About families and beasts. Genuine History of Darrells on Corfu Three Villas Darrelles

Damn luck!))

And we are grateful everything for it should be gunter_Spb. (Big collector "Tanks"), which in turn "produced" them is very intricate. But here I will quote it better:

"In the detailed biography of Gerald, from Douglas Botting" Journey to Edvecher ", I met the mention that in the Cameroonian expedition of 1957 (which was written by the book" Zoo in my baggage ", and before that -" Hounds of Batut "about the first voyage in Cameroon) was a correspondent of Life magazine Donald Sukhakk and a lot photographed there.

I am a simple man: seeing the magic combination of the words "photographer + life" I immediately climbed into the archive of "Life", introduced keywords and - about a miracle! - I found all the characters familiar from childhood. From Darrell himself, to the background of Batut and his wives. Well, a pure trip in time. Darrell 32 years old, he is still young and full of enthusiasm.

By connoisseurs of Darlelovsky creativity, we offer to look at live illustration for the book. But for a start - the photo of the family (again without a disturbing brother Leslie) from 1960, filmed in the Jersey Zoo. And also "Life".

Merry family from left to right: Gerald, Margo (on the hood "Lendrovier"), Mom, Larry.

1. Master and young red monkey himself.

In general, see Gerald without a beard is unusual, but it is understandable - in the context of the African heat, especially wet, the skin under the beard begins to "be sick." Therefore, it is clear why he was constantly shaved.

2. In the "guest house" provided by the background, on the veranda where the collection was kept. In the foreground Wife - Jackie Darrell

3. Staircase in Guest House

4. With natives in bafte. We draw animals for them, which we want to catch

5. Local brought fine mining - as usual, in pumpkin vessels, baskets and bags

6. Chimpanzee. The same, from the book. Remember the text?

We first purchased a male baby. He arrived somehow in the morning, reclining on his hands from one hunter. On a wrinkled face, the young there was such a mocking-arrogant expression, as if he had imagined himself with a certain oriental one and hired a hunter so that he was wary. We immediately decided to give him a name worthy of such a hungry primacy, and dubbed him Cholmondel Saint-John or adjusted for the pronunciation of Chamli Singegen.

7. Drink not with someone, but with the background itself. More precisely - Achirimby II, background (king) of bafut from 1932 to 1968.

8. Numerous wives background

9. Background near his "country" palace

10. Gerald and Jackie Darrell.
In my opinion she is just a paw .. You do not find?
It is a pity that their joint life ended so badly. But so far everything is fine and they are busy in bafte

11. Again with the background (we will pay attention to touching European boots on the foot of the monarch. Surely they hise them very much - however, there is also a book about these shoes). In the second plan - Secretary Sophie

12. And again drunkenness with the king ...

One of the wives of the background brought a tray with bottles and glasses. The background by generous hand filled three glasses of Scottish whiskey and, happily smiling, handed us. I looked at four inches of undiluted whiskey in my glass and sighed. Whatever the background from the time of my past visit, he did not join the society of sobriety.

Pay attention to the number of bottles on the table and already empty - in the lower right corner under the armchairs.))

13. Again with Chimpanzee Chamli

14. Gerald caught Varana

15. In the troubles with new prey

16. Happiness for Zoo!

17. Dancing in the palace of the background. Background with jackie darrell right

18. "Guest House". We catch a snake crazy

6 chose

He from childhood was different from other people. The first word that said little jerry was Zoo. The first bright childhood memory is a pair of snails, with a joyful cry of detected in the ditch.

Gerald Darrell throughout his life with love led his "animal ark" through all troubles and adversity.

Animals were satisfied, but Darrell's favorite woman only had time to pull out the Muravdie from his married one, then a monkey, then a squirrel ...

Jerry and Jackie

19-year-old Jackie was preparing for an opera career, worked in the office of his father and was quietly measured life. One day a poor atmosphere of the house violated Vataga Pevichki, who shot the rooms in a hotel that belonged to a friend of the family's family. Among them was a tall young man, with pride who took admiration for the female suite.

"Hello, I'm Gerald Darrell," he introduced himself.

By that time, he was not yet a world famous author of the gloomy of the book about animals. 24-year-old Blue-eyed Jerry was the usual hunting, who knew how to charm and laugh to colic in the stomach of anyone. Anyone, but not Jackie.

"He immediately stared at me like Vasilisk," Jackie recalled. But the charm of Darrell did not affect the girl. Young Gardechka contemptuously avoided the society of Darrell. And that ... fell in love at first sight.

Darrell walked around Jackie circles, not knowing how to approach. Jokes, stories about travel and wonderful animals did not have any action. Yes, and the time of the business trip is over, and Gerald had to leave.

Only Jackie sighed with relief, getting rid of an obsessive cavalier, as he returned again! And no longer on business, but purposefully - to Jackie.

Beauty was walked and allowed to invite her to a restaurant. The evening flew instantly, they spoke and could not speak. But Darrell was again time to go. He disappeared for six months, having left for British Guiana. However, this was the most sink his trip, because before his eyes all the time the face of beautiful Jackie rose. And again he returned with very serious intentions. True, Jackie's father did not support these intentions: what the groom is worn with every beast, as with a written tube, dulls throughout the light. Does such a doctor need a daughter?

And then Darrell ripened a cunning plan to steal Jackie from the parental house. The girl herself was no longer against. While the father was departure, a couple quickly gathered the most necessary things and was as follows, leaving Jackie's stepmate.

They left for the sister Darrell - Margo, Bournemouth town. Three days later, Darrell asked Jackie question that was worried about him for a long time: "Will you get out?"

It was five in the morning, they just returned from the walk, and for Thair Jackie, as she jokingly remembered, the easiest way to get rid of Jerry and went to bed to sleep: "Yes."

Hairy frog errors

Margo allocated the newlyweds a tiny room, which became their home for many years. Everything seemed to be in place: they finally together. But with Jerry's work there were big problems, there was no money. Lawrence Darrell, the famous writer and Brother Jerry, never once tried to convince him: "You have already hit the light so much that you can write about your adventures not one book!"

Jackie hardly supported this idea. Once, Darrellov's family heard a vague story about the travels in Africa.

"What is nonsense!" Gerald was outraged. "We can tell about Africa much more interesting!"

"If you can do better, do it," Jackie said.

And Darrell sat for a typewriter. In the afternoon, he was busy work in the zoo, and at night he pounded on the keys right above the ear of his beloved. After a couple of weeks, he handed Jackie an incredibly ridiculous story about a unique animal - a hairy frog. Reading, Jackie laughed and above the content, and above the huge number of spelling errors. It turned out, Darrell is completely unlimited! So Jackie became the first reader, the first editor and the first proofreader of Darrell.

The story was awaited. Darrell himself read it on the radio and received a great fee.

Now Darrell was just obliged to write. For the month of night, the "overwhelmed ark" was written, the fee from which Darrells immediately spent on their first joint expedition to Argentina and Paraguay. While the purchase of equipment was purchased, Jerry finished the following story about his adventures - "Hounds of Batut".

"No, no, I still do not write a writer!" - I often exclaimed, tired Scripture Darrell. But Jackie seated him for the typewriter.

"Mom" Muravded

In the expedition, Jackie finally understood with whom it contacted. While her Jerry with burning eyes was walking along the pampas in search of rare animals, Jackie tried the role of Mom of all those whom her husband mined. Crogged wild squirrels, lame foxes, playful monkeys, an ant, lizards, rats, birds of different breeds and sizes - they all demanded food, care and attention. Somehow Gerald caught the chick of Palassi. He refused to take food and it was clear that if the kid would not at least at least something, he would die. He was released in the garden - choose what you want!

The chick in indecision flooded around spinach bushes. Here Jackie painted: after all, these chicks eat only those food that mother chews for them. So you need to do the same! Gerald skillfully dug away from this mission, referring to his smoking. And Jackie burst the leaves of spinach for several weeks and fed the chick. "So that I have ever touched this spinach!" She exclaimed later.

Who just did not drag her husband into the married bed: both the young of the game, and the newborn armor ... "I unwittingly feel that the whole world is your relative!" - Jackie exclaimed.

After returning to England, Gerald sick jaundice, and so far Jackie treated him, literally in two weeks he wrote his most famous book - "My family and other animals."

The fee was "thrown" to the next expedition to Cameroon. Jackie has already ceased to dream of new curtains in their room and finally "changed out" from dresses to a working suit: wide pants and a shirt - it is so more convenient to clean the animals!

But from the trip Darrell again brought a whole caravan of wild animals. True, they were nowhere to attach ...

Jackie filed an idea: "And what if you do not sell animals in different zoos, but to discover your own zoo?"

Gerald caught fire and rushed to look for a place. But in Bournemouth did not turn out. Winter fell. Their courtyard was full of cells with a wild thermal-loving beast. Jerry panicked.

Helped the case. Darrell's buddy invited him to Jersey Island, where he suggested to rent his family nest. Darrell jumped from delight! Soon he went to Argentina, shoot a film for the BBC. It was their first long parting. And it was logical: the depressing lack of money, a constant hassle with unadigital animals was added to the relationship of the coolness. They needed to relax from each other.

Returning, Darrell began to arrange his zoo. Jackie was always there. She understood that once again, the animals overlook Gerald to the fore. "I have a feeling," Jackie admitted, - that I married the zoo. " The zoo really took almost all the time and all their small savings. They saved on everything: bought rotten fruits and cut out edible parts, chopped nuts that visitors were dropped by cells, and fed monkeys and birds ...

