Richard Adams facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Richard Adams
Adams reads from Watership Down in 2008
Born	Richard George Adams (1920-05-09)9 May 1920 Wash Common, Newbury, Berkshire, England
Died	24 December 2016(2016-12-24) (aged 96) Oxford, Oxfordshire, England
Occupation	Novelist
Notable works	Watership Down Shardik The Plague Dogs The Girl in a Swing
Notable awards	Carnegie Medal 1972 Guardian Prize 1973
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Richard George Adams (born May 9, 1920 – died December 24, 2016) was a famous English writer. He is best known for his popular books like Watership Down, Maia, Shardik, and The Plague Dogs. Before becoming a full-time author, he studied history at university. He also served in the British Army during World War II. After the war, he worked for the British government. In 1974, two years after Watership Down became a huge success, Adams decided to focus only on writing.

Richard Adams' Early Life

Richard Adams was born on May 9, 1920. His birthplace was Wash Common, near Newbury, in England. His father, Evelyn George Beadon Adams, was a doctor. Richard went to Horris Hill School from 1926 to 1933. Then, he attended Bradfield College until 1938.

University and Army Service

In 1938, Adams started studying history at Worcester College, Oxford. But in July 1940, he joined the British Army because of World War II. He became an officer in the Royal Army Service Corps. He worked as a liaison, helping different parts of the army communicate.

Adams served in places like Palestine, Europe, and East Asia. However, he did not fight directly in battles. After the war ended, he left the army in 1946.

Returning to Studies and Government Work

Richard Adams went back to Worcester College to finish his studies. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1948. Later, in 1953, he received his Master of Arts degree.

After graduating, Adams started working for the British government. He worked in the Ministry of Housing and Local Government. This department later became part of the Department of the Environment. He rose to a high position, becoming an Assistant Secretary. In his free time, he began writing stories. He would read these stories to his daughters and later to his grandchildren.

Richard Adams' Writing Career

The idea for Watership Down came from stories Adams told his two daughters. They were on a car trip and loved his tales. His daughters eventually convinced him to turn the stories into a book. He started writing it in 1966. It took him two years to finish the manuscript.

Publishing Watership Down

It was not easy to get Watership Down published. Four different publishers and three literary agencies said no to the book. Finally, in 1972, a publisher named Rex Collings agreed to release it. The book quickly became famous around the world. It was praised for making animal stories feel real and natural.

Over the next few years, Watership Down sold over a million copies. Richard Adams won two major British awards for children's books. These were the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. Only a few authors have won both of these awards. In 1974, after his second novel, Shardik, was published, he left his government job. He became a full-time writer. In 1975, he was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Later Career Highlights

Richard Adams also spent time teaching at universities. He was a writer-in-residence at the University of Florida and Hollins University in Virginia. In 2010, he received the first Whitchurch Arts Award. This award recognized his inspiring work. It was given to him at the Watership Down pub in Freefolk, Hampshire. In 2015, the University of Winchester gave him an honorary doctorate degree.

Richard Adams as a Public Figure

In 1982, Richard Adams served as the president of the RSPCA. This organization works to protect animals. He spoke out against using animal furs. He also wrote his book The Plague Dogs to criticize animal testing. The book also made fun of government and tabloid newspapers.

Adams also traveled to the Antarctic with a bird expert named Ronald Lockley. Just before his 90th birthday, he wrote a new story. It was for a charity book called Gentle Footprints. This book helped raise money for the Born Free Foundation, which protects wild animals.

Richard Adams' Personal Life

In 1949, Richard Adams married Elizabeth Barbara. They lived together in Whitchurch, Hampshire. This town was only about 10 miles from where he was born. They had two daughters, Juliet and Rosamond. These were the daughters who first heard the stories that became Watership Down.

In 2010, Adams celebrated his 90th birthday in Whitchurch. Sir George Young gave him a painting by a local artist. Richard Adams wrote a poem about his home, where he had lived for 28 years. He described himself as an Orthodox Christian.

Richard Adams passed away on December 24, 2016. He was 96 years old. He died in Oxford, England, due to problems from a blood disorder.

Richard Adams' Books

• Watership Down (1972)
• Shardik (1974)
• Nature Through the Seasons (1975)
• The Tyger Voyage (1976)
• The Plague Dogs (1977)
• The Ship's Cat (1977)
• Nature Day and Night (1978)
• The Girl in a Swing (1980)
• The Iron Wolf and Other Stories (1980)
• The Legend of Te Tuna (1982)
• Voyage Through the Antarctic (1982)
• Maia (1984)
• A Nature Diary (1985)
• The Bureaucats (1985)
• Traveller (1988)
• The Day Gone By (autobiography) (1990)
• Tales from Watership Down (1996)
• The Outlandish Knight (1999)
• Daniel (2006)
• "Leopard Aware" in Gentle Footprints (2010)

Images for kids

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  Richard Adams' signature

See also

In Spanish: Richard Adams para niños