Richard Adams

The marxist interpretation of Watership Down makes me laugh sometimes!

It gives me such pleasure to hear this - thank you.

I never know how to answer this question. The unconscious mind often works in ways the conscious mind cannot explain. Sorry!

I told the story orally originally at bed time/ on the road to Stratford to my two little girls. The story began to prolong itself, and eventually it had hit the length of a medium-length book. At this point my daughter Juliet told me it was too good to waste, and that I should write it down. I thought it'd be hard to do, but the two little girls kept on at me, and at last I did agree to write the story down, and it was a long business indeed. It took 18 months until I was really satisfied there was a story there to make a book. Having written it down I took it to several publishers but it got rejected again and again. They felt the language was too grown up, yet the older children wouldn't like it because it was about rabbits!

One day I was reading the spectator, and read about a man who wrote a book regarding animals in the wild. At that point I thought the publisher might be interested. I sent it off and didn't hear from him, but soon after he replied and sad he loved the book and would like to draw up details about publishing the story.

My personal favourite is Shardik, though I know Watership Down is the one people love best. Shardik is quite a dark book, but is still as relevant today as it ever was. The abuse of children is a terrible evil.

I didn't know that. I suppose it's a compliment, but I'd have to see it to know.

The film departs from the story which was a great shame to me. I felt it was a good effort, but virtually a different piece of work, probably because of the medium.

Number five - like the slang for five pounds in the UK. That idiom doesn't carry over to the US, simply as you don't have the term five pounds. As the character progressed he was also born as the 5th in the litter, hence the number five.

Nearly?

The three royal monkeys, by Walter de la Mare.

I drew inspirations primarily from my life - namely my love of nature, and the time I spent during the war.

Strawberry ice cream I would say.