After their trip to Corfu, Childhood island of Darrell, sneezing in "My family ...", Gerald ... washed. Corfu has changed. The coast overtook hotels, construction cars crawled everywhere - nothing left of the romantic island of childhood. Darrell vinyl in it: after the surviving book about the island, the tourists rushed to the "new" land. After the release of Darrell from the clinic, where he was treated from depression and alcoholism, Jerry and Jackie broke up.

Further Darrell was waiting for many other adventures. He traveled, wrote books, traveled to the world with lectures, founded his own wildlife fund ... And in 52, he even fell in love with 27-year-old McJord, who became his second wife. But Jackie he remembered until the end of his life, and was very grateful for making him writing books and never, never drove animals from their bed.

So it happened that the article Ilya Astakhov about Gerald Darrell, I got
March 8, being on the shore of the Ionian Sea, waiting for
funny papers with round gray seals that will be allowed to walk
on local salt water. Outside the window - pouring rain. From mouth - par. Under
Hand - Gracies Uzo (local anise). And Darrell. What else to wish? :)

And today is March 8, then let this publication become
congratulations to our grandmothers, mothers, sisters and daughters, for
which Darrell's books became the first peasant jumping
Stroces of water in the direction of the endless world, full of amazing
Plants and intricate animals. I'm sure Ilya will support me!

Kostya Pourevodka

Everyone who in childhood dreamed of traveling to distant unbearab countries knows Gerald Darrell. Most read his books, with love and humor narrow about the expeditions of naturalist. Many have seen the Soviet television series " Darrell in Russia, "where the elder, but still tireless Gerald He made serious competition to Drozdov and Senkevich.

Decade Jerry had seen Corfa In 1935. His eccentric family has lived on the island before the beginning of World War II. About what Darrell Tried in the trilogy " My family and other animals, birds, beasts and relatives, Garden of gods"And in other books. Since then, grateful readers seek CorfaTo revive books and walk the paths of a young naturalist.

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Of course, over the past eighty years a lot has changed. Nature and patriarchal world of old Greece pretty retained with modern tourist business. But something can be seen now.

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Corfu - Capor Corfu

In order to find traces Gerald Darrell, it is absolutely necessary to climb into some island debris. In the very center of the capital, which is also called Corfu for good Greek, there is a brothers park Darrellov (Former bosetto). "Brothers" because the fate of Lawrence, the older brother JerryAlso related to the island. And in the medium of high-blade intellectuals, he is an equally well-known writer, the author of the tetralogy "Alexandrian Quartet".

In the park you can see the Bust-reliefs of Gerald and Lawrence, which tourists by tradition to shine rubbing the noses. It seems to me that Jerry is not against such familiarity.

House in Kalas

The most "Darrellovsky" location on the island of Corfu is traditionally considered a white house in the village Kalay, thirty kilometers north of the capital, directly opposite the Albanian coast. On many Russian-speaking tourist sites, this house is called "the very snow-white villa Darrellov" In fact, an object has a very small attitude to the famous naturalist. He was rented eldest from the brothers, Lawrence, when he doried with his mother.

The house is pretty, you can have a snack and even remove the room.

Everything around is thoroughly built up, so you can be sure that no modern writer will no longer choose this place for creative solitude.

To lure fans GeraldaThe figurines of funnies of funnies are arranged around.

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Three Villas Darrellov

Those who are familiar with books with island history Darrellov, remember that the family lived on three villas: Strawberry-Pink Villa), Narcissovo-Yellow (The Daffodil-Yellow Villa) and Snow-white (The Snow-White Villa). I will explain how the family could afford a similar luxury.

Mother Darrell It was a widow with three minor children in his arms. And percentage of capital remaining after the death of her husband (construction engineer), could not afford high-quality housing in England. Greece It cost much cheaper. So moved Darrell From the house to the house on the island of Corfu, calling housing with villas and giving them color names.

By the way, to school Jerry did not go at all. His formation was engaged in random people, which seemed to go to the future naturalist benefit.

On the old photo from the book D. Botting "Biography Gerald Darrell"- one of the young teachers Darrell, Dr. Teo Stefanidis, who shared and encouraged the tendency of the young man to study the nature.

Strawberry pink

First Villa Darrell Removed about six months, and she was in PERAME, not far from this airport. Then it was a quiet fishing village surrounded by olive groves. Subsequent owners have seriously repaired the structure. There is no more overgrown garden, alive ingredients and an old Victorian house. That is, there is a house, but a supplemented pool, jacuzzi, concrete fence and other joys of civilization. Therefore, the object is practically uninteresting. But there was a beautiful view of the mouse island (Pontikonissi) and the Canoni Peninsula.

View of Pontikonissi Island (mouse) from the house of Darrelles (in the lower left corner - archival photos with little Jerry). His sister Margo loved to sunbathe on the island of naked, confusing the monk who lived there.

But what the same island and the village look like Peram With a modern dam. Now the aircraft go straight over him, and the boys are staring on roaring weapons of iron birds.

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Narcissovo-Yellow

Numerous bohemian guests of the elder brother, who already considered themselves a big writer, did a small dwelling Darrellov Closed. And the family moves to a more spacious old Venice villa in the town Conptokali. (Guvia Bay, about 5 km north of the capital). The villa is attached to the villa with a view of the island of Lazaretto. AND Jerry For a birthday gets your own boat.

"Bootle Bumtrinket" - so dubbed its sharp Lawrence, hinting for some design features. The translator of the Soviet publication successfully picked up the phrase "Tolstoguya Boot" And facilitated the life of censors.

At the "Butle" eleven-year-old boy commits independent travel along the coast, studying the life of the inhabitants of the sea and enjoys nature. So it was the beginning of a career Darrell- Naturalist.

View from the shore on the island of Lazaret, where Admiral Ushakov arranged a Russian hospital, and during the Second World War there was a concentration camp. Now the island is uninhabited, it remained only ruins yes memorial boards.

Almost all family on the porch Narcissian-yellow Villa (From left to right: Margo's sister, Nancy, Louuren's wife, Lawrence himself, Jerry and mother Darrell, photographed the middle brother Lesli)

This villa has been preserved, but is in private ownership. Going legends about the fans broken into the territory Darrell And the good maid, which in the absence of the owners allowed something to take a picture there. Simple a certain blogger Yakhtsman John: came out from the sea on the boat and made good photo:

Snow-white

Last time of the family Darrellov (since September 1937) has become Snow-white villa, again in PERAME, not far from the first. A large building of the Georgian era overlooking the Lagoon Halicopulus. This is close to luxury. His olive grove! And your own church (although she hardly interested someone from Darrellov).

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The building is still in private ownership of the family who surrendered him to rent Darrelam. They say that the repair is not made there. If so, then I suppose, due to the lack of funds, and not from respect for the memory of the famous writer.
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Here was Jerry

So, all attempts to go in the footsteps Gerald Darrell on the Corfa doomed to failure? Strawberry villasa B. PERAME Actually replaced by a new building. Yellow Villa in Conptokali. and Snow-white in Crasress Closed for tourists like private property. Why are there any villas, if we are interested in a naturalist writer?

You can fuse on a mouse island. Wander around the small lagoon of Halicopulu, where every morning I sought Jerry Behind frogs and water beetles. Now the airport's runway takes approximately half of the lagoon, but closer to PERAME If you wish, you can see the traces of those most connections, the first of which were made by more venetians for salt fees. And now this half-sponsored shore, in some places occupied by grill, serves to nesting birds and tears shallow water by the sea inhabitants. Fish boys and fishermen, exploring what Jerry called "chess fields." Of course, they look now quite different.

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Similar Lake Scottini is somewhere nearby from Conptokali., around Narcissian-yellow VillaBut I could not find it. By the way, not far from the house of Lawrence in Kalay There is a place of crouch. After the war Gerald I was going to buy a house there, but the second to enter the same river a carefree childhood did not work. And sorry ... there are cute places, not so amazed by civilization, like a neighboring house-memorial Lawrence Darrell. For example, wild cochochka with funny for Russian ear name Hukhulio.

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Interestingly, Gerald Darrel until the end of the life experienced a sense of guilt to residents Corfa. He believed that his books and films contribute to an increase in the flow of tourists and thereby destroying the nature of the island. What to say? Everyone such self-criticality - nature would definitely have prevented.

Beasts and women Gerald Darella.

Jackie squeezedly drove the last page and pulled the papers sharply. White sheets fan scattered on the table. She nervously lit, but, making a few tightenings, disadvantly crushed a cigarette in the ashtray, full of the same long cigarettes.

Damn it, she did not expect that she would be so hard to do it, in fact, why did she get so happy? After all, they live apart for several years. She herself left Gerald and, as she thought, did not regret it at all about it. Why is there a terrible, insurmountable longing so much on her now? Why, putting his signature on these stupid, actually nothing significant papers, does it feel almost physical pain? ..

Machining the next cigarette unnecessary to her, Jackie remembered, as Jersey island in April 1976, full of irritation and annoyance on their own ruined life. According to the zoo, the next group of reporters entangled by the cable network, the young manager, who arrived just a few days ago, was looking around, trying to navigate to the sea of \u200b\u200bproblems, and she was not to care. Without paying attention to the reigning confusion, she threw things right into the expansion greedy mouth of an old suitcase. The stubborn belts slipped out of the hands, but Jackie with double energy pressed the knee on the lid leather monster. A stupid helpful memory is exactly the same as now, the swirl fell unnecessary memories for her ...

