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Myself and Other Animals

A posthumous work from the beloved conservationist to celebrate the centenary of his birth

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Myself and Other Animals

By: Gerald Durrell
Narrated by: Julian Wadham, Anne Dover
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

A final posthumous work from the beloved conservationist and naturalist Gerald Durrell, to celebrate the centenary of his birth, with a new foreword written by HRH Princess Anne.

Myself and Other Animals is a new book mosaicked from unpublished autobiographies, uncollected pieces and previously published extracts from Durrell’s work and archives. The result is an extraordinary journey through Durrell’s life in his own words, edited and introduced by his widow Lee Durrell.

Drawing on a memoir that Durrell started writing before he became too ill to continue it, and an unfinished book from a trip to Australia in 1969 to the Great Barrier Reef, Northern Territory and Queensland, here is the unvarnished story of Durrell’s life, from touching family tributes to golden bats and pink pigeons.

Moving from India to England and then to the always sun-lit Corfu, told with dry wit and insight into our fellow animals, here is the vivid finale of one of Britain’s most beloved conservationists and prose stylists.

‘Gerald Durrell was magic’ SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH

‘One of the finest and most lyrical nature writers in English’ OBSERVER

© Gerald Durrell 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024

 Animals Biological Sciences Environment Environmentalists & Naturalists Outdoors & Nature Professionals & Academics Science

Critic reviews

Nature’s most rapt inspector, ally and celebrant . . . I could read about Durrell’s wildlife encounters all day . . . a wise, genial and world-encompassing book (John Walsh)
Fills important gaps in the biographical narrative . . . Truly, there is magic here (Kathryn Hughes)
A moving tribute to Gerald's endeavours and achievements as a conservationist (Richard Bradford)
Funny and readable and hugely charming . . . Durrell really can write like a dream . . . This book is a charming tribute to him: a reminder of his beliefs, and of his ability to make you laugh while making you think (Moira Redmond)
Sparkling descriptions of animal behaviour are the beating heart of Durrell’s accounts of trips to Cameroon, Guyana, New Zealand, Mauritius, Madagascar and elsewhere . . . Durrell’s concern for species extinction thrums throughout Myself and Other Animals (Ella Creamer)
Celebrates his extraordinary life in technicolour (Matt Nixson)
Reading Myself & Other Animals makes you feel like an archaeologist uncovering an ancient mosaic. As you leaf through a section, you reveal the colourful sparkle of a new fragment. It isn’t a complete picture, but by the end, you can see enough to feel you know Gerald Durrell just that bit better . . . earns its place in the pantheon of Durrell’s books (Chris Simms)
Replete with characters of feathers, fur and fin, it offers an intimate picture of the naturalist and his travels
A generous and magnificent achievement – an autobiography, of sorts, composed of excerpts both well-known and rare, each carrying Durrell’s distinctive, engaging and entertaining voice. A century on from the beloved conservationist’s birth, when so many forms of life remain at risk of extinction, it also stands as an important call to action before it’s too late (Julian Hoffman, author of Lifelines and Irreplaceable)
All stars
Most relevant
Brought back memories of reading Gerald's books as a young teenager. He was an inspiration.
lovely listen and interesting too.

Brought back memories

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brilliant from start to finish and funny with it especially the antics of the animals. The narrators were very good.

Absolutely....

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