Louisa Florence Durrell
Encyclopedia
Louisa Dixie Durrell, born Louisa Florence Dixie (16 January 1886 – 1964) was the mother of novelist Lawrence Durrell
and naturalist Gerald Durrell
. She is perhaps best remembered as the character of "Mother" in the Gerald Durrell's autobiographical Corfu trilogy.
She was born to an Irish
Protestant family in Roorkee
, India
in 1886 where she met and married her husband Lawrence Samuel Durrell
, an engineer
by profession. Together, they travelled all over India on account of Lawrence's engineering work.
She had four surviving children - Lawrence
, Leslie, Margaret
and Gerald
.
Louise was actively interested in spiritualism
and cookery, and would mingle with India
ns to learn of local spirits and cuisine, not conforming to the views of segregation of her time.
On the death of her husband in 1928 she decided to move her family to England, and in 1935 she moved again with her children and Lawrence's then wife Nancy to Corfu
. It is here that she is portrayed by Gerald Durrell as the family's well-meaning but slightly eccentric matriarch in the Corfu Trilogy - My Family and Other Animals
, Birds, Beasts and Relatives and The Garden of the Gods
.
She moved back to England in 1939 at the outbreak of World War II
with her three youngest children. She lived with Margaret at her Bournemouth
boarding house and with Gerald at the Jersey Zoo until her death in Bournemouth in 1964.
She was portrayed by Hannah Gordon
in the 1987 BBC
TV series My Family and Other Animals, and by Imelda Staunton
in the 2005 BBC remake.
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...
and naturalist Gerald Durrell
Gerald Durrell
Gerald "Gerry" Malcolm Durrell, OBE was a naturalist, zookeeper, conservationist, author and television presenter...
. She is perhaps best remembered as the character of "Mother" in the Gerald Durrell's autobiographical Corfu trilogy.
She was born to an Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
Protestant family in Roorkee
Roorkee
Roorkee is a city and seat of a municipal council in Uttarakhand, in far northern India. It is located on the banks of the Ganges canal on the national highway between Delhi and Dehradun. Roorkee is known for Roorkee Cantonment, one of the country's oldest cantonments, and the headquarters of...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1886 where she met and married her husband Lawrence Samuel Durrell
Lawrence Samuel Durrell
Lawrence Samuel Durrell was a British Indian subject and engineer, and is best remembered as the father of novelist Lawrence Durrell and naturalist Gerald Durrell. He was an Anglo-Indian in the sense that he was an Englishman born and brought up in India.Born in Dum Dum on 23 September 1884, he...
, an engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
by profession. Together, they travelled all over India on account of Lawrence's engineering work.
She had four surviving children - Lawrence
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...
, Leslie, Margaret
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 Gerald
Gerald Durrell
Gerald "Gerry" Malcolm Durrell, OBE was a naturalist, zookeeper, conservationist, author and television presenter...
.
Louise was actively interested in spiritualism
Spiritualism
Spiritualism is a belief system or religion, postulating the belief that spirits of the dead residing in the spirit world have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living...
and cookery, and would mingle with India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
ns to learn of local spirits and cuisine, not conforming to the views of segregation of her time.
On the death of her husband in 1928 she decided to move her family to England, and in 1935 she moved again with her children and Lawrence's then wife Nancy to 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...
. It is here that she is portrayed by Gerald Durrell as the family's well-meaning but slightly eccentric matriarch in the Corfu Trilogy - 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...
, Birds, Beasts and Relatives and The Garden of the Gods
The Garden of the Gods
The Garden of the Gods is the third book in the autobiographical Corfu trilogy by naturalist and author, Gerald Durrell , following My Family and Other Animals and Birds, Beasts, and Relatives....
.
She moved back to England in 1939 at the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
with her three youngest children. She lived with Margaret at her Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
boarding house and with Gerald at the Jersey Zoo until her death in Bournemouth in 1964.
She was portrayed by Hannah Gordon
Hannah Gordon
Hannah Cambell Grant Gordon is a Scottish actress who is well known in the United Kingdom for her television work, including Upstairs, Downstairs, Telford's Change, My Wife Next Door, Joint Account and an appearance in the final episode of One Foot in the Grave.-Early life:Gordon was born in...
in the 1987 BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV series My Family and Other Animals, and by Imelda Staunton
Imelda Staunton
Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton, OBE is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for her performances in the British comedy television series Up the Garden Path, the Harry Potter film series and Vera Drake...
in the 2005 BBC remake.