Once, many years ago, Jackie Wulfhenden in the same hurry and confused leaving the house of his father, the owner of a small hotel in Manchester. Sitting at the administrator's counter, she met a young zoologist by the name Darlell, brought for a local zoo a batch of animals from Africa. With curiosity and some Outskaya Jackie watched, like this slim, blue-eyed and consistently smiling blonds one after another drives crazy in the hotel of young ballerinas. Maiden from the morning to night burned about "Dressy Gerald", admiring all the frets of his article, a magical smile and a tropical tan. It can not be said that Jackie doubted his own spiritual resistance, but she did not want anyone at all so that someone honed her mastery of the seducer, and whenever time, intercepting the attentive look at her attentive look at her, with a focused species stuck in the disheveled guest book. She did not guessed then that men like Gerald Darlell, obstacles and difficulties only strengthen the desire to achieve the goal ...

Two long year is a stubborn zoologist, not paying attention to either the coldness of Jackie itself, nor on the threatening views of her father, the tirelessly invented the prepositions that demanded all new and new visits to Manchester, until once dismissed the long-awaited "yes" with so long teasing his lips. Jackie still does not understand how he succeeded ... Just looking at the mischievous and slightly embarrassed blue eyes, which she had long ceased to be afraid, she suddenly wanted to smell his hand all doubts ... Well, the most important thing was not To give doubts to return and leave until I got a father who left the father for several days ...

Jackie's colored cheeks spoke on the boxes and paper packs, non-slip maiden belongings. Seeing how they with Gerald put it disheveled, talked by scraps of the twine dodged into the car, an old conductor skeptically chuckled: "Marry groomed?" And looked at the glance, the figurine of Jackie, groaned by the packages, sighed, giving an otmashka to the train: "God to help."

When they arrived in Bournemouth, Jackie, having unpacked their baggage, found out that she had no decent blouse, in which it would be possible to go to his own wedding. It is also good that there was a couple of new stockings. Neither she nor Gerald was then superstitious and did not see anything wrong with the day of their marriage fell on Monday. Gerald and Jackie got married the gloomy February morning of 1951, surrounded by the driving family of Darlell, and the entire subsequent day remained in the memory of Jackie as a continuous stream of congratulations, sighs and lost smiles, which were terribly tired. Her relatives, who did not give up Jackie a jewelry escape, did not come to the wedding - pretended that she just disappeared from their lives.

Jackie stubbornly shook his head: she no longer need these memories! She threw them out of his head three years ago, it should also go now. We must forget everything to start life at first. But, damn it, she will never forgive Gerald that he forced her to go through all this twice. Leaving Jersey, Jackie would be glad without looking at sign any papers confirming her gap with Gerald Darlell. However, her husband, who returned from the journey to Mauritius, seemed not to make a divorce at all. He was not at court sessions, told his friends that he would not cease to hope to return his wife, caught her about the meeting. The last time they saw in a small cafe in his native born ...

Jackie convinced himself that he had to give Jerld this imaginary last debt: to meet him and honestly explain. But it was worth her to take a look into the sky-blue guilt-friendly eyes of Jerry and see on his face so familiar to her the expression of a nasoye schoolboy, as she immediately realized that he did not expect any explanation from her. He was completely nothing to do with her painful attempts to sort out their mutual feelings. Lord, yes draw feelings, besides his own, Darlela did not know how long! He simply did not endure loneliness, and, therefore, Jackie was supposed to return, and before what she thinks about this she herself, he did not have anything completely. He was ready to repent and give promises, to assure Jackie in love and paint to her the delights of new exotic expeditions, in which they could go together, but only for themselves, but not at all. How can Gerald Darlell be harshing, when he wants to get something, Jackie, making it on the edge of the chair, silently kicked coffee, indifferently listening to Jerry's tirades about the snowy expanses of Russia, which he so want to see together with her Wildlife and zoo on the island of Jersey.

"Seen, Malinson did not read my note to him, otherwise he would not remind me of a zoo," Jackie thought mechanically. Leaving Jersey, she just had to somehow splash out her feelings. To write Gerald was above her strength. But she still switched a couple of lines to his deputy Jeremy Mallenson - an old family friend. Before the eyes of Jackie still stood these lines, there were no fears on the turn on the hand: "Forgive, I hope, I will never see this damn place in my life." My God, and Gerald tells her about new enclosures that he plans to order for his adorable gorillas! A boys, a stupid gray boy, he did not understand so ...

Jackie knew that many were admired by Darlela's boys, his childish-direct perception of the surrounding world, his juicy, albeit a little rude humor. But only she was known what it was actually - to be a man's wife, who in his fifty years continues to remain twelve: impatient, stubborn, and besides, it is also not in moderation directly, Jackie redesigned whenever in her presence Retell the legends of "Sympathet and Ashdyak Jerry", recalling the details of his most disgusting. She herself perfectly remembered each of them - to forget this at all wishes it is impossible.

How many nerves cost her at least the ill-fated visit of Princess Anna, who had come to admire their zoo! Not only, Jerry got the mind to lead the princess straight to the cells of monkeys-Mandrilov, so he also didn't even slander her male charming male, scattered in the end from excess feelings:

Tell me honestly, the princess, would you like to have the same raspberry back?

By God, Jackie was ready to fall through the earth! And Jerry, as if nothing had happened at her Royal Highness with shining eyes and, it seemed, did not even notice the tension spins thickened behind their backs. And he still dare offended by the separation, which he set up his wife in the evening! Even after many years, Jackie could not forgive him that day, and at the same time, and the evening, which Jerry spent alone with another bottle of Gina, instead of writing a princess letter with apologies.

Damn this Greek island, on which he grown. This traded Corfu made it like that! Corfu, on which everything was allowed. And his adorable mother, ready to go about his precious younger son, to think only, Louise Darell took Gerald from school just because the boy was bored there and lonely! Of all the school subjects of Little Gerald, one biology occupied, and Louise found that this science he could ask at home, in his numerous pets - the benefit of Gerald found fascinating not only dogs and cats, but also ants, snails, inhales, and indeed Any living critic that could only find. And in 1935, when Gerald was ten, Louise came to be afraid to go to Greece, on Corfu, where all their family was only made and did that swim, sunbathing, it was potaklota his own whims. The deceased husband Louise Darlell, a prosperous engineer and made an excellent career in India, after his death left his wife and children enough to do so that they could take care of anything. What they were successful and did.

Gerald, the countless number of times told Jackie almost about each of the extraptures spent on Corfu. Yes, and who now does not know these stories: that no year "My family and other animals" will fly around the world by millionic circulations. Three fabulous houses: strawberry, daffodss and snow-white ... touching stories about a boy, which opens the world of wildlife under the guidance of a wise friend-mentor of Theodore Stephanidez ... The idyllic image of the mother, which, decomposing in front of the eyes of an old, brought from India's eyes with your favorite recipes, sangs in the kitchen over half-hearty saucepans and pans, in which dinner is brewing and fried, able to feed not only her four children, but also all their many friends and buddies, who would like to go around today ... Mom, invariably The most desperate ideas of their sons phrase: "I think dear, you should try it ..." Well, who from readers of these masterfully written pastorals will come to mind to pay attention to such trifles like bottles with wine, Gin and whiskey, which looked On the table in this family, the same natural as Solonka or the pepper ... Jerry and himself, it seems, did not understand that the sound of the keen in a glass of whiskey Since childhood, he became part of the family idyll for him ... His Mother often went to bed with a bottle in his hands. And Jerry, who slept in the same room with his mother, saw perfectly, how, leaning on the pillows and overflowing the pages of the book, Louise is applied to the glass. Sometimes in the mother's bedroom, the whole family was drowned in the mother's bedroom, and Jerry peacefully moved to sleep under the chatter of the elders and the chime of their glasses. For the first time, seeing Gerald breakfasts a bottle of brandy, drinking it with milk, Jackie came terrified: in their family there were no stories more terrible than the memories of the Zloschetic Uncle Peter, which covered the wrong shame with the whole family, and the grandfather, waving, without surviving up to forty. But she had little, she had to come to terms with the fact that Gerald could not do after breakfast, at a minimum, without a pair of beer bottles, besides, the moral parables about other people's mistakes did not make any impressions at him. All mistakes in this life Gerald Darlel preferred to do ...

Lord, yes, only with Gin and Brandy she had to come to terms ... Jackie, for example, invariably experienced painful awkwardness whenever, remembering Corfu, her young husband was taken to tell her about dark-tie wizard girls with colored ribbons in her hair, Eastern Goats nearby From their home. Gerald sat down next to Earth and was familiar to the intricate and at the same time, an innocent game, whose apotheosis was becoming a kiss under the cover of the nearest olive grove. Sometimes kisses had a more substantial continuation. And then Jerry and the next partner with dampless people and confused clothes were chosen from the groves under the evident giggling of young shepherds. Jackie was amused by the fact that Jackie was invariably poured by Rumyantom ... "Understand, stupid, can not be engaged in breeding animals, not knowing about the sex of all subtleties," Jerld explained to her, who did not think about the fact that in provincial manchester, where Jackie grew up, among decent girls were not adopted by such shepherd games, and if some were played in them, they preferred to pose about it ... For the twenty-five years, Jackie could not share this vaccine reverence to sex that loved so To demonstrate her husband - Just during this time, a maiden embarrassment was releasing her once with tired irritation ...

