Kenneth Graham: tragedy and accomplishment

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

Childhood

Kenneth Graham (1859-1932) was born in the capital of Scotland, the city of Edinburgh. Soon his father was offered the sheriff in Argyll, and the family moved to the West Coast of Scotland. Kenneth was barely five years old when his mother died. After this loss, Kenneth's father became addicted to alcohol, and he, along with his brothers and sisters, was taken up by his grandmother.

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

The beginning of literary activity

After taking a job in the bank, Graham moved to London. In the first years he actively communicated in the capital literary circles. Soon he began to write small essays and publish them in local publications. During this period, he wrote several stories about orphaned children, which were published as part of the collections "Golden Years" and "Days of Dreams". Today these books are little known, they were eclipsed by the glory of the book Wind in the Willows. However, in 1941 Disney released a cartoon film based on his fairy tale about a lazy dragon from the collection Dream Days.

Family life

Writing talent does not bring happiness to all. Kenneth Graham, whose biography is very tragic, knows this better than others. In 1897 he met Elspeth Thompson, two years later he married her. Soon they had a child Alistair. The boy was blind to one eye and very weak in health. Parents over-cared for the child, as a result of which he grew nervous and vulnerable.

In 1920, Alistair Graham committed suicide, throwing himself under the train. This became an irreparable loss for Kenneth and his wife. Between them and before there was no special affinity. 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 world fame, was written for little Alister. For several years Kenneth Graham wrote stories about the adventures of Mr. Toud (toad), Mole, Badger. When the stories accumulated a lot, the author combined them into the book "Wind in the Willows". It was published in 1908.

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

• Uncle Rat is a water rat. He lives on the bank of the river and is in the book an example of judiciousness. At the beginning of the book, he is more conservative, prefers tranquility, but later on, a tendency to contemplation opens up in him.
• Mr. Mole seems to be the exact opposite of Uncle Rat. His boldness borders on carelessness, and kindness with naivety, he is open to everything new and thirsts for adventure.
• Mr. Toud (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 to the reader on the other side. It turns out that he is kind and talented in the depths of his soul.
• Mr. Badger - like Uncle Rat, gives the impression of a wise and serious character, but his sternness and in some moments puffiness, 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 to notice the beautiful in the most ordinary things, to rejoice at every season of the year. Nature, according to the author's idea, can become an excellent teacher. Every hero draws his own lesson towards the end of the book and becomes wise. But this book is not just a children's fairy tale. Under the guise of animals, typical representatives of the English society of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries are shown in the stories.