The English writer Kenneth Graham worked for most of his life as a bank clerk; in his spare time he was fond of composing stories and fairy tales. He published several books before his main work, Wind in the Willows, brought world fame to the writer.
Childhood
Kenneth Graham (1859-1932) was born in the capital of Scotland, the city of Edinburgh. Soon, his father was offered a sheriff's position in 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 took him along with his brothers and sisters.
Graham brilliantly graduated from Oxford, but could not continue his studies at the university. His guardian (uncle) did not want to allocate funds for training. Instead, he arranged for a future writer at the Bank of England as a small clerk. Kenneth Graham, whose photo is located in the article, worked as a bank employee for almost 30 years, until 1907.
The beginning of literary activity
Having got a job at the bank, Graham moved to London. In the early years, he actively communicated in the capital's literary circles. Soon he began to write small essays and publish them in local publications. 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 "Wind in Willows". However, in 1941, Disney released a cartoon based on his fairy tale about a lazy dragon from the Dream Days 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, two years later married her. Soon they had a baby, Alistair. The boy was blind in one eye and very poor in health. Parents overly patronized 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 wasn’t much proximity between them before. And the death of the only son completely alienated them. After the death of Alistair, Graham no longer wrote.
"Wind in the willows"
The book, which brought the author worldwide fame, was written for little Alistair. For several years, Kenneth Graham composed stories about the adventures of Mr. Toad (toad), Mole, Badger. When a lot of stories accumulated, the author combined them into the book “Wind in Willows”. It was published in 1908.
The heroes of the fairy tale "Wind in Willows" are five characters:
- Uncle Rat is a water rat. He lives on the banks of the river and is in the book a model of judgment. At the beginning of the book, he is more conservative, prefers calm, but later, a tendency to contemplation opens in him too.
- Mr. Mole - seems like the exact opposite of Uncle Rat. His courage borders on nonchalance, and kindness on naivety, he is open to everything new and longs for adventures.
- 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, he opens to the reader from the other side. It turns out that he is kind and talented at heart.
- Mr. Badger - like Uncle Rat, gives the impression of a wise and serious character, but his severity and in some moments pomp, rather repel 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 narrative, Kenneth Graham teaches us to notice the beautiful in the most ordinary things, to enjoy every season. Nature, according to the author’s idea, can become a wonderful teacher. Each hero 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 from the turn of the 19th-20th centuries are brought out in stories.