Birds, Beasts, and Relatives
Encyclopedia
Birds, Beasts, and Relatives is the second volume of the autobiographical Corfu Trilogy by naturalist Gerald Durrell
. The trilogy describes his childhood spent on the Greek island of Corfu
between 1935 and 1939.
Like its predecessor, the more famous My Family and Other Animals
, Durrell intersperses humorous family anecdotes with rich descriptions of the fauna and flora of Corfu, and of his own formative education in natural history The book was published in 1969 and followed the huge success of the first Corfu book; like his other books, Durrell wrote Birds, Beasts and Relatives primarily to raise money for his animal collecting expeditions.
between 1935 and 1939. Gerald was aged ten when his mother, sister and two brothers moved from England to Corfu.
The stories related in the book do not occur in chronological order, and are in some cases semi-fictionalised. For example, Gerald's eldest brother Larry - the novelist Lawrence Durrell
- was not living with the rest of his family as is depicted in the stories, but was living separately with his wife Nancy, who is not mentioned in the books.
Characters in the book also include their widowed mother
, the gun-mad brother Leslie, his sister Margo
, and Roger the dog. The family are protected by their local friend, taxi-driver Spiro (Spyros "Americano" Chalikiopoulos) and mentored by the physician and polymath
Dr Theodore Stephanides
, who provides Gerald with his education in natural history
.
were reportedly very happy with the manuscript, and the book was published a year later in 1969. It received positive reviews and has been in print ever since.
The book introduces new characters that were not present in My Family and Other Animals. Gerald makes a trip to London with his mother, to visit Margo, who is temporarily there for medical reasons. Larry brings a new collection of highly eccentric friends and acquaintances into the Durrell home. The family are invited to a Corfiot wedding and Gerry witnesses the birth of the bride's first baby. Gerry visits an elderly countess, is made the gift of an owl
and has an impossibly sumptuous meal.
Gerald Durrell
Gerald "Gerry" Malcolm Durrell, OBE was a naturalist, zookeeper, conservationist, author and television presenter...
. The trilogy describes his childhood spent on the Greek island of Corfu
Corfu
Corfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality. The...
between 1935 and 1939.
Like its predecessor, the more famous My Family and Other Animals
My Family and Other Animals
My Family and Other Animals is an autobiographical work by naturalist Gerald Durrell, telling of the part of his childhood he spent on the Greek island of Corfu between 1935 and 1939. It describes the life of the Durrell Family on the island in a humorous manner, and also richly discusses the fauna...
, Durrell intersperses humorous family anecdotes with rich descriptions of the fauna and flora of Corfu, and of his own formative education in natural history The book was published in 1969 and followed the huge success of the first Corfu book; like his other books, Durrell wrote Birds, Beasts and Relatives primarily to raise money for his animal collecting expeditions.
Summary
Birds, Beasts, and Relatives, like My Family and Other Animals, offers a series of autobiographical anecdotes from the Durrell family's five year sojourn on the Greek island of CorfuCorfu
Corfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality. The...
between 1935 and 1939. Gerald was aged ten when his mother, sister and two brothers moved from England to Corfu.
The stories related in the book do not occur in chronological order, and are in some cases semi-fictionalised. For example, Gerald's eldest brother Larry - the novelist Lawrence Durrell
Lawrence Durrell
Lawrence George Durrell was an expatriate British novelist, poet, dramatist, and travel writer, though he resisted affiliation with Britain and preferred to be considered cosmopolitan...
- was not living with the rest of his family as is depicted in the stories, but was living separately with his wife Nancy, who is not mentioned in the books.
Characters in the book also include their widowed mother
Louisa Florence Durrell
Louisa Dixie Durrell, born Louisa Florence Dixie was the mother of novelist Lawrence Durrell and naturalist Gerald Durrell...
, the gun-mad brother Leslie, his sister Margo
Margaret Durrell
Margaret Isabel Mabel Durrell was the younger sister of novelist Lawrence Durrell, and elder sister of naturalist, author and TV presenter Gerald Durrell, whose Corfu Trilogy of novels — My Family and Other Animals, Birds, Beasts and Relatives and Garden of the Gods — lampoons her...
, and Roger the dog. The family are protected by their local friend, taxi-driver Spiro (Spyros "Americano" Chalikiopoulos) and mentored by the physician and polymath
Polymath
A polymath is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas. In less formal terms, a polymath may simply be someone who is very knowledgeable...
Dr Theodore Stephanides
Theodore Stephanides
Theodore Stephanides was a Greek poet, author, doctor and naturalist. He is best remembered as the friend and mentor of the famous naturalist Gerald Durrell, featuring in Durrell's My Family and Other Animals and Fillets of Plaice, Durrell's brother Lawrence's Prospero's Cell, and Henry Miller's...
, who provides Gerald with his education in natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
.
Background and Content
Durrell wrote Birds, Beasts, and Relatives in 1968. His literary agent, Curtis BrownCurtis Brown
Curtis Lee "Curt" Brown, Jr. is an engineer, former NASA astronaut and retired United States Air Force Colonel.Colonel Brown graduated from East Bladen High School in Elizabethtown, North Carolina in 1974 and received a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the United States...
were reportedly very happy with the manuscript, and the book was published a year later in 1969. It received positive reviews and has been in print ever since.
The book introduces new characters that were not present in My Family and Other Animals. Gerald makes a trip to London with his mother, to visit Margo, who is temporarily there for medical reasons. Larry brings a new collection of highly eccentric friends and acquaintances into the Durrell home. The family are invited to a Corfiot wedding and Gerry witnesses the birth of the bride's first baby. Gerry visits an elderly countess, is made the gift of an owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
and has an impossibly sumptuous meal.
See also
- AnthrozoologyAnthrozoologyAnthrozoology is the study of human-animal interaction. It is a modern interdisciplinary and burgeoning field that overlaps with a number of other disciplines, including anthropology, ethology, medicine, psychology, veterinary medicine and zoology...
- The Book of Imaginary Beings
- Durrell FamilyDurrell FamilyThe Durrell family included:Lawrence Samuel Durrell , an Anglo-Indian Engineer and his wife Louisa Florence Durrell and their children:...