Sometimes it's pretty hard to tell them apart...my family and
the animals, that is. I don't know why my brothers and sisters
complain so much. With snakes in the bath and scorpions on the
lunch table, our house, on the island of Corfu, is a bit like a
circus. So they should feel right at home ...
When the unconventional Durrell family can no longer endure the
damp, gray English climate, they do what any sensible family would
do: sell their house and relocate to the sunny Greek isle of Corfu.
"My Family and Other Animals" was intended to embrace the
natural history of the island but ended up as a delightful account
of Durrell's family's experiences, from the many eccentric
hangers-on to the ceaseless procession of puppies, toads,
scorpions, geckoes, ladybugs, glowworms, octopuses, bats, and
butterflies into their home.
Gerald Durrell (1925-1995) moved from England to Corfu with his family at the age of eight. He spent much of his time studying the island's wildlife, and surprising his family by keeping lots of very unusual pets in very unexpected places. He grew up to be a famous naturalist and conservationalist, leading expeditions to exotic places such as Argentina, Sierra Leone, Assam and Madagascar. Over his lifetime he presented many TV shows, and wrote 37 books, including MY FAMILY AND OTHER ANIMALS and its two sequels, BIRDS, BEASTS AND RELATIVES and THE GARDEN OF THE GODS. He founded Jersey Zoo in 1959 as a centre for the conservation of endangered species, and in 1963 he created the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust - later renamed Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust - of which his wife Lee is still Honorary Director. He was awarded the OBE in 1982.
