Brian Jacques, 1939–2011
The milkman who sold 20 million books
Delivering milk on his rounds in Liverpool, England, Brian Jacques was invited in for tea at the Royal Wavertree School for the Blind. He offered to read books to the children, he recalled in a 2001 interview, but found the stories “dreadful” and devoid of inspiration. So Jacques attempted a children’s novel of his own, eventually producing a hand-scrawled 800-page manuscript, which he handed to a former schoolteacher of his (who had also taught Paul McCartney and George Harrison). The teacher passed the manuscript to a publisher, who in 1986 gave Jacques a five-book deal—resulting in the Redwall books, one of the most beloved series in children’s literature.
The son of a truck driver, Jacques grew up near the Liverpool docks during World War II, said the London Independent, “which meant that for the first years of his life he had the almost daily experience of German bombs falling.” He became a merchant seaman at age 15 and proceeded to work as a truck driver, longshoreman, boxer, folksinger, and bobby. But Jacques had always had a literary flair. At age 10 he wrote a story about a bird and a crocodile that was so skillfully wrought that his teacher beat him for alleged plagiarism.
He was in his 40s by the time he wrote his first adventure story, said the Los Angeles Times. “Drawing on the British traditions of literary animals and pop medievalism, Jacques invented a world set around fictional Redwall Abbey,” where the good guys—mice, badgers, and squirrels—vanquish a cast of villains including ferrets, snakes, and weasels. Filled with battles, quests, and cliff-hangers, the books depict a constant conflict between good and evil. “Mice are my heroes,” Jacques said, “because, like children, mice are little and have to learn to be courageous and use their wits.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“Published in more than 20 countries, the Redwall books have sold more than 20 million copies and inspired an animated series,” said The New York Times. The 22nd Redwall book, The Rogue Crew, is scheduled to be published in May. In addition, Jacques wrote plays, short stories, poems, and songs. Remaining in Liverpool after his books had made him wealthy, he preferred to write in warm weather beneath an apple tree in his backyard. “I have a working-class ethic,” he said. “I get up in the morning and I still feel guilty about being a famous author.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Shardlake: a 'tightly plotted, gorgeously atmospheric piece of television'
The Week Recommends Arthur Hughes captivates in this 'eminently watchable' Tudor murder mystery
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Major League Baseball is facing an epidemic of pitcher's injuries
Under the Radar Many insiders are blaming the pitch clock for the rise in injuries — but the league is not so sure
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
8 movie musicals that prove the screen can share the stage
The Week Recommends The singing and dancing, bigger than life itself
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
Benjamin Zephaniah: trailblazing writer who 'took poetry everywhere'
Why Everyone's Talking About Remembering the 'radical' wordsmith's 'wit and sense of mischief'
By The Week UK Published
-
Shane MacGowan: the unruly former punk with a literary soul
Why Everyone's Talking About The Pogues frontman died aged 65
By The Week UK Published
-
'Euphoria' star Angus Cloud dies at 25
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Legendary jazz and pop singer Tony Bennett dies at 96
Speed Read
By Devika Rao Published
-
Martin Amis: literary wunderkind who ‘blazed like a rocket’
feature Famed author, essayist and screenwriter died this week aged 73
By The Week Staff Published
-
Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian folk legend, is dead at 84
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Barry Humphries obituary: cerebral satirist who created Dame Edna Everage
feature Actor and comedian was best known as the monstrous Melbourne housewife and Sir Les Patterson
By The Week Staff Published
-
Mary Quant obituary: pioneering designer who created the 1960s look
feature One of the most influential fashion designers of the 20th century remembered as the mother of the miniskirt
By The Week Staff Published