Richard Adams (2014)

The lapine glossary was all of my own invention. In fact it was one of the things I first decided would be introduced in the book. However, what sparked me to create it? I don't really know. I just made up words when I needed a word in the rabbit language. Some of them are onomatopoeic like hrududu (which is a car), but overall they simply came from my subconscious.

Thank you!

I feel the film was good in its own right, but departed a lot from the original material which I felt was a great shame. I felt critical about the fact that it didn't stick to the story that I'd written.

Yes! I had the good luck to get accepted for service in airborne forces during world war 2. Not everybody who put their name forward was accepted for it. I felt tremendously proud. I went as an officer to 250 light company RASC airborne. The commanding officer was a Major called John Gifford. I admired him tremendously. He was very quiet - in fact one of the quietest I've ever known. Regardless all of his commanding officers respected him and obeyed him without question. All his officers were parachutists whether they were commanders or not. My point is that everyone in 250 light company respected and admired him, and he certainly influenced Hazel. He was so sensible. Not all commanders are sensible! I would even say his officers loved him.

Truth be told, sometimes these things do affect me. I had depression for a good while. I wouldn't necessarily say it was my stories that made me depressed, but more the animal suffering in them. Cruelty to animals is a terrible thing.

3) Yes I do, it's very readable - its well written and includes several memorable characters, and there's plenty of action! I do wish more people would read Shardik though, as I took a lot of trouble with it to make it a proper novel put together in a proper way. The trouble is people love Watership Down but when looking for further novels they see the dissimilarity, as Shardik is rather hard going, but it's a proper novel that says what I wanted it to say. I feel similarly about Traveller.

I can't say I did. Do you mean the film or the book?

I suppose I'm the exception that proves the rule. I hope.

I really really like the new OneWorld edition. I'm not just saying this - the gold and quality of it really makes it a very nice cover indeed. I also like the lettering, though I wish my name had been gold!

It was a very welcome and enjoyable change. I hadn't disliked my work in the civil service - I actually quite liked it and did it alright. However, compared to doing what I liked and working as a creative author it didn't really compare. It was far more enjoyable.

It's hard to come up with an immediate reply to this! I'd like to have met Keats. He was a very good companion and a very nice chap. It's awful that his life was so tragic, but Keats I'd certainly have liked. His poetry may not be best suited to the location but if it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. Shakespeare would be magic - he was good company too by all accounts, and there's so many things I'd like to ask him about his plays and work. I'd like to ask what he thought was his best play in particular. If he said Hamlet I'd ask why and take careful note of what he replied.

Keats and Shakespeare, though I can think of plenty more. Shelley would be most amusing, Jane Austen too. Walter de la Mare. A more recent poet - W.H Auden. He'd be a splendid chap to talk to because he was so clever! Louis MacNeice too...

inlé just meant light in my mind, and as a result it came quite naturally. Thlay - fur, li - head. Bigwig, whose nickname was Thlayli, had a curious growth between his ears hence the name. I just constructed Lapine as I went - when the rabbits needed a word for something so did I.

As for the musician, I think that's splendid. My grandson informs me it might not be my kind of music, but I am very happy. Owsla were senior rabbits in a warren - the ruling class. I hope that's pertinent.

Haha! Well of course I'd be silly if I didn't say I wasn't happy about being a successful author. I've had a good life and achieved quite a lot which is comforting. Secondly, I like being comfortable living here in the country with my family around me - a happy marriage. I still get excited about all the day to day goings on of being an author. I like it when people come for signings as I get to talk one on one with my public! I get that time, and it's so nice to meet and interact with them. I love it when I get asked about my books. I like a good english pub too of course.

Though Irish pubs are easy to make friends in! They are so friendly and talkative.

That goes for Denmark too. I love Denmark.

Well I think finding someone you're happy with is very important. A happy marriage is a great thing. A love of nature is something I think everyone should develop. Finally, being creative! Find something you love to do and do it. Water is a great love of mine. Swimming, sailing etc. It's lovely to be near water and deriving pleasure and enjoyment from it.

I never particularly thought of it like that. I didn't like writing about Cowslips warren - it was against everything I cared about. I think that was the point. It was snared by a human being of course. In a way I see that could become allegorical, but allegory and I are bad neighbours.

Would you be able to elaborate? I can't say I know them.

I never met Tolkien, and I can't say I've seen the films. I hear they're good. I think the Lord of the Rings is first class. Wonderful. There aren't enough novelists today writing stories. Not many novels nowadays are really stories - they concentrate on character and the relationships between characters. Sad love and happy love. But a story. "Once upon a time...". It's not sophisticated enough you see, but I think there' a real place for it.

I don't believe there should be such a thing as a children's book. There are books children enjoy reading. I don't believe in writing down to children and that comes across well in Watership Down. An antagonist would mention Beatrix Potter, but even she was writing for everybody, not just for children.

Stilton.

I wish we had some here now.

Thinking about what to write far exceeds the actual writing! I've had ideas in my stories that I've mulled over for days, sometimes weeks. You feel it's relevant to what you're writing about but how do you present it? How does it fit in with the rest of the book?

It's just such an opportunity!

Jane Austen's Emma. Fantastic book.

When I was 10 or 11 I found a book in my school library by Walter de la Mare called "The Three Royal Monkeys". It should be "The Three Mullamulgars", which was the original title, but I must've read that many times over. That is a truly incredible fantasy novel.