"The cloudless world of my childhood ... The irrevitable tale of Corfu ... Island, on which Christmas is waiting for you every day," Jackie just heard could not have these strucks of her husband. She always felt that nothing good would not come out of such travels in the past, and it turned out to be the right, a thousand times the right ... In the heart of Jackie, the irrependent and temporary premonition of trouble was painful, for a minute, who did not leave it in the summer of 1968. Jerry behaved like obsessed. "I'll show you a real Corfu, you will definitely see it," he continuously. And the host of a whimsical will of the owner, their "Land Herb" circled on the island in some insane frenzy.

But the fairy-tale island, like a desert mirage, melted in giving memories ... Shepherd girls, with whom Jerry was once kissed in olive groves, had long turned into busty crocheant matrons, in the reserved valleys of his childhood as mushrooms grew hotels, and in no time Deserted beaches The wind challenged plastic cups and plastic bags left by chipseed tourists. Jackie tried to convince her husband in the fact that the changes that occurred on the island for thirty years are completely natural. But Jerry did not know how to put up with things that all the rest seemed inevitable evidence. And even more so he did not want to recognize it on the island of his childhood ... two years ago Gerald lost his mother and was now completely not ready to lose Corfu.

In that trip, he did not part with the camera, continuously photographing the island and making dozens of pictures of the same memorable from childhood bays, islets and hills. As if it was hoping that, from the magical subsoil of photographic cuvette, as by magic, he will again seem to be the Corfu, which was forever somewhere far away, in the irrevitable gold past ... But wet photos were woven on the twenty reflected only a bladder present.

And Gerald clock examined the pictures, silently moved her lips.

And then, with Jerry, there was another binge ... Even with the accustomed to a lot of Jackie passed nerves ... Looking at how swollen, with confused hair and red eyes, Gerald, and nights, fastingly sits on the veranda, staring somewhere in the village and Holding another bottle for the neck, Jackie was most afraid that he would find it once in the morning on the floor with a cut throat or swinging in a loop tied to the eaves. Some kind of miracle was able to take her husband to England and put in the clinic ... None of their buddies did not understand how it could happen with the "Merry Jerry", but Jackie knew that he was to blame in all Corfu. This island made from Jerry idealist, which he stayed forever. That summer, Jackie finally believed that, about the sooner he only vaguely guessed: all the zoological expeditions of her husband, all his troubles on the organization of an unprecedented, a completely special zoo, created not for the sake of visitors, but for the animals, all his struggle for the preservation of endangered species on earth Animals are nothing but a fanatically stubborn chase for an escaping Eden, who Jerry has once lost and is now silent to find again ... and another thing Jackie understood that summer: she doesn't want to hold life in pursuit of other people's chimers. .

Having discharged from the clinic, Gerald, on the advice of the doctor, settled separately from his wife for a while. And Jackie, admitted, was pleased ... She intuitively understood that everything was over, and although they had seven marriage in front of Jerry, it was more like an agony who had killed even those happy memories that they still had. ..

And now, according to the grace of her former husband, Jackie should again survive all this horror, with the difference only that the case looks somewhat in a new way. It turns out that this is not she finally and irrevocably throws Gerald, in vainly begging her about his return, and her fifty-year-old spouse on the eve of the new marriage of young beauty asks for an ex-wife to resolve the remaining formalities. Jackie was forced to admit that this small shift of accents turned out to be very painful for her pride, because in twenty-five years of living together she was used to keep Gerald Darella in a cam. And if she didn't hold him so much, Jerry would still clean the cells somewhere in a spent his wife! One God knows what she was worth taking this stubborn, how much sugar had to rain him from his hands and how much the bracket was turned off ... No beast in their zoo and at the notes did not suit her Jerry in part of stubbornness. But also such a trainer like Jackie, too, it was worth looking ...

At one time, Jacqueline Darlell seemed that the knock keys of the typewriter would pursue her until the end of life. This resistant annoying sound and bright light light bulb night at night mercilessly invaded her sleep, turning dreams into one incessant nightmare. But Jackie was only deeply buried his head in the pillow and silently tightened the blanket on the face: she herself had brewed this porridge, almost a year persuading her husband to write some story about adventures in Africa, and now it's not going to retreat.

All this year, who passed after their wedding, Jerry would no avail bombarded English zoos, trying in vain, trying to find at least some kind of work for himself and Jackie. However, rare answers that came to their requests invariably contained polite refusals and notices that the states of English zoos are fully equipped. Time went, and they still lived in the room, which he was given to the sister Jerry Margaret, ate at her desk and recalculated peass, which were not even enough to buy newspapers with ads about work. Days of all the newlyweds were situated in their tiny room on the carpet in front of the fireplace, proking the watches at the radio. And once they heard, as a bobbish small with the BBC tells the non-residents about Cameroon. Jerry's apathy seemed to blow up. Jumping, he began to run around the room, on which the light of a diarrhea of \u200b\u200ba journalist, who does not understand anything in African life, nor in the habits and the inhabitants of the jungle inhabitants. And Jackie realized that her hour struck.

It seems that on that day she surpassed even Gerald himself - the spouse of his unique talent of the storytellor, the hereditary literary gift of the Darlel family, who had already given the world of one famous writer, Lorenz Darella, Senior Brother Jerry, and, finally, appealed to common sense The husband, who had to finally understand that they could not sit on forever on her mother and sister. When two days, Jackie accidentally heard Jerry asks Margaret, whether she knows where you can lend a typewriter, I realized that the ice was drove.

Soon, Jerry, the success of the first stories and the fee obtained for their execution on the radio, began to work on the book "Crowded Ark." In the morning, Jackie brewed strong tea, and Jerry, barely time to put a devastated cup on a saucer, like a milk rolled on the sofa and poured before his head touched the pillow. And Jackie, trying to not pay attention to the pain whining in whiskey, was taken for the kip of freshly pending sheets. Having settled in the corner of a wide armchair and killying from a scherbaty cup of burning drink, she was taken to rule that he had time to write a husband for the night: Children's free years left Gerald into the inheritance to traditional English spelling and punctuation.

The pain in the temples gradually leaving, displaced by fascinating reading. Jackie did not cease to be surprised how Jerry managed to make such engaged hundreds of times hearing stories. At times, Jackie seemed that she knew absolutely everything about the expeditions taken by Gerald ... Once, wanting to attract attention not too kindly with him Jackie, the young man persistently entertained her scoldingly estimate and exciting tense stories about his adventures. But now, reading the same stories outlined by Gerald on paper, Jackie saw the events already known to her completely in a new way. Apparently, she didn't too much over the truth, overlooking the literary gift Gerald ... Lord, well, why did Darlell, spending a lot of time, strength and money, mess around with all this beast, instead of just continuing to write animal stories, Bring such good fees?

For me, literature is only a way to get the funds needed to work with animals, and nothing more, - once over and once spent the Jerry wife, who had been able to sit on a new book for him, and was accepted for work only when this strongly demanded them Financial position and needs of their numerous pets.

Suitable pants for a typewriter when a real life was boiling around, it was for Gerald with a terrain ...

For many years, Jackie persistently tried to convince himself that she was also interested in all these birds adored by her husband, insects, mammals and amphibian creatures. But in the depths of the soul, she knew that her own love for animals never went beyond healthy sentimental attachment. Just until she had enough strength, she tried to honestly to fulfill his duty, helping Gerald in everything that was connected with the case he considered his vocation, Jackie faded out of the nipple of countless animals, cleaned the smelly cells, soap bowls and where only you can klynt Money on their zoo. And Gerald took all this as proper, believing that the natural purpose of his wife - to go one way with her husband ... She was told that after her departure, Gerald had to hire three employees who hardly coped with the volume of work that Jackie was visible on himself long years. She did everything to see Gerald's dream reality, and not her fault that Jerry managed to settle in the soul of his wife jealousy and hatred of this dream.

Jackie knew that many surprised the calm, with whom she looked at the frank flirting Jerry with secretaries, journalists and female students, always twisted around her impressive and witty husband. More than once, she watched jealous quarrels between these fools with a grin. But Jackie realized that in relations with Gerald Darell, jealousy would be guarded for completely different cases ...

In November 1954, in a starch shirt, a dark suit and flawlessly elegant tie, her irresistible charming handsome Husband stood on the stage of the London Albert Hall during his first public lecture on the life of animals and however nothing had happened, preceding the appearance of Jackie, feverishly missed behind the scenes:

And now, gentlemen, I would like to present two representatives of the opposite sex. I received them in different ways. I managed to catch the plain the Grand Character on the plain, and I had to marry the second. Meet! My wife and Miss Sarah Hagerzak,

Under the cheerful laughter and the applause of the public, Jackie went to the stage, convulsively squeezing a leash on which she led the Muravyda female, brought by Darles from the recent expedition to Argentina. From the first of the same second, Jackie realized that her elegant outfit, and carefully imposed makeup, and she herself in Jerry's eyes and had a funny public - no more than an application to the wet nose and protruding wool "Miss Hagerzak". And, God sees, none of the woman in his life Jackie did not hate so acutely, as she hated in those few people who did not suspect a poor female Sarah. After this evening, the rumors about "Gerald Darelle - the Thieves of Women's Hearts" have never worried about Jackie. And she was absolutely noted that the mischievous smile and the velvet voice of her spouse produces a truly irresistible impression on the ladies ...

