expeditions, visiting Paraguay, Argentina, Sierra Leone, Mexico, Mauritius, Assam and Madagascar. His first television programme, Two in the Bush, which documented his travels to New Zealand, Australia and Malaya was made in 1962; he went on to make seventy programmes about his trips around the world. In 1959 he founded the Jersey Zoological Park, and in 1964 he founded the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust. He was awarded the OBE in 1982. Encouraged to write about his life's work by his brother, Durrell published his first book, The Overloaded Ark, in 1953. It soon became a bestseller and he went on to write thirty-six other titles, including My Family and Other Animals, The Bafut Beagles, Encounters with Animals, The Drunken Forest, A Zoo in My Luggage, The Whispering Land, Menagerie Manor, The Amateur Naturalist and The Aye-Aye and I. Gerald Durrell died in 1995.
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I first read these as a young teen, and as an owner of a variety of animals myself, felt a particular affinity with Gerry. I re-read the books in my early twenties while in Corfu, and of course the age difference added depth and location even more colour. These are books you can read at any age, wonderfully evocative they whisk you back in time. There is a lightness of touch that charms, while the humour delights. Simply gorgeous! Books in The Corfu Trilogy: 1. My Family and Other Animals 2. Birds, Beasts and Relatives 3. The Garden of the Gods Serial Reader? Check out our 'Fall in Love With a Book Series' collection to find amazing book series to dive in to.
"e;Auf Korfu zu leben, war ein bisschen so, als ware man in eine dieser opulenten, komischen Opern geraten."e; Man schreibt das Jahr 1935. Die Durrells sind das britische Klima leid. Was also lage naher, als auszuwandern? So kehrt der zehnjahrige Gerry gemeinsam mit seinen drei Geschwistern und seiner Mutter Louisa England den Rucken - und betritt eine zauberhafte Welt, die fur die ganze Familie pragend sein wird: die griechische Insel Korfu. In seinen literarischen Erinnerungen erzhlt Gerald Durrell, wie sich sein Blick fr die Natur ffnete. Und macht dabei so geistreiche wie witzige Beobachtungen ber Mensch und Tier. ber die eigensinnigen Einheimischen, die herrlichen Marotten seiner Familie und die tierischen Gste in ihrem Haus.
"e;Pticy, zveri i moya sem'ya"e; - ehto prodolzhenie romana "e;Moya sem'ya i drugie zveri"e; - "e;knigi, zavorazhivayushchej v bukval'nom smysle slova"e; (Sunday Times) i "e;samoj voskhititel'noj idillii, kakuyu tol'ko mozhno voobrazit'"e; (The New Yorker). S neizmennoj lyubov'yu, bezuprechnoj tochnost'yu i nepodrazhaemym yumorom Darrell rasskazyvaet o pyatiletnem prebyvanii svoej sem'i (v tom chisle starshego brata Larri, to est' Lorensa Darrella - budushchego avtora znamenitogo "e;Aleksandrijskogo kvarteta"e;) na grecheskom ostrove Korfu. EHti romany i sborniki razoshlis' po miru mnogomillionnymi tirazhami, stali nastol'nymi knigami uzhe u neskol'kih pokolenij chitatelej, a v Anglii dazhe voshli v shkol'nuyu programmu. "e;Trilogiya o Korfu"e; (s techeniem vremeni razrosshayasya do shesti knig) trizhdy perenosilas' na teleehkran, prichem poslednij raz - v 2016 godu, kogda britanskaya kompaniya ITV vypustila pervyj sezon seriala "e;Darrelly"e;, odnim iz postanovshchikov kotorogo vystupil EHdvard Holl ("e;Abbatstvo Daunton"e;, "e;Miss Marpl Agaty Kristi"e;). Roman publikuetsya v novom (i vpervye - v polnom) perevode, vypolnennom Sergeem Taskom, ch'i perevody Toma Vulfa i Dzhona Le Karre, Stivena Kinga i Pola Ostera, Iehna Mak'yuehna, Richarda Jejtsa i Frehnsisa Skotta Ficdzheral'da uzhe stali klassicheskimi.
Moya sem'ya i drugie zveri"e; - ehto "e;kniga, zavorazhivayushchaya v bukval'nom smysle slova"e; (Sunday Times) i "e;samaya voskhititel'naya idilliya, kakuyu tol'ko mozhno voobrazit'"e; (The New Yorker). S neizmennoj lyubov'yu, bezuprechnoj tochnost'yu i nepodrazhaemym yumorom Darrell rasskazyvaet o pyatiletnem prebyvanii svoej sem'i (v tom chisle starshego brata Larri, to est' Lourensa Darrella - budushchego avtora znamenitogo "e;Aleksandrijskogo kvarteta"e;) na grecheskom ostrove Korfu. I sam ehtot roman, i ego prodolzheniya razoshlis' po miru mnogomillionnymi tirazhami, stali nastol'nymi knigami uzhe u neskol'kih pokolenij chitatelej, a v Anglii dazhe voshli v shkol'nuyu programmu. "e;Trilogiya o Korfu"e; trizhdy perenosilas' na teleehkran, prichem poslednij raz - v 2016 godu, kogda britanskaya kompaniya ITV vypustila pervyj sezon seriala "e;Darrelly"e;, odnim iz postanovshchikov kotorogo vystupil EHdvard Holl ("e;Abbatstvo Daunton"e;, "e;Miss Marpl Agaty Kristi"e;). Roman publikuetsya v novom (i vpervye - v polnom) perevode, vypolnennom Sergeem Taskom, ch'i perevody Toma Vulfa i Dzhona Le Karre, Stivena Kinga i Pola Ostera, Iehna Mak'yuehna, Richarda Jejtsa i Frehnsisa Skotta Ficdzheral'da uzhe stali klassicheskimi.
