Adamson Joy is known as the author of wildlife books. She was a strong and stubborn woman, ready to bring to life what she believed. 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, a keen girl, a purposeful woman - such people around knew Joy. Although she was known under another name - Frederick Victoria Gessner.
Bright childhood
Little Frederick Victoria was born on a cold January day in the Austrian city of Troppau in the family of a wealthy manufacturer. The birth of a girl was a disappointment for the father, who was waiting for his son. To sweeten the bitter pill, the former military raised his daughter as if raising a son. Harsh demands tempered the girl. Throughout her life up to the eighth decade, she retained a sports figure.
The writer recalls her childhood with warmth. The Gessner family was famous for hospitality, and on holidays the estate was full of relatives and friends, among whom there were many children. Frederick Victoria's favorite pastime was a lion hunt game . Moreover, the little mistress invariably acted as a predator. She ran fast and hid well, and her thick blond hair was perfectly suited for the role of mane.
In his autobiographical book, Adamson Joy recalls an interesting episode from his childhood. After World War I, unprecedented inflation occurred. Money depreciated, but the paper from which the banknotes were made could still be used. Joy's family owned paper mills. Together with her friends, the girl broke through tunnels in piles of banknotes piled in piles in the courtyard of the factory, and played with billions and trillions. Even then, she saw with her own eyes how ghostly material wealth is.
Search for youth
From the age of twelve, Frederick 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 taught disciplines. But this was not enough for her. At the age of fifteen, Frederick leaves school to seriously study music. She learned musical notation very early and now decided to become a professional pianist.
Two years later, Frederick received a certificate of completion with the right to teach. But this time, her zeal played a cruel joke on her. The girl overworked and realized that the field of a concert career was closed to her. And she did not want to become a simple teacher.
Then Frederick entered the sewing and sewing courses, which she also successfully completed. In the evenings, she was engaged in drawing, studied the intricacies of restoration of paintings, practiced shorthand and typewriting, tried her hand at decorating book covers and posters, and also took singing lessons. Another girl minted silver plates and was engaged in sculptural woodcarving. At the same time, Frederick worked as a model.
The beginning of an independent life
Time passed, but the girl still could not find her calling. She lived in Vienna with her maternal grandmother, to whom she moved after her parents divorced. The relationship between them was very warm and trusting. The grandmother, whom Frederick affectionately called Oma, supported the granddaughter in everything and taught her to make her own decisions. The entire burden of financial worries also lay on her shoulders. Only years later did Adamson Joy realize how patient and selfless her dear Oma was. In youth, comprehensive custody was taken for granted.
On one of the ski trips, Frederick met an eccentric young man, Victor von Clarville. He was a very successful businessman who could afford to spend time doing what the soul desired. His love of the wild and a very definite intention to get rid of the hardships and worries of urban life greatly impressed Frederick. For three weeks, the young people saw each other daily, and after that, completely unexpectedly for the girl, there was an offer to immediately get married.
At that time, Frederick was engaged in preparatory courses for admission to the medical faculty for more than a year. Victor urged the bride to quit classes, as he guaranteed that she would not have to work a day in her life. He sincerely wanted to turn his beloved life into a fairy tale. The wedding took place in the spring of 1935.
Preparing for the move
The happy newly-made husband tried his best to make Frederica's life easy and carefree. They traveled a lot in the warm season, and in winter spent time at ski resorts. But Victor did not understand that such an pastime was unacceptable to Frederick's active mind. For her part, she also tried to love what was expensive and pleasant to her husband. But social life frankly burdened her. And she scooped up the 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 one after another. Next on the list was Kenya. Naturalist writers have long admired this land. According to the plan of the spouses, Frederick was the first to go to this country. If she liked it there, Victor would have followed her, having previously settled all matters in Vienna. On May 12, 1937, Frederick sailed on a ship from Genoa to the African continent. It is there that she will become world famous Joy Adamson. The biography of the writer rightfully begins from this moment.
Second marriage
On the ship, Frederick met Peter Bailey. His job was to collect plant samples for the museum. This involved long and exciting journeys through the wild. Mutual sympathy grew between Frederick and Peter. They made a feeble attempt to drown their feelings, but then decided that they could not live without each other, and Frederick asked for a divorce from her husband. 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. Together they spent five years.
Contribution to Naturalism
The couple traveled around Africa, and at that time Adamson Joy painted traditional animals, plants and representatives of the indigenous population. These drawings were not just hobbies, but serious scientific works, many of which are still kept in museums. They earned an award from the Royal Crop Society. Joy received the highest distinction - a gold medal.
Meeting with George Adamson
George Joy met at a party with mutual friends. He immediately caught her attention. Yes, and could not fail to attract - even then George was a local legend. His responsibility as a hunting inspector was to shoot cannibalistic lions, protecting people, and to resist poachers, protecting animals. George Adamson, who successfully opposed wild beasts and cruel people, surrendered without a fight to a joyful Joy. She quickly got another divorce, and two months later they got married.
The appearance in the family of a lion cub
Once George was assigned to track down and kill a lioness who attacked the inhabitants of several villages. Having completed the task, he found that the lioness had three small lion cubs. 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 left. The baby received the name Elsa.
There was nothing unusual about having 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 it in such a way that for it in the future it will become possible to have a full life among wild animals. This idea was received with great skepticism. It was believed that an animal that grew next to a person will never be able to return to nature, as it will not be adapted to life in the wild.
Joy Adamson's First Book - “Born Free”
Joy decided to break the established stereotypes and selflessly embarked on a new project. She looked after Elsa, spent a lot of time with her and raised her. Everything that happened was carefully recorded in the diary and filmed on a camera. In 1960, Joy Adamson published his first book, Born Free, which 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 the following years, D. Adamson wrote two more books about animals, which are a continuation of the story of Elsa’s lioness - “Free forever” and “Living free”.
Raising a cheetah
In 1964, Joy was asked to take a female cheetah. By that time, the animal books written by Adamson had already gained popularity, and the previous owners who had left Africa were sure 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 to ensure that this cheetah returned to the wild. The results and fruits of their amazing friendship can be found in Joy Adamson's Spotted Sphinx.
Ridiculous death
On January 3, 1980, the writer was found dead on the grounds of Shaba Nature Reserve in Kenya. At first it was stated that a lion had attacked Joy Adamson. However, it was not possible to hush up the story, because by that time the writer was not only famous, but literally loved by thousands of people. The story resonated strongly, and the local police were forced to release the investigation data. Death came as a result of numerous strokes of the machete. In a couple of weeks, the woman would have turned 70 years old ....
The 18-year-old worker Nakvare Esai was found guilty, and the motive was either robbery or revenge for dismissal. The young man received a life sentence. He himself never admitted his guilt. It is no longer possible to find out if he was really guilty or not. Since then, no documents and evidence have been preserved. There is no doubt only one thing - Joy Adams, who devoted her life to protecting wild animals and admitting that she prefers their society to many people, was treacherously killed by a man. Four-legged friends never betrayed her.