At first, your own feelings and this strange "animal" jealousy even frightened Jacqueline. But over time, she understood that he had full right to them: he was jealous to equal. Gerald Darlell did not just loved animals, as the average English boy loves his average dog. He always felt like these these countless animals. He conquered a simple and unshakable logic of the world of animals. Everyone without exception, the beasts, with whom Jerry had to deal, wanted the same: suitable habitats, food and partners for breeding. And when his animals had all this, Gerald felt calmly. In the world of people, he always felt his debtor ...

Naturally and naturally immersing in the natural environment, Jerry sincerely wondered why such a dive does not always like closest. His elder brother Laurens told Jackie about the fact that during childhood Jerry Baths in their house were always full of tritons, and from a match box, innocently breathed on the fireplace shelf, could easily get out of a lively and very viciously configured scorpion. However, Mamas Darell and here Potacled his adored younger son. Louise was always ready without any objections to wash out in the recent Human rattu. Mother did not stop Jerry, when he, barely reaching the majority, was removed to start his father's fund for some delusional zoological expeditions. However, it is worth recognizing that these travels not only ate without a rest of her son, but also made him a name ...

During numerous exotic trips with Gerald Jackie, did not cease to be surprised at how little trouble gives her husband all that she had been told before the frenzy. She still remembers the sticky sweat with disgust, which covered her cloves during their trip to Cameroon, and a vile flicker cabin on the ship, which followed South America. And Gerald did not notice the heat, cold, unusual food, unpleasant odors and annoying sounds produced by his pets. Once, having caught the Mongoose, Gerald, during the way, shouted the Juro animal for the sinus. All the way the mangoste watered him with urine and mercilessly scratched, but Jerry did not pay attention to it. When they got to the camp, he looked only fatally tired, but was neither annoyed or angry. And at the same time, her husband could choke anger if she accidentally put too much sugar in tea ...

Yes, Jackie had the right to his "animal" jealousy, but from this life next to Gerald did not become easier for her. Day from day to existence on Jersey more and more annoyed Jackie. She hardly believed that she once suggested choosing this island by the location of their future zoo.

Gerald and Jackie created his first animals in 1957 in Bornmouth - on the lawn at home his sister. When Gerald washed and grilled during another expedition to the jungle, Jackie managed to put it on his feet in a matter of days, offering to start collecting animals not for other zoos, but for her own. And on returning from Cameroon, their many-sighted and different African wealth has become strongly demanding a shelter. Mangoshos, large monkeys and other more or less hardy animals were placed right in the courtyard under the awning, and whimsical birds and reptiles arranged in the garage. The animals spent in Bournemouth for almost three years while Gerald with his wife was found on the old manor on Jersey Island, which the owner was ready to pass anything ... The first cells are made of construction garbages: pieces of wire, boards, metal grid trimming. And then there were years of weary, led by the eternal threat of financial collapse, when they saved in the zoo even on bastards and garden hoses ... Jackie knew that the stiffness with which she led all this farm, not everyone liked. Many of the employees would clearly prefer that more condescending Gerald. But Jackie unequivocally gave to understand everyone, and above all, Jerry himself, that his business is to make money for the typewriter. She believed that he would only be grateful to her if she would protect him from exhausting everyday troubles. And that's what she got instead of gratitude ... Lord, yes, what did Gerald do with her soul, if she hated something that so much did so much labor invested?

If he had at least once showed the Jackie as much attention as to his animals ... But all the attempts of Jacqueline explained to the failure: the husband was simply not able to understand what she was talking about.

That's then Jackie and went to the intentional provocation. "Beasts in my bed" - so called her full cruel revelations a book written after seventeen years of living with Gerald Darlel. God sees, she was not easy for this ruthless book, these evil words: "I start hating the zoo and everything connected with him ... I feel that I married a zoo, and not for a person." But she hoped so much that after the release of the book something would change ...

Alas, soon it became clear that she was mistaken ... Almost with hate watched Jacqueline, as Jarld laughs, turning the pages. However, now Jackie is probably ready to recognize that his laughter was somewhat strained and miserable. But then, blinded by his own offend, she did not notice this ... Jersey Island and in fact became hated her. Jackie is just stoneworthy lovers, Wuwa, screams and growls, the roughe days accompanying her life. She became unbearable perpetual conversations about the beasts and their reproduction, which in the morning was carried out in the living room. Did Gerald, are not able to understand how the childless, who survived a few miscarriages of Jackie is enthusiastic about the next young brought by a gorilla or paradise bear? How can he perceive the seriously of her statements about what she considers the chimpanzee who lives with their own child? Well, if Jerry is in fact so stupid, then he received deserved. And once, putting in the morning, Jackie suddenly clearly realized that in any kind of goods in the world wanted more to see the horses of Przhevalsky from the window of the living room, crowded cranes - from the dining room and round the clock engaged in having lustful healing monkeys - from the kitchen window. Then she said to herself: "Now or never!"

Jackie gathered scattered on the table on the table, raised several fallen leaves with the floor, carefully attached the whole pack. Tomorrow the lawyer will take the documents, after which in the history of her relationship with Gerald Darlell can be put in the point. Jackie will not allow himself to repent of the decision. This is not waiting for Jerry from her. The only thing she can regret is that she didn't have enough courage to make such a decision earlier. However, the fool, who is going to marry Mr. Darella, is also worthy of pity. Jerry left enough forces and time to ruin more than one female fate ...

Jackie recalled all rumors about the former husband, which reached it in the last year. I remember, one day, Jerry even flashed in some issue of news: "Gerald Darell and his charming girlfriend Li Makjord fed the kid to the Vancouver aquarium." Well, it is impossible not to admit that the girl is really good: Slim, dark-headed, Bolshaglase, and together with dense gray-haired and gray-working Gerald, they accounted for a very impressive duet. Perhaps, in the heart of Jackie, then for the first time in many years she moved something similar to jealousy. It seems that someone told her that Gerald met Miss Mc George in North Carolina, at the University of Duke, where she allegedly wrote a doctoral dissertation on the issue of communicating primates. Having learned about this, Jerry right in the midst of a solemn buffet, arranged in his honor by the university authorities, offered his new acquaintance to reproduce the marriage cries of Madagascar lemurs ... And Jackie was forced to admit to herself that he would love to think about how the barely dressed in a decolted dress Hills a monkey voice in front of amazed professorship. Well, to enjoy Gerald, the Device will have to say goodbye to the hopes for respectability. However, such a material for scientific works, like on Jersey, this zoologian is not to collect anymore in any zoo of the world: it is enough to put a tape recorder directly on the windowsill of the open window of the direct school. So, it seems, the girl was not mistake. Now Gerald Darell will be able to take care of the doctor of science. Who will remember today that the world-famous naturalist has no biological education, and there is practically no usual education, and its illiterate manuscripts are once a day long-term rules of Jackie ...

Rolling his head, Jacqueline drove unnecessary thoughts, put a pack of papers into the folder and neatly touched the ribbons ... From now on, she is not doing anything to Jersey, nor to Gerald Darella, nor to his bride's scientist ...

In the spring of 1979, the fifty-year-old Gerald Darell, finally issued a divorce with his first wife Jacqueline, was married to a twenty-one lee McJord. Together with the new wife, he finally visited Russia, in which he had long dreamed of visiting. After a perennial break, Darell returned to his favorite Corfu Island and safely removed several series of a documentary on the travels of naturalist.

Darlell had never seen Jackie again, swinging that he would not even allow her to even cross the threshold of his zoo. Despite all the efforts of Lee, Gerald did not cope with her addiction to whiskey, Ginu and so-beloved "cholesterol kitchen" and paid for it in full After your seventy birthday. His wife, in accordance with the will of her husband, after his death, became the honorary director of the Jersey Protection of Wildlife Protection.

Antonina Variash Beasts and women Gerald Darella. // Caravan Stories (Moscow) .- 04.08.2003.- 008.- C.74-88

Gerald Malcolm Darrell (English Gerald Malcolm Durrell; January 7, 1925, Jamshedpur, Indian Empire - January 30, 1995, Jersey) - English scientist-zoologist, writer-animal, younger brother Lawrence Darrell.

Gerald Darrell was born in 1925 in the Indian city of Jamshedpur. According to the testimony of relatives, already at the age of two, Gerald fell ill with "Zoomania", and his mother even argued that his first word was not "mother", but Zoo (Zoo).

In 1928, after the death of his father, the family moved to England, and five years later, on the advice of the Senior Brother Gerald Lawrence - to the Greek Island of Corfu. Among the first home teachers, Gerald Darrell had few real teachers. The only exception was the naturalist Theodor Stephanides (1896-1983). It was from him that Gerald received the first knowledge of zoology. Stefanidez more than once appears on the pages of the most famous book of Gerald Darrell - the novel "My family and other animals." He is dedicated to the book "Naturalist-amateur" (1968).

In 1939 (after the start of World War II), Gerald with his family returns back to England and is arranged to work in one of London pet stores. But the Career of Darrell Researcher was the work of Darrell Researcher at the Wipfordshire Zoo. Jerld got here immediately after the war to the position of "Boy at Cleverness". It was here that he received the first vocational training and began to collect "dossier", containing information about rare and endangered animal species (and this is 20 years before the emergence of an international red book).

