Gavin Maxwell

From Free net encyclopedia

Gavin Maxwell (July 15, 1914 - September 6, 1969) was a Scottish naturalist and author, best known for his work with otters. He wrote the book Ring of Bright Water (1960) about how he brought an otter back from Iraq and raised it in Scotland. He took the otter, called Mijbil, to the London Zoological Society, where it was decided that this was a previously unknown sub-species, and it was named after him: 'Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli'. Ring of Bright Water sold more than a million copies and, was made into a movie starring Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna in 1969. The title 'Ring of Bright Water' was taken from a poem by Kathleen Raine (1908-2003) who said in her autobiography that Maxwell had been the love of her life.

Contents

[edit]

Biography

Maxwell was raised in the tiny village of Elrig, near Port William, in Wigtownshire, near the south west corner of Scotland, and Maxwell's relatives still reside in the Port William area; owning the family's ancient estate and grounds in nearby Monreith. Maxwell is an extremely common name in the area. His grandfather, Sir Herbert Maxwell, was a fine topographical writer.

In World War II he served as an instructor with the Special Operations Executive. After the war, he purchased the Isle of Soay off Skye and tried to establish a basking shark fishery there between 1945-48. He was unsuccessful, due to bad planning, and lack of finance, and this adventure was recalled in his book Harpoon at a Venture (1952, since republished under various titles).

In 1956 Maxwell toured the reed marshes of Southern Iraq with explorer Wilfred Thesiger. An account of their trip appears in A Reed Shaken By The Wind, later published under the title People of the Reeds. It was hailed by the New York Times as "near perfect".

He then moved to Sandaig, a small community opposite Eilean Iarmain which he called Camusfearna in his books) on a remote part of the Scottish mainland, where his "otter books" were set. He followed up Ring of Bright Water (1960) with The Rocks Remain (1963) a darker sequel, and The House of Elrig (1965) describes his passion for his calf-country, Galloway where he was born. It was during this period that he knew Peter Scott, the ornithologist, and the young Terry Nutkins who would go on to become a children's television presenter. He married Lavinia Renton in February 1962, though the marriage lasted little more than a year (Botting, 1994).

After his Sandaig home was destroyed by fire,he moved to the lighthouse cottage of Eilean Bàn, an island which he owned. Despite modern traffic a hundred foot or so above it this island is now a commemorative otter sanctuary. A museum dedicated to Maxwell can be visited there. A stone otter was also erected in the grounds of Port William Golf Course as a memorial to Maxwell.

Maxwell appears to have suffered life long manic depression (Botting, 1994). The main appeal of his books seems to be that they entail unusual adventures. Although he could have pursued a successful diplomatic career like many of his class, or a conventional lairdship he rejected it for a simpler lifestyle.

[edit]

Maxwell's Otter

Maxwell's Otter, Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli, a sub-species of Smooth-coated Otter, is named after Maxwell. It is thought to have lived in the Tigris-Euphrates alluvial salt marsh of Iraq, but it has been suggested that it may have become extinct as a result of the large scale drainage that has taken place since the 1960s.

[edit]

References

[edit]

Bibliography

Template:List-dev

[edit]

Biography

[edit]

External links

Retrieved from "http://www.netipedia.com/index.php/Gavin_Maxwell"