When I was a little boy I had rabbit, but it wasn't very successful. You don't get very much feedback with them compared to a dog, or even a cat! I can't say that my ownership of my rabbits was therefore a great joy to me. Much better for them to be wild.

My grandson has explained this to me, but I can't say I know much about video games in general. I suppose if they are done well they could be a very strong narrative medium.

Hahaha! I don't think I'd be much of a stand-in, but I'm flattered.

So glad you DID get to the book. It's what I intended.

Broadly speaking, the more senior a civil servant becomes the more he spends his time talking, conferring as opposed to writing. Senior civil servants hardly write at all - concerned with talking and with their colleagues in the wide world. I used to write after work but the transition from the civil service to being a self employed creative novelist - there is no comparison. The latter is wonderfully happy. To feel you're doing, and doing successfully, what you always wanted to. I couldn't start off as it just because I had no money. It's very interesting though, civil service work. You're coming up against different subjects all the time. As far as I'm concerned nothing beats the enjoyment of being a successful novelist though. I spent 25 years there, but after went on for even longer than 25 years as an author!

I heard this mentioned last time I was here. I haven't read the books but I take it as a compliment.

Try writing to OneWorld publishing in London! I'll always sign a copy that's sent to me too!

At the time I was living in London, so I suppose that's your answer! However, I lived in the country when I was young, with my father and mother until I joined the army. If I had lived in the city all along maybe it would have been different.

I was there a good 6 weeks. I got to know Ronald Lockley when I sent him Watership Down. I sent him a copy and asked for comments. He wrote back and was very helpful and it soon become a friendship. We used to go for walks in the country. He'd say "You do the flowers and I'll do the birds." He was a fine ornithologist. He was one of the best friends I've ever had.

As for the Antarctic Ronald said "I'm a well travelled man and I've been all over the world, but I've never been to the Antarctic. I would very much like to go there. It's one of my regrets that I never did." One of my inspirations to go therefore was hearing this from Ronald.

Thanks - lovely to hear. I like plague dogs because it's about the lake district and nature which I love very much. I also think the dogs relationship is what makes the book.

I answered your question a little above - an idea will have to be mulled over for a long time to make sure it works. A story is bound to broaden and go forward as it is written. Not only the story, but the chaps in the story, and the climate, and the world in the story. I've always believed in including atmosphere, and I think this helps push the story forward.

I believe they're good as they promote reading, though I still feel nothing can replace the feeling of a good book in your hands!

The bottom picture is my 65th wedding anniversary, and the top a photo from a while back!

I didn't have an age in mind - my children were 9 and 7 when I wrote it though. It seems equally enjoyable by children as by adults though. I think I was more honest about death, yes.

I have good news on your final point! All being well, the BBC is making a four part series to be screened the year after next.

I don't know that I did a huge amount of work outside. I took a lot of trouble over Lapine, but I think the majority of the words I developed were in the glossary.

Kelderek is a very strong character who I see some of myself in. It's hard to say really. In The Girl in the Swing I was Alan Desland up to a point. It's a very sad story though.

I intended that. I hope I made Hazel what I thought of him as. A quiet, almost modest, fountain of wisdom. He was wise and he was brave, but he didn't show it. He remains the real hero of Watership Down even though people are always attracted to Bigwig. To me Hazel is a more important and interesting character. Hazel was based on a wartime commander I had (see above). The real intellectual though is Blackberry, who is really overlooked. If you re-read it you'll notice what a part Blackberry plays!

I don't really think my mind works like that. A creative story is a story, though literature is a large umbrella...

Thank you - such a pleasure to hear. I think I have to say Watership Down, but my satisfaction in Shardik is a strange thing. I privately think the world of it, but I don't expect the full public to because it's such a difficult book. Shardik is the one I admire most as a professional achievement though.

I've often thought Tales from Watership Down was overlooked. There is a very good ghost story there for instance. I'd like to write more about the rabbits, but it's hard now as I have to wait for the right ideas, and I'm getting older.

I had none at all, but I had told stories since I was young. I wrote poetry at Oxford and I had to write a lot as a civil servant. At school I was considered a fine writer, both preparatory and secondary. I think it was a gift I was lucky to be given - but it is stimulated by good reading.

To tell you the truth it's rather interesting. The pickwick papers were very popular when they came out. Dickens thought they were frightfully funny. He thought to relieve the continual pressure of laughter it would be a good idea to have parentheses with more serious stories. If you look at the papers you'll see what I mean. Stories to remove from the main flow of humour. I borrowed this idea and worked it the other way around. In order to have some relief from the dramatic power of the main story, the parenthetical stories are funny.

As for rabbits, no idea.

I mentioned my thinking elsewhere regarding the film. I had little influence on the film's direction.

Oh Lord. I admire Tarka the Otter, and Salar the Salmon by Henry Williamson. I wish I had known him.

Maybe not akin, but I admire the Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.

A small project called The Adventures of Eggbox Dragon.

I find people nearly always regret tattoos to be honest, simply because it's such a commitment. I'm flattered that you'd consider it though - if you do, take a look at the new illustrated edition. Some wonderful pictures in there.

I will have my grandchildren track it down for me.

They certainly did! I mentioned a couple above, but many of the stories and characters were inspired by various events and people in real life.

Good, hooray! See above regarding plans for a BBC series.

Certainly, though I no longer own the rights. I'd welcome it.