Category Biopic

Whether it is the wicked Captain Hook or the swashbuckling Jack Sparrow, pirates and their seafaring adventures make for gripping stories and action-packed films. But how well do you know the man who popularised pirates and their colourful attire in fiction?

Meet Robert Louis Stevenson, a prolific Scottish writer and poet who shaped our perception of pirates with his acclaimed book Treasure Island. Remember Long John Silver, one of its main characters, with a wooden leg. Eye-patch and a shrewd parrot sitting on his shoulder, who became the face of the quintessential seafaring bandit

Early life

Stevenson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on November 13, 1850. His family was in the business of lighthouse engineering and so his vacations were often spent on sea voyages to inspect lighthouses on exotic islands around Europe. This kindled in him a desire for travelling and adventures, which stayed with him for the rest of his life.

On a treasure hunt

Stevenson was confined to bed frequently due to his poor health – he suffered from chronic bronchitis (possibly tuberculosis). While he could no longer embark on expeditions himself, it did not stop him from dreaming about adventures. Using his imagination, he came up with some of his best stories during this period most notably “Treasure Island”, “Kidnapped.” The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” and “The Black Arrow

He hit upon the idea for “Treasure Island” while drawing a map for his 12-year-old stepson. He conjured up a pirate adventure story to accompany the drawing. The story got published in a boys magazine and was an instant hit. By the end of the 1880s, it was one of the period’s most popular and widely read books. It gave Stevenson his first real taste of success. The character of Long John Silver was inspired by a real person – Stevenson’s friