Английский писатель Кеннет Грэм большую часть In his life he worked as a bank clerk, in his free time he was fond of writing stories and fairy tales. He published several books before his main work, Wind in the Willows, which brought world fame to the writer.
Childhood
Кеннет Грэм (1859-1932) родился в столице Scotland, city of Edinburgh. Soon, his father was offered the position of sheriff in the county of Argyll, and the family moved to the west coast of Scotland. Kenneth was barely 5 years old when his mother died. After this loss, Kenneth’s father became addicted to alcohol, and his grandmother, along with his brothers and sisters, took him up.
Graham graduated from high school at Oxford, howeverI could not continue my studies at the university. His guardian (uncle) did not want to allocate funds for training. Instead, he arranged for the future writer to the Bank of England to be a petty clerk. Kenneth Graham, whose photo is located in the article, worked as a bank clerk for almost 30 years, until 1907.
Beginning of literary activity
Got a job at the bank, Graham moved toLondon. In the early years, he actively communicated in the capital's literary circles. Soon began to write small essays and publish them in local editions. During this period, he wrote several stories about orphans, which were published as part of the Golden Years and Dreams Days collections. Today, these books are little known, they were eclipsed by the glory of the collection "The Wind in the Willows". However, in 1941, the Disney company released a cartoon based on his tale of a lazy dragon from the collection Days of Dreams.
Family life
Writing talent does not bring happiness to everyone.Kenneth Graham, whose biography is very tragic, knows this better than others. In 1897, he met Elspeth Thompson, two years later married her. Soon they had a child Alistair. The boy was blind in one eye and very weak in health. Parents overly took care of the child, with the result that he grew nervous and vulnerable.
In 1920, Alistair Graham committed suicide,rushed under the train. It was an irreplaceable loss for Kenneth and his wife. Between them and before there was no special proximity. And the death of the only son and completely alienated them. After Alistair's death, Graham no longer wrote.
"Wind in the Willows"
Книга, принесшая автору мировую славу, была written for little alister. For several years, Kenneth Graham wrote stories about the adventures of Mr. Toud (toad), Mole, and Badger. When the stories have accumulated quite a lot, the author combined them into the book “Wind in the Willows”. It was published in 1908.
The heroes of the fairy tale "Wind in the Willows" are five characters:
- Uncle Rat is a water rat.He lives on the river bank and is in the book a model of prudence. At the beginning of the book, he is more conservative, prefers calm, but later, in him, a tendency to contemplation is revealed.
- Mr. Mole - it seems the complete opposite of Uncle Rat. His courage borders on carelessness, and kindness with naivety, he is open to everything new and eager for adventure.
- Mr. Toad (Toad) is a typical boastfulrich. In the first chapters of the book, he repels his stupidity, cunning and narcissism. At the end of the book, it opens to the reader from the other side. It turns out that in his heart he is kind and talented.
- Mr. Badger - like Uncle Rath, gives the impression of a wise and serious character, but his severity and in some moments bombast are more likely to push than attract.
- Uncle Otter.
In general, the book Wind in the Willows is a hymn to nature,native lands and distant wanderings. Slowly developing the story, Kenneth Graham learns to notice the beautiful in the most ordinary things, to enjoy every season. Nature, according to the author's idea, can become an excellent teacher. Each character at the end of the book learns his own lesson and becomes wise. But this book is not just a children's fairy tale. Under the guise of animals, typical representatives of English society at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries are bred in the stories.
