Adamson Joy: books, biography, cause of death

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Adamson Joy is known as the author of books about wild animals. She was a strong and stubborn woman, ready to put into practice what she believed in. The books published by Joy Adamson have influenced people in dozens of countries. A significant contribution to the conservation of wildlife continues to bear fruit to this day. A talented girl, an enthusiastic girl, a purposeful woman - Joy was known to those around her. Although she was also known under a different name - Frederica Victoria Gessner.

Bright childhood

Little Frederike Victoria was born on a cold January day in the Austrian city of Troppau in the family of a we althy manufacturer. The birth of a girl was a disappointment for the father, who was expecting a son. To sweeten the bitter pill, the former military man raised his daughter as if he were raising a son. Severe requirements hardened the girl. Throughout her life until the eighth decade, she retained an athletic figure.

The writer fondly remembers her childhood. The Gessner family was famous for its hospitality, and on holidays the estate was full of relatives and friends, among whom were many children. Frederica Victoria's favorite pastime was lion hunting. And smallthe hostess invariably acted as a predator. She ran fast and hid well, and her thick blond hair was the perfect mane.

In his autobiographical book Adamson Joy recalls an interesting episode from his childhood. After World War I, there was unprecedented inflation. Money was depreciating, but the paper from which banknotes were made could still be used. The Joy family owned paper mills. Together with her friends, the girl dug tunnels through the piles of banknotes piled up in the factory yard and played with billions and trillions. Even then, she saw firsthand how illusory material we alth is.

Search for youth

From the age of twelve, Frederica Victoria studied at a closed experimental school. There were only six such establishments in the country. The girl studied diligently and easily coped with the disciplines taught. But that wasn't enough for her. At the age of fifteen, Frederike leaves school to seriously study music. She learned music notation very early and now she decided to become a professional pianist.

Two years later, Frederike received a certificate of completion with the right to teach. But this time her zeal played a cruel joke on her. The girl overworked her hands and understood that the field of a concert career was closed to her. And she did not want to become a simple teacher.

Then Frederike entered the cutting and sewing course, which she also successfully completed. In the evenings, she was engaged in drawing, studied the intricacies of the restoration of paintings,She practiced shorthand and typing, tried her hand at designing book covers and posters, and took singing lessons. Another girl minted silver plates and was engaged in sculptural cutting on wood. At the same time, Frederike worked as a fashion model.

Starting independent living

Time passed, but the girl still did not find her calling. She lived in Vienna with her maternal grandmother, to whom she moved after her parents divorced. Relations between them were very warm and trusting. Grandmother, whom Frederike affectionately called Oma, supported her granddaughter in everything and taught her to make her own decisions. The entire burden of financial worries also lay on her shoulders. It wasn't until years later that Adamson Joy realized how patient and selfless her dear Oma was. In youth, full guardianship was taken for granted.

On one of the ski trips, Frederike met an eccentric young man, Victor von Clarville. He was a highly successful businessman who could afford to spend his time doing whatever his heart desires. His love for the wild and his very definite intention to get rid of the hardships and worries of city life impressed Frederica very much. For three weeks, young people saw each other daily, and after that, quite unexpectedly for the girl, an offer to get married immediately followed.

At that time, Frederike had been taking preparatory courses for entering the medical faculty for several years. Victor convinced the bridequit classes, because he guaranteed that she would not have to work a day in her life. He sincerely wanted to turn the life of his beloved into a fairy tale. The wedding took place in the spring of 1935.

Preparing to move

The happy new husband tried his best to make Frederica's life easy and carefree. They traveled a lot in the warm season, and in winter they spent time at ski resorts. But Victor did not understand that for the active mind of Frederica, such a pastime was unacceptable. For her part, she also tried to love what was dear and pleasant to her husband. But secular life frankly burdened her. And she drew strength to endure endless empty gatherings from the realization that soon all this would end, and she and her husband would leave for some cozy place closer to pristine nature.

