Kenneth Graham: tragedy and accomplishment

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

English writer Kenneth Graham spent most of his life working as a bank clerk, in his spare time he was fond of writing stories and fairy tales. He published several books before his main work, The Wind in the Willows, appeared, which brought the writer worldwide fame.

Childhood

Kenneth Graham (1859-1932) was born in the capital of Scotland, the 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 care of him.

Graham brilliantly graduated from school at Oxford, but could not continue his studies at the university itself. His guardian (uncle) did not want to allocate funds for education. Instead, he arranged for the future writer in the Bank of England as a petty clerk. Kenneth Graham, whose photo is located in the article, worked as a bank clerk for almost 30 years, until 1907.

The beginning of literary activity

After getting a job in a bank, Graham moved to London. In the early years, he actively communicated in the capital's literary circles. Soon he began to write short essays and publish them in localpublications. During this period, he wrote several stories about orphans, which were published as part of the Golden Years and Dream 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, Disney released a cartoon based on his tale of the lazy dragon from the Days of Dreams collection.

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 and married her two years later. Soon they had a child, Alistair. The boy was blind in one eye and very weak in he alth. Parents overprotected the child, as a result of which he grew up nervous and vulnerable.

In 1920, Alistair Graham committed suicide by throwing himself under a train. This was an irreparable loss for Kenneth and his wife. There had never been much closeness between them before. And the death of their only son completely alienated them. After Alistair's death, Graham never wrote again.

Wind in the Willows

The book that brought the author worldwide fame was written for little Alistair. For several years, Kenneth Graham wrote stories about the adventures of Mr. Toad (toad), Mole, Badger. When a lot of stories had accumulated, the author combined them into the book "The Wind in the Willows". It was published in 1908.

The heroes of the fairy tale "The Wind in the Willows" are five characters:

• Uncle Rat is a water rat. He lives on the banks of the river and is a model of prudence in the book. At the beginning of the book, heconservative, prefers calmness, but later a tendency to contemplation opens up in him.
• Mr. Mole - seems to be the exact opposite of Uncle Rat. His courage borders on carelessness, and his kindness borders on naivety, he is open to everything new and longs for adventure.
• Mr. Toad (toad) is a typical boastful rich man. In the first chapters of the book, he repels with his stupidity, cunning and narcissism. At the end of the book, it opens before the reader from the other side. It turns out that he is kind and talented at heart.
• Mr. Badger - like Uncle Rat, he gives the impression of a wise and serious character, but his severity and in some moments pomposity rather repel than attract.
• Uncle Otter.

In general, the book "The Wind in the Willows" is a hymn to nature, native lands and distant wanderings. Slowly developing the story, Kenneth Graham teaches us to notice the beauty in the most ordinary things, to enjoy every season. Nature, according to the author's idea, can be an excellent teacher. Each hero by the end of the book learns his own lesson and becomes wise. But this book is not just a children's story. Under the guise of animals, typical representatives of English society at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries are bred in the stories.