Osen'yu 1958 goda Dzheral'd Darrell, k ehtomu vremeni ne menee izvestnyj pisatel', chem ego starshij brat Lourens, na korable "e;Zvezda Anglii otpravilsya v Argentinu. Kak vspominala ego zhena Dzheki, pobyvat' v Patagonii i svoimi glazami uvidet' mnogotysyachnye kolonii pingvinov, ponablyudat' za zhizn'yu kotikov i morskih slonov bylo davnishnej mechtoj Darrella. Krome togo, on sobiralsya privezti iz ehkspedicii kollekciyu yuzhnoamerikanskih zhivotnyh dlya svoego zooparka. Tapir Klavdij, malyshka Huanita, popugaj Blanko i dr. stali ne tol'ko obitatelyami Dzhersijskogo zooparka i vseobshchimi lyubimcami, no i proobrazami zabavnyh i beskonechno trogatel'nyh geroev novoj knigi Darrella ob Argentine "e;Zemlya shorohov. "e;Esli by zhivotnye, pticy i nasekomye mogli govorit', - pisal odin iz anglijskih kritikov, - oni by vruchili misteru Darrellu svoyu pervuyu Nobelevskuyu premiyu...
The follow up to My Family and Other Animals and the second book in The Corfu Trilogy, the beloved books that inspired ITV's television series The Durrells. Just before the Second World War the Durrell family decamped to the glorious, sun-soaked island of Corfu where the youngest of the four children, ten-year-old Gerald, discovered his passion for animals: toads and tortoises, bats and butterflies, scorpions and octopuses. Through glorious silver-green olive groves and across brilliant-white beaches Gerry pursued his obsession . . . causing hilarity and mayhem in his ever-tolerant family.
The third book in The Corfu Trilogy (after My Family and Other Animals and Birds, Beasts and Relatives), the beloved books that inspired ITV's television series The Durrells. Just before the Second World War the Durrell family decamped to the glorious, sun-soaked island of Corfu where the youngest of the four children, ten-year-old Gerald, discovered his passion for animals: toads and tortoises, bats and butterflies, scorpions and octopuses. Through glorious silver-green olive groves and across brilliant-white beaches Gerry pursued his obsession . . . causing hilarity and mayhem in his ever-tolerant family.
V knige izvestnogo anglijskogo pisatelya i naturalista Dzheral'da Darrella (1925-1995) rasskazyvaetsya o puteshestvii v Britanskuyu Gvianu, kotoroe avtor predprinyal v 1950 godu v poiskah redkih zhivotnyh, obitayushchih v ehtom pervozdannom ugolke prirody, "e;strane vody polnoj burnyh rek, vodopadov i neprohodimyh tropicheskih lesov. O svoih vpechatleniyah ot YUzhnoj Ameriki, ee fantasticheskoj prirody, o vstrechah s novymi zhivotnymi, ih povadkah, zabavnom i poroj ochen' trogatel'nom obshchenii s nimi avtor pishet s neizmennoj lyubov'yu, bezuprechnoj tochnost'yu i nepodrazhaemym yumorom velikolepnogo rasskazchika.
Written with Gerald Durrell's usual sharp eye for observing humour in any situation, Rosy Is My Relative will delight fans both old and new. At the age of thirty, Adrian Rookwhistle's life hasn't quite turned out the way he'd have hoped. Working an unfulfilling job as a clerk in the city and living under the tyranny of his fearsome landlady, he can't help but think that there is more to life. However, all of this suddenly changes when he receives a curious letter from his dying uncle who has bequeathed him GBP500 and an elephant by the name of Rosy who has a seemingly unquenchable thirst for liquor. At a loss of what to do with his unexpectedly gargantuan - and rarely sober - inheritance, Adrian sets forth on a journey believing to have the answer to his dilemma; he'll give her away to the circus. Together Adrian and Rosy carve a trail of destruction through the peaceful countryside of southern England, meeting a curious cast of misfits along the way. Drunk or sober, Rosy spreads chaos in her wake, until the full weight of the law finally catches up with her . . .
