Tarka the Otter

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Tarka the Otter: His Joyful Water-Life and Death in the Country of the Two Rivers is a novel by Henry Williamson. The book narrates the experience of an otter. It was first published in 1927 by G.P. Putnam's Sons, with an introduction by the Hon. Sir John Fortescue, K.C.V.O..

Contents

1 Plot summary
2 Major themes
3 Awards and nominations
4 Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
5 Release details
6 External links

Plot summary

[Spoiler warningSpoiler warning]: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Major themes

Spoilers end here.

Awards and nominations

The book won the Hawthornden Prize. It features illustrations by Charles Tunnicliffe.

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

[Spoiler warningSpoiler warning]: Plot and/or ending details follow.

In 1974, Williamson began working on a script for a film treatment of the novel, but it was not regarded as suitable to film. Filming for the movie went on unknown to him. The movie, narrated by Peter Ustinov, was released in 1979, with a screenplay by Gerald Durrell.

The hunt sequence was the climax of the story, in which Tarka is forced to fight and sacrifices himself to vanquish Deadlock in a tale of simple morality. If Tarka and Deadlock have killed each other however, the story becomes a classic tragedy, which is highly ambivalent. Is it perhaps the eternal struggle?

:—Peter Talbot, [link]

Williamson was very ill when filming started and died before its completion. His son and daughter-in-law are actually in the film however.

It was voted the 98th greatest family film in a Channel 4 poll.

Release details

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1927, UK, G. P. Putnams Sons ISBN ?, Pub date ? ? 1927, Hardback
1965, UK, Bodley Head ISBN ?, Pub date 1965, Hardback
1971, UK, Puffin Books ISBN 0140300600, Pub date ? January 1971, Paperback (C.F. Tunnicliffe, Illustrator)
1981, USA, Nelson Thornes ISBN 0333306023, Pub date ? March 1981, Hardcover (C.F. Tunnicliffe, Illustrator)
1982, USA, Salem House Publishers ISBN 0370309197, Pub date ? ? 1982, Paperback
1990, USA, Beacon Press ISBN 0807085073, Pub date ? ? 1990, Paperback (Concord Library Series)
1995, UK, Puffin Books ISBN 0140366210, Pub date 29 June 1995, Paperback (Annabel Large, Illustrator)

External links

[}}} }] at the Internet Movie Database
[Tarka the Otter entry] at everything2.
[Website of Peter Talbot, animal handler for the film]

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