In 1947, Gerald Darrell, having achieved adulthood, received a part of the father's inheritance. For this money, he organized two expeditions - to Cameroon and Guyana. These expeditions arrived, and at the beginning of the 50s, Gerald turns out to be no livelihood and work. No Zoo Australia, USA and Canada could not offer him a position. At this time, Lawrence Darrell, the elder brother of Gerald, advises him to take a pen, especially since "the British adore books about animals."

The first story of Gerald - "Hunting a hairy frog" - had an unexpected success, the author was even invited to perform on the radio. His first book - "overwhelmed ark" (The Overloaded Ark, 1952) was devoted to traveling to Cameroon and caused enthusiastic reviews as readers and critics. The author was seen by major publishers, and the fee for the "overwhelmed ark" and the second book of Gerald Darrel - "Three tickets to Edvecher" (Three Singles to Adventure, 1953) allowed him to organize an expedition to South America in 1954. However, in Paraguay, a military coup was happened at this time, and almost all the live collection had to be quit. Darrell described his impressions of this trip in the next book - "Under the canopy of a drunk forest" (The Drunken Forest, 1955). At the same time, at the invitation of Lawrence Gerald Darrell rested on Corfu. Familiar places caused a lot of children's memories - so the famous "Greek" trilogy appeared: "My family and other animals" (My Family and Other Animals, 1955), "birds, beasts and relatives" (1969) and "Garden of Gods" (The Gardens Of the gods, 1978). The first book of the trilogy enjoyed mad success. Only in the UK "My Family and Other Beasts" was reprinted 30 times, in the USA - 20 times.
Sculpture in Jersey Zoo

In total, Gerald Darrell wrote more than 30 books (almost all of them were translated into tens of languages) and shot 35 films. The debut four-sterile television film "In Bafut for beef", released in 1958, was very popular in England. Thirty years later, Darrell managed to take filming in the Soviet Union, with active participation and help from the Soviet side. The result was the thirteenisseriy film Darrell in Russia (also demonstrated on the first channel of domestic television in 1988) and the book "Durrell in Russia" (not translated into Russian). In the USSR, it was printed repeatedly and large circulations.

In 1959, Darrell created a zoo on the island of Jersey, and in 1963, the Jersey Trest of Wild Animals was organized on the basis of the zoo. The main idea of \u200b\u200bDarrell was to breed rare animals in a zoo and further resettlement of their natural habitat. Currently, this idea has become a generally accepted scientific concept. If it were not for the Jersey Trust, many species of animals would continue only in the form of stuffed in museums.

Gerald Darrell died on January 30, 1995 from blood infection, nine months after liver transplant, on 71 years of life.

Main works

* 1952-1953 - "Overloaded Ark" (The Overloaded Ark)
* 1953 - "Three tickets to Edvecher" (Three Singles to Adventure)
* 1953 - "Bafut Beagles" (The Bafut Beagles)
* 1955 - "My Family and Other Beasts" (My Family and Other Animals)
* 1955 - "Under the canopy of a drunken forest" (The Drunken Forest)
* 1955 - "New Noah" (The New Noah)
* 1960 - "Zoo in my baggage" (a zoo in my luggage)
* 1961 - Zoo (Look At Zoos)
* 1962 - "Rust of Shores" (The Whispering Land)
* 1964 - "Manor-Zodnets" (Menagerie Manor)
* 1966 - "Kengurenka path" / "Two in Bush" (Two in the bush)
* 1968 - "Sequraders" (The Donkey Rustlers)
* 1969 - "Birds, beasts and relatives" (Birds, Beasts and Relatives)
* 1971 - "Fillet of Place"
* 1972 - "Catch me Colobus" (Catch Me A Colobus)
* 1973 - "Beasts in My Belfry" (beasts in my belfry)
* 1974 - "Talking Parcel" (The Talking Parcel)
* 1976 - "Ark on the island" (The Stationary Ark)
* 1977 - "Golden Weldows and Pink Pigeons" (Golden Bats and Pink Pigeons)
* 1978 - "Garden of Gods" (The Garden Of the Gods)
* 1979 - "Picnic and other disgrace" (The Pictic and Suchlike Pandemonium)
* 1981 - Mockery Bird (The Mockery Bird)
* 1984 - "Naturalist on Fork" (How to Shoot An Amateur Naturalist)
* 1990 - "An Ark's Anniversary" anniversary
* 1991 - "Mom on issuance and other stories" (Marrying Off Mother and Other Stories)
* 1992 - "Aye-Aye and I"
Types and subspecies of animals, named after Gerald Darrell

* Clarkeia Durrelli: An extinct Upperilurian Brachiopod belonging to Atrypida, opened in 1982 (but there is no accurate indication that it is named after J. Darrel)
* Nactus Serpeninsula Durrelli: The subspecies of the night snake heckon from the island is round (enters the island state Mauritius).
* Ceylonthelphusa Durrelli: Freshwater crab with Sri Lanka.
* Benthophilus Durrelli: Gobidae Fish Fish.
* Kotchevnik Durrelli: Cossoidea's mole inhabitants in Russia.

99 facts from Gerald Darrell

Like any Soviet child, I loved Jarld Darrell's books from childhood. Given the fact that I loved animals, and I learned very early, bookcases in childhood were pickyly searched for any books of Darrell, and the books themselves are repeatedly read.

Then I grew up, love for animals was a little dull, but the love of the books of Darrell remained. True, over time I began to notice that this love is not quite cloudless. If I first, I simply swallowed a book, as it should be smiling and then in the right places, later, reading them already in a mature age, I discovered something like kinda. There were few them, they were skillfully hidden, but for me something it seemed to me that the ironic and complacent merrycloth Darrell about something here, then it seems that she covers a piece of his life or deliberately focuses the reader's attention on other things. I was not yet a lawyer, but for some reason I felt something here is wrong.

Biographies Darrell I, for shame my own, did not read. It seemed to me that the author had a very detailed detail painted his life in numerous books, without leaving the place for the speculation. Yes, sometimes, already in the Internet, I came across the "shocking" revelations from various sources, but they were idle and, honestly, they were hardly able to shock someone seriously. Well, yes, Gerald himself, it turns out, drank like a fish. Well, yes, he divorced his first wife. Well, yes, it seems to be rumored that Darrells were not so friendly and loving family, as it seems to be an inexperienced reader ...

But at some point I came across the biography of Gerald Darrell authorship of Douglas Botting. The book turned out to be quite voluminous and read I started randomly. But starting, he could not stop. I can not explain why. I, confess, has long found much more interesting books than Gerald Darrell's books. And I'm not ten years old. And yes, I have long understood that people very often tell a lie - for a variety of reasons. But I read. Not because I feel at Gerald, Darrell some manic interest or persistently strive to open everything that for many years hidden his family from journalists. Not. I just seemed interesting to find all those tiny shortness and meaningful signs that I caught in childhood.

In this regard, the book of the Botting was ideal. As it should be a good biographer, he is very detailed and calmly talks about Gerald Darrell throughout his life. From childoral pore to old age. He is impassten and, despite the immense respect for the object of the biography, does not seek to hide its vices, as solemnly demonstrate to their public. Botting writes about a person, weigly, carefully, nothing is missing. This is not a hunter for dirty linen, completely opposite. Sometimes he is even shamefully laconited in those places of the biography of Darrell, who would have enough newspapers for a couple of hundred catchy headers.

Actually, the entire subsequent text, essentially, consists of an abstract of bar somewhere 90%, the remaining had to shove out of other sources. I simply wrote separate facts as reading, exclusively for myself, not assuming that the abstract would take more than two pages. But by the end of reading, they were twenty, and I realized that I really didn't know much about the idol of my childhood. And once again, no, I am not talking about dirty secrets, family vices and other compulsory vicious ballast of a branched British family. Here I post only the facts that surprised me while reading, struck or seemed interesting. Simply put, individual and small details of Darrell's life, whose understanding, it seems to me, will make it possible to look at his life more carefully and read the books in a new way.

A post of separation into three parts so that fit. In addition, all the facts will be neatly divided into chapters - in accordance with the milestones of the life of Darrell.

The first chapter will be the most brief, because it tells about the early childhood of Darrell and his life in India.

1. Initially, Darreles lived in British India, where Darrell-senior worked fruitfully engineer-builder. He managed to provide his family, the revenues from his enterprises and securities have long helped them, but the price had to pay the harsh - at the age of forty with a small years, Lawrence Darrell (senior) died, apparently, from stroke. After his death, it was decided to return to England, where, as you know, the family did not stay for a long time.

2. It would seem that Jerry Darrell, a lively and direct child, who has a monstrous thirst for knowledge of the new, was supposed to be if not an excellent student of school training, then at least a soul of the company. But no. The school was contrary to such an extent that he was bad every time he was done whenever he was forcibly assigned. Teachers, for their part, considered him a stupid and lazy child. And he himself almost deprived of consciousness from one only mention of school.