The search continued. Tahiti, Tasmania and even California fell away one after another. Kenya was next on the list. Naturalist writers have long admired this region. According to the plan of the spouses, Frederica was the first to go to this country. If she had liked it there, Victor would have followed her, having previously settled all the affairs in Vienna. On May 12, 1937, Frederica sailed on a ship from Genoa to the African continent. It was there that she would become the world famous Joy Adamson. The biography of the writer rightly begins from this moment.

Second marriage

On the ship, Frederike met Peter Bailey. His job was to collect plant specimens for the museum. This involved long andexciting trips to wild places. Mutual sympathy grew between Frederike and Peter. They made a feeble attempt to drown out their feelings, but then decided that they could not live without each other, and Frederike asked her husband for a divorce. Victor did not particularly resist, and a year later the woman entered into a new marriage. Peter gave his wife not only his last name, but also a new name - Joy. They spent five years together.

Contribution to naturalistics

The couple traveled around Africa, and at this time Adamson Joy painted animals, plants and representatives of the indigenous population in traditional attire. These drawings were not just a hobby, but serious scientific works, many of which are still kept in museums. They deserved an award from the Royal Society of Plant Industry. Joy received the highest distinction, a gold medal.

Meeting with George Adamson

George Joy met at a mutual friend's party. He immediately got her attention. Yes, and could not help but attract - even then George was a local legend. His duties as a hunting inspector included shooting man-eating lions, protecting people, and resisting poachers, protecting animals. George Adamson, who successfully stood up to wild beasts and cruel people, surrendered to the cheerful Joy without a fight. She quickly got another divorce, and two months later they got married.

The appearance of a lion cub in the family

One day, George was assigned to hunt down and kill a lioness who was attacking the inhabitants of several villages. After completing the task, he discovered that the lioness had three smallcubs. George took them home with him. Two were sent to the zoo, but one girl Joy resolutely refused to give. Seeing nothing wrong with satisfying his wife's whim, George allowed the lion cub to be kept. The baby was named Elsa.

It was not unusual to have a lion, cheetah or other predator on an African estate. But Joy did not want to keep her pet in a cage. She decided to make Elsa a member of the family. And even more than that - to grow her in such a way that a full life among wild animals becomes possible for her in the future. This idea was received with great skepticism. It was believed that an animal that grew up next to a person would never be able to return to nature, as it would not be adapted to life in the wild.

Joy Adamson's first book - "Born Free"

Joy decided to break the established stereotypes and selflessly set about a new project. She took care of Elsa, spent a lot of time with her and raised her. Everything that happened was carefully recorded in a diary and filmed on a camera. In 1960, Joy Adamson published his first book, Born Free, in which he describes the result of his labors. And although the writing style turned out to be rather dry (let's not forget that the author is a naturalist, not a writer), the book very quickly became a bestseller and was translated into 28 languages. In subsequent years, D. Adamson wrote two more books about animals, which are a continuation of the story of the lioness Elsa - "Free Forever" and "Living Free".

Educationcheetah

In 1964, Joy was asked to adopt a female cheetah. By that time, Adamson's animal books had already gained popularity, and the previous owners, who were leaving Africa, were confident that the woman would take care of their pet in the best possible way. Naturally, this proposal was accepted with great enthusiasm. The writer was flattered by the trust placed in her and decided to do everything possible so that this cheetah returned to the wild. The results and fruits of their amazing friendship can be read in the book Spotted Sphinx by Joy Adamson.

A Ridiculous Death

On January 3, 1980, the writer was found dead on the lands of the Shaba reserve in Kenya. It was first claimed that Joy Adamson was attacked by a lion. However, it was not possible to hush up the story, because by that time the writer was already not only famous, but also loved by literally thousands of people. The story raised a strong response, and the local police were forced to release the data on the investigation. Death was due to multiple blows with a machete. In a couple of weeks, the woman would have turned 70….

The 18-year-old worker Naquare Esai was found guilty, and the motive was either robbery or revenge for his dismissal. The young man received a life sentence. He himself never admitted his guilt. It is no longer possible to find out whether he was really guilty or not. Since that time, no documents and evidence have been preserved. Only one thing is indisputable - Joy Adams, who devoted her life to protecting wild animals and admitted thatprefers their society to the society of many people, was treacherously killed by a man. Her four-legged friends never betrayed her.