Written with Gerald Durrell's usual sharp eye for observing humour in any situation, Beasts in my Belfry will delight fans both old and new. At the age of two I made up my mind quite firmly and unequivocally that the only thing I wanted to do was study animals. Nothing else interested me. Beasts in My Belfry is a charming account of Gerald Durrell's first job in 1945 as a student keeper at Whipsnade Zoo. Over a year, we encounter a typically absurd cast - including Albert the lion, who's a dab hand at ventriloquism, and Teddy the brown bear, with whom the young Durrell sings duets. With notebook and pen in hand, the eager young Durrell observes his co-workers and animal charges alike. Whether getting dirty mucking out the buffalo enclosure or attempting to cajole a jitter-bugging gnu into a transportation crate, life at the zoo is certainly never boring.
"e;Peregruzhennyj kovcheg - debyutnaya kniga anglijskogo pisatelya i naturalista Dzheral'da Darrella (1925-1995), kotoraya prinesla emu mirovuyu izvestnost'. V knige rasskazyvaetsya o shestimesyachnom puteshestvii 23-letnego avtora i ego kompan'ona-ornitologa po tropicheskim lesam Zapadnoj Afriki i ih zabavnyh, a poroj i dovol'no opasnyh priklyucheniyah v poiskah redkih zhivotnyh dlya anglijskih zooparkov. Uvlekatel'no, s lyubov'yu i nepodrazhaemym yumorom Darrell povestvuet o povedenii i povadkah ptic i zverej, obitayushchih v dzhunglyah, rasskazyvaet o hitrostyah ohoty za nimi i osobennostyah soderzhaniya malen'kih plennikov v nevole, zastavlyaet perezhivat' za ih sud'bu i vmeste s avtorom voskhishchat'sya bogatstvom i raznoobraziem mira prirody.
The inspiration behind ITV's hit family drama, The Durrells. Part of the Macmillan Collector's Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition features an afterword by Peter Olney, former Keeper of Birds at the London Zoo, and a distinguished ornithologist who was awarded the Zoological Society of London's Silver Medal in 2003. My Family and Other Animals is Gerald Durrell's hilarious account of five years in his childhood spent living with his family on the island of Corfu. With snakes, scorpions, toads, owls and geckos competing for space with one bookworm brother and another who's gun-mad, as well as an obsessive sister, young Gerald has an awful lot of natural history to observe. This richly detailed, informative and riotously funny memoir of eccentric family life is a twentieth-century classic.
Which of these stories is true and which is semi-true I have, of course, not the slightest intention of telling you, but I hope this will not detract from your enjoyment . . . Gerald Durrell introduces an eccentric cast of characters in this entertaining collection of stories, first published in 1991. In the title story, part of the inspiration behind the ITV drama The Durrells, we join his family in Corfu, where Gerry joins forces with Larry and Margo in encouraging Mother to consider finding a new husband, only to rue the consequences. Highlights from the other tales in this collection are the acquisition of a strongly perfumed pig named Esmerelda, a foul-mouthed parrot called Moses, and a compulsive gambler who inspires a miracle. Written with Durrell's usual sharp eye for observing humour in a situation, Marrying Off Mother will delight fans both old and new.
Now a major TV Series! Ten-year-old Gerald doesn't know why his older brothers and sisters complain so much. With snakes in the bath and scorpions on the lunch table, the family home on the Greek island of Corfu is a bit like a zoo so they should feel right at home... Gerald joyfully pursues his interest in natural history in the midst of an unconventional and chaotic family life - all brilliantly retold in this very funny book.
Follow the explorations and adventures of Gerald Durrell while he searches for birds, bats and reptiles on the island of Mauritius, in Golden Bats and Pink Pigeons. Mauritius, the green and mountainous island in the Indian Ocean, was once the home of the ill-fated dodo, and by the 1970s it still had many unique but seriously endangered species. To rescue some of these creatures from extinction, Gerald Durrell spent uncomfortable nights in the jungle looking for bats and pink pigeons, and climbed near-vertical rock faces to find Telfair's skinks and Gunther's geckos, spending his spare time exploring the enchanted worlds of the coral reefs with their varied multicoloured marine life. By the end of his trip, he had an extraordinary collection of animals to take to his Jersey sanctuary from where the progeny could, in time, be restored to Mauritius.
If you loved My Family and Other Animals and can't get enough of the Durrells after the Corfu series, The Picnic and Suchlike Pandemonium is the book for you. It constitutes a series of anecdotal snippets and short stories including `The Picnic', a laugh-out-loud account of an ill-fated Durrell family excursion, which should have been a relaxing, jolly affair. But with the Durrells things are seldom straightforward and on this occasion all that could go wrong did go wrong - except Gerald Durrell's sense of humour in recounting the tale. Other hilarious and surreal Roald Dahlesque stories ensue, including the critically acclaimed Gothic horror story `The Entrance'.
Gerald Durrell is on his way to South America on a quest to capture specimens that have never before been brought back alive. And it turns into quite an adventure when he encounters timid squirrel monkeys, wailing rats, an overly affectionate bird christened Cuthbert and a bad-tempered anaconda! Three Singles to Adventure shows how bringing back a living collection of animals can be frustrating, exciting and damned hard work, but it's never dull!
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