3. Despite the British citizenship, all family members experienced an amazingly similar attitude towards their historical homeland, namely, they could not stand it. Larry Darrell called her Pudding Island and argued that a mentally healthy person in Misty Albion was not able to survive for more than a week. The rest were almost unanimous and tirelessly confirmed their position in practice. Mother and Margot subsequently settled firmly in France, adult Gerald followed. Leslie burned in Kenya. As for Larry, he was completely veil throughout the world at all, and in England he was rapidly driving, and with obvious displeasure. However, I already ran ahead.

4. The mother of a numerous and noisy family of Darrelles, despite the fact that it appears in the texts of the Son an absolutely infallible person who has only advantages, had its little weaknesses, one of whom was alcohol. Their mutual friendship was born back in India, and after the death of her husband only fortified. According to memories of acquaintances and eyewitnesses, Mrs. Darrell went exclusively in the company with a bottle of Gina, but in the preparation of homemade wines eclipsed all and all. However, again running forward, the love of alcohol seems to be handed over to all members of this family, although unevenly.

Let us turn by Chief Children to Jerry on Corfu, later laying the wonderful book "My Family and Other Beasts". I read this book as a child and reread once, probably twenty. And the older I became, the more I thought it seemed to me that the narrative was infinitely optimistic, bright and ironic, nothing to negotiate. Pictures of the cloudless existence of the Darrell family in the pristine Greek paradise were too beautiful and naturally developed. I can not say that Darrell seriously embellished reality, smeared some shameful details or something like that, but the reader can surprise the discrepancy with reality.

According to the researchers of Creativity Darrell, biographers and critics, all the trilogy ("My family and other animals", "birds, beasts and relatives", "Garden of the Gods") is not very uniform in terms of authenticity and relifice the setled events, so believe it is completely Avtobiographic is still not worth it. It is believed that only the first book became truly documentary, the events set forth in it fully correspond to real, except, with insignificant impractions of fantasy and inaccuracies. It should, however, consider that the book Darrel began to write at the age of thirty one year, and he had ten on Corfu, so many details of childhood could easily be lost in memory or turn imaginary details. Other books sin the fiction is much more, which is rather an alloy of art and documentary literature. So, the second book ("birds, animals and relatives") includes a large number of fictional stories, the inclusion of some of them Darrell even regretted. Well, the third ("garden of the gods") and is at all a artistic work with loved characters.

Corfu: Margo, Nancy, Larry, Jerry, Mom.

5. Judging by the book, Larry Darrell constantly lived with the whole family, drinking his members annoying self-confidence and poisonous sarcasm, as well as serving from time to time the source of the troubles of various shapes, properties and sizes. It does not quite correspond to reality. The fact is that Larry never lived in one house with his family. From the first day in Greece, he, together with his wife Nancy, filmed his own home, and in certain periods of time, even dwells in the next city, well, and to relatives to his relatives only occasionally, bother. Moreover, Margot and Leslie with the achievement of twenty years also showed attempts to live in an independent life and for some time they lived separately from other families.

Larry Darrell

6. How, do not remember his wife Nancy? .. However, it would be surprising if I remembered, because in the book "My family and other animals" it simply is missing. But she was not invisible. Nancy often stayed together with Larry in Darrell homes and certainly deserved at least a couple of text paragraphs. It is believed that she was scared from the manuscript by the author, allegedly because of the bad relationship with the mother of a restless family, but it is not. Gerald deliberately did not mention it in the book to establish an emphasis on "family", leaving only Darrells in focus. From Nancy, it would hardly have happened the figure of the second plan like theodore or spiro, nevertheless not the service, but she didn't want to go to her family. In addition, at the time of publication of the book (1956), Larry and Nancy broke up, so it was even smaller to remember the old desire. So just in case the author lost his brother's wife at all. As if she was not at all on Corfu.

Larry with his wife Nancy, 1934

7. Temporary teacher Jerry, Kralevsky, shy fantasist and the author of insane stories "about Lady", existed in reality, only his last name had to be changed - with the original "Kraevsky" on Korlegovsky. It was hardly done because of the concern of the prosecution from the most inspired myth-making island. The fact is that Krayevski, together with his mother and all the canas tragically died during the war - the German bomb fell on his house.

8. Talking in detail about theodore of Stefanidez, Naturalist and the first real teacher Jerry, I will not. He noted enough for his long life to deserve. I note only that the friendship Theo and Jerry lasted not only in the "Corfutian" period. For decades, they met many times and, at least together and did not lead, retained excellent relations until death. He played a significant role in the Darrellov family, testifies to at least that both writing brothers, Larry and Jerry, who later dedicated to him books, Greek Islands (Lawrence Darrell) and "Birds, Beasts and Relatives" (Gerald Darrell ). He dedicated to him and Darrell and "Young Naturalist", one of the most successful works.

Theodore Stepanides

9. Remember the colorful history of the bone of the Greek, who killed his wife, but which the leadership of the prison releases periodically and dispel? This meeting actually happened, with one small difference - that Darrell, which became acquainted with a strange prisoner, called Leslie. Yes, Jerry attributed her to himself.

10. From the text it is that "Booth Tolstogius", the epic boat of the Darrellov family, on which Jerry performed his scientific expeditions, Leslie was built. In fact, just purchased. All of its technical improvements were to install a self-made mast (unsuccessful).

11. Another teacher Jerry, nameable by Peter (in fact, Pat Evans), did not leave the island during the war. Instead, he went to the partisans and manifested himself very well on this field. Unlike Lampgia Kraevsky, even stayed alive and after he returned to his homeland.

12. The reader involuntarily the feeling that the Darrellov family gained his edema immediately after arriving on the island, only a short time in a hotel. In fact, this period of their life was decently delayed, and it was pleasant to be called pleasant. The fact is that due to some financial circumstances, the mother of the family temporarily lost access to cash from England. So for some time the family lived almost injuncia, at the foot of the stern. What an even here ... The True Savior was Spiro, who not only found Darrells a new home, but also some unknown way all disagreements with the Greek bank.

13. Hardly a ten-year-old Gerald Darrell, taking from the spirir of goldfish, abducted by the resourceful Greek from the Royal Pond, assumed that thirty years later he himself would be an honorable guest in the royal palace.

Spiro and Jerry

14. By the way, financial circumstances, among others, explains the departure of the family back to England. Darrelia initially had shares of a Burmese enterprise inherited from the late father. With the arrival of war, this financial stream turned out to be completely blocked, and others became all thinner every day. It ended in that the missions of Darrell got up before the need to return to London to streamline its financial assets.

15. From the text there is a complete feeling that the family returned home in full compound with the appendage like heaps of animals. But this is a serious inaccuracy. Only Jerry himself returned to England, his mother, to take Leslie and Greek maid. All others remained at Corfu, despite the beginning of the war and the threatening position of Corfu in the light of the last military-political events. Larry and Nancy stayed there until the last, but then they left Corfu on the ship. All the most amazingly behaved margot, which in the text is depicted extremely near and inaccessible. She loved Greece so much, which refused to return even in case of occupation by her German troops. Agree, the non-real power of the Spirit for an innocent girl is twenty years old. By the way, she still left the island on the last aircraft, yielding to persuasion of one flight technique, for whom he later married.

16. By the way, there is another little detail relative to Margo, which still remained in the shade. It is believed that her short-term absence on the island (mentioned by Darrell) is associated with sudden pregnancy and departure to England for abortion. Here it is difficult to say something. Botting does not mention anything, but it is very tacty and not seen in attempts to purposely pull out skeletons from Darrellian cabinets.

17. By the way, the relationship of the British family and the root Greek population was not so idiotically as it seems on the basis of the text. No, no serious quarrels with local residents arose, but those surrounding on Darrells did not look very benevolently. The disturbing Leslie (about which is still ahead) at one time managed to grab the breakes in one time and I would not always remember with sober outcomes, well, and Margo considered the fallen woman at all, perhaps, in part because of her addictions to open swimsuits.

Here ends one of the main chapters of Gerald Darrell. As he himself confessed many times, Corfu imposed a very serious imprint on him. But Gerald Darrell after Corfu is already completely different Gerald Darrell. No longer a boy, carelessly studying the fauna in the parisader, already the tags and a young man who makes the first steps in the direction chosen by him. Perhaps the most exciting head of his life begins. Adventure expeditions, throwing, characteristic of youth gusts, hopes and chayan, love ...

18. The formation of Darrell ended, so really and without starting. He did not go to school, did not receive higher education and did not provide any scientific titles. In addition to self-education, the only "scientific" help was a short period of work in the English zoo at the lowest position of the utility worker. However, at the end of his life, he was a "honorary professor" of several universities. But it will be still very and very soon ...

19. At war, Joy Gerald did not get with a happy coincidence - turned out to be the owner of a launched sinus disease (chronic Qatar). "Do you want to fight, son? Honestly asked his officer. "No, sir." "You're a coward?" "Yes, sir". The officer sighed and sent a failed recruitment of the ravoisi, mentioning, however, that in order to call himself a coward, he needs decently masculinity. Be that as it may, at the war Gerald Darrell did not come, which could not but rejoice.

20. Like the same failure and his brother Leslie. The big lover of everything that could shoot, Leslie wanted to go to the war volunteer, but he was wounded by soulless doctors - he had not everything in order with her ears. Judging by the individual events of his life, treatment was also subject to the fact that it was located between them, but about it separately and later. I can only notice that in my family, despite the hot love by the mother, he was considered a dark and a disturbing horse, which helps worry and trouble.

