Brian Jacques was born in Liverpool, England on June
15th, 1939. Along with forty percent of the population of
Liverpool, his ancestral roots are in Ireland. A well-known
radio personality in his native Liverpool--as well as an actor,
stand-up comic, and playwright--Brian was the host of "Jakestown"
on BBC Radio Merseyside. Ever the performer, Jacques applied his
acting and entertainment background to his lively presentations to
legions of young fans at schools across the United States and
England.
His interest in adventure stories began at an early age with
reading the books of: Daniel Defoe, Sir Henry Rider Haggard, Arthur
Conan Doyle, Sir Thomas Malory, Robert Michael Ballantyne, Robert
Louis Stevenson, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Kenneth Grahame. He
attended St. John's School, an inner city school that had its
playground on the roof. On his first day at St. John's, at the age
of ten, he had an experience that marked his potential as a writer.
When given an assignment of writing a story about animals, he wrote
about the bird that cleaned a crocodile's teeth. The teacher could
not, and would not, believe that a ten year old could write that
well. When young Brian refused to falsely say that he had copied
the story, he was caned as "a liar". He had always loved to write,
but it was only then, that he realized that he had a talent for
writing.
Some teachers at St. John's proved to be good role
models. This interest in poetry extended to Wordsworth,
Tennyson, and Goldsmith. It was also at St. John's that Brian met a
teacher, Alan Durband (who also taught two Beatles, Paul McCartney
and George Harrison), who, more than thirty years later would bring
about a major change in his life.
After Brian finished school at fifteen, he set out to find
adventure as a merchant seaman. He travelled to many far away
ports, including New York, Valparaiso, San Francisco, and Yokohama.
Tiring of the lonely life of a sailor, he returned to Liverpool
where he worked as a railway fireman, a longshoreman, a
long-distance truck driver, a bus driver, a boxer, a bobby (Police
Constable 216D), a postmaster, and a stand-up comic.
Penguin mourns the passing of celebrated children’s book author
Brian Jacques
Redwall lovers, rejoice! The epic continues! (Publishers Weekly)
Redwall lovers, rejoice! The epic continues with Taggerung, the 14th book in Brian Jacques's popular series. An otter born in Redwall Abbey is kidnapped by members of an opposing clan who believe he is destined to be a great Taggerung, or warrior hero; Tagg later rebels against his adoptive tribe and goes in search of his true home. (Sept.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Redwall lovers, rejoice! The epic continues! (Publishers Weekly)
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