Richard Adams truly lived a full life. Dedicating much of his first 50 years of life to public service, he did not become a professional author until he was in his 50s. His first book, Watership Down, actually resulted from his daughters encouraging him to write a book after they had been regaled by stories he had told for many years. The resulting book, which incorporated details from many sources including Adam's own military experiences (the Lapine language is based partially on Arabic that he studied during his military service in the Middle East) and the naturalist work, the Private Life of Rabbits. Watership Down was the first book that I truly read for fun, and it certainly made an impact on me. It inspired a lifetime of reading which has opened up many avenues to me in better understanding the world around me and the human condition. Though this great man did much to benefit society in his life, including military service and managing the British clean air program that was designed to reduce coal-borne pollution, it is his literary contributions that have had the greatest impact on me personally. Through his inspired works he has touched millions of lives.
May he rest in peace.
(For those who are curious the BBC has an excellent summation of his life in
this article )