21. Shortly after returning to the historic Motherland, Leslie managed to attach a child to the very Greek maid and, even though there were no Victorian times, the situation turned out to be very delicate. And seriously jumped the reputation of the family after it turned out that he was not going to marry, nor recognize the baby Leslie. Thanks to the concerns of Margot and Mother, the situation managed to lower on the brakes, and to give her child and upbringing. However, the pedagogical effect on Leslie was not faced.

22. For a long time, he could not find work, he was frankly idle, then I was falling into any dubious adventures, from the exploitation of alcohol (legal if?) That his family was shyly called "speculation". In general, the guy went to success, passing along the way, trying to find his place in a large and cruel world. Almost came. In the sense, at some point he had to urgently gather on a business trip to Kenya, where and work for many years. In general, he causes certain sympathy. The only one from Darrelles, who could not find his calling, but on all sides was surrounded by famous relatives.

23. There is a feeling that Leslie became outcast immediately after Corfu. Darrells somehow very quickly and willingly cut off his branch from a family tree, despite the fact that she was still shared with her. Margot about Brother: " Leslie - short, self-full invader at home, a roblaseian figure, crumbling paints on canvas or deeply immersed in labyrinths of weapons, boats, beers and women, also without a penny, who invested his inheritance in a fishing boat, who drowned before his first swimming in Pool Harbor».

Leslie Darrell.

24. By the way, Margo itself also did not avoid commercial temptation. She turned his part of the inheritance to the fashionable "boarding house", from which he intended to have a stable gessaf. She wrote her own memoirs on this matter, but I, confess, did not have time to read them. However, given the fact that later, with two living brothers, she was forced to work the maid on the liner, the "boarding business" did not justify itself.

Margo Darrell

25. The expeditions of Gerald Darrell did not make it famous, albeit eagerly lit in the newspapers and on the radio. He became famous overnight, after making his first book "Overloaded Ark." Yes, these were times when a person, writing the first book in his life, was put on the world celebrity overnight. By the way, Jerry did not want to write this book. Testing physiological disgust to the writer, he tormented himself for a long time and households and to the end the text of Domuclil only thanks to his brother Larry, infinitely inspired and motivating. Following the first quickly followed two more. All instantly became bestsellers. Like all other books that he published after them.

26. The only book, from the writing of which Gerald, in his own admission, was pleasure, was "my family and other animals." Not surprising, given that absolutely all members of the Darrellov family recalled Corfu with constant tenderness. Nostalgia is still a typical English dish.

27. Even when reading the first books of Darrell, there is a feeling that the story is conducted on behalf of an experienced professional catcher of animals. His confidence, his knowledge of the Wild Fauna, his judgments, all this gives a man of a lot diverse, all his life dedicated to catching wild animals in the most distant and terrible corners of the globe. Meanwhile, at the time of writing these books, Jarelda was only slightly slightly in twenty, and all his luggage experienced in three expeditions, each of which lasted about six months.

28. Several times the young cattle of animals had to be on the edge of death. Not as often as it happens with the characters of adventure novels, but still much more often than the average British gentleman. Once he was treated because of his own recklessness, he had a pit sided with poisonous snakes. Incredible success, he himself considered what he managed to get out of her alive. Another time the snake tooth still overtakes his sacrifice. Being confident that it deals with the Nai Snake, Darrell made carelessness and almost moved into a different world. I only saved the fact that the doctor miraculously was the necessary serum. A few more than a few times he had to get sick with the most pleasant diseases - sandy fever, malaria, jaundice ...

29. Despite the image of a fried and energetic catcher of animals, Gerald behaved in everyday life as a true homeie. He could not tolerate physical effort and easily could sit all day in the chair.

30. By the way, all three expeditions were equipped personally by Gerald himself, and inheritance from the father, received by him with the achievement of majority, was used for their financing. These expeditions gave him a considerable experience, however, from a financial point of view turned out to be fully collapsed, without beating even the funds spent.

31. Initially, Gerald Darrell addressed the indigenous population of British colonies not very politely. He considered it possible to order them, to drive as he wonders, and did not put on one level with a British gentleman. However, this attitude to representatives of the third world is rapidly changed. Having live in society in the society of dark-skinned for several months, Gerald began to treat them quite in human and even with obvious sympathy. Paradox, later his books were repeatedly criticized just because of the National Factor. At that time, Britain joined the post-colonial repentance, and to withdraw on the text of the text of non-zeroish, ridiculous speaking and sinking savages was considered no very politically correct.

32. Yes, despite the squall of positive criticism, worldwide fame and millions of colors, Darrell's books were often criticized. And sometimes - from the side of lovers not multicolored people, and the most none of animal lovers. Greenpeaces and neo-ecological movements, the paradigm of which suggested the full "Hands away from nature" arose and formed and were formed, and the zoos often considered the concentration camps for animals. Darrell was a lot of blood, while he argued that zoos helps to keep the endangered types of fauna and achieve their stable reproduction.

33. There were in the biographies of Gerald Darrell and those pages that he, apparently, would be eagerly burned. For example, somehow in South America, he tried to catch a young hippo. The occupation is complex and dangerous, since they do not walk, and the parents of the hippopotamus are made at the sight of their siblos, they are extremely dangerous and evil. The only way out was to kill two adult hippitts, so that they could catch their cubs without interference. Sticking the heart, Darrell went to it, I really needed "big animals" for zoos. The case was unsuccessful for all his participants. Killing the female of the Hippopotam and the proven of the male, Darrell discovered that the young of the cub at this moment just swallowed the hungry alligator. Finit. This case imposed a serious imprint on him. First, this episode Darrell was silent, without inserting any text. Secondly, from this point on, he, before with interest, faded and not badly shooting, completely stopped the destruction of fauna with his own hands.

34. Many celebrated the extraordinary similarity between the two Darrells - Lawrence (Larry) and Gerald (Jerry). They were similar even outwardly, both low growth, dense, possessing the extremely accomplishment, ironic, a little bile, both beautiful narratives, both writers, both tolerate could not tolerate England. The third brother, Leslie, in terms of appearance, too, was quite on them, but in the rest ...

Larry, Jackie, Gerald, Chamli

35. By the way, to the older brother, now considered the classic of English literature of the twentieth century in a more "serious" genre, folk recognition came to a little later than to the youngest, despite the fact that he began to practice on the literary front where earlier, respectively, and published too.

36. In 1957, when the Queen itself was awarded Lawrence Darrell Prize for "bitter lemons", his mother could not attend this to the highest degree of a solemn event- " she had nothing to wear and, moreover, she had to look after chimpanzee».

Gerald, Mom, Margo, Larry.

37. It seems that he has not yet mentioned that Gerald Darrell was still a ladies' herded or, if quite tricky, a womanizer. From the youthful pores from the manner of the passage with women and many were extremely attractive. However, as for me, his manner of Flirt did not differ in lightness, completely opposite, often consisted of frivolous hints and vulgar jokes. And even twenty years later, the director, who shot Darrell for the program cycle, noted: " His jokes were so salty that they could not be possible to play ether even at the most time».

38. The story of marrying Jackie (Jacqueline) was also difficult. Gerald, always preferred well-shot blondes, suddenly changed his taste, having met once with the daughter of the host hotel, young and dark-haired Jackie. Their novel developed very unusual, as Jackie initially penetrated the young (then another) from the most sincere antipathy. Natural charm over time helped Darrell to enlist her consent to marriage. But in relation to her father, even it did not work, coming out married against the will of the Father, Jackie never seen him again. By the way, sometimes it seems to the feeling that in the number of cockroaches in my head she could give a shape of the entomological collection of her husband. "I decided never to have children - the life of an ordinary housewife is not for me."

Jackie Darrell

39. However, at the expense of children at Gerald Darrell and his wife, everything was not very clear. He himself did not seek to turn around Chadi and, again, according to his wife, in some way there was an High Chayldfrey. On the other hand, Jackie was pregnant twice and twice her pregnancy, unfortunately, ended with miscarriage. By the way, in connection with the unimportant material of Gerald and Jackie, for a long time lived in the very guest of sister Margo.

Gerald and Jackie Darrell.

40. Darrell was laid in disbelief and from among colleagues. Very many recognized zoologists, including academicly educated gentlemen, were extremely zealously met by the successes of his expeditions - the arrogant boy was able to be cleaned, as they believed, to take possession of extremely rare and valuable specimens of fauna. So it is not to be surprised that the number of poison poured into Darrell in scientific publications and newspapers, periodically exceeded the number of poison contained in all African snakes together, if someone had squeezed them to dryness. He was put to him for the complete lack of profile education, for barbaric methods, for theoretical non-resistance, for arrogance and self-confidence, etc. One of Darrell's most influential and authoritative opponents was George Kensdale, director of the London Zoo. However, he has always been a thousand times more fans.

41. Another sad note. Chimpanzee Chamley, who became a favorite of Darrell and brought to the English zoo brought, for a short time he lived on Pudding Island. A few years later, the imprisonment began to take him and he fled twice, and the temper of it thoroughly spoiled. After the second time, when he began to be frowning on the street, wiring into locked cars, the zoo workers were forced to shoot a monkey, to find dangerous for people. By the way, he ordered this director of the zoo, da, yes, the very George Kensdale, who devoted a lot of strength to the defeat critic of Darrell and who was considered his sworn enemy.

Since you don't want to score posts with photos, you can see a very interesting collection "From the life of Darrells in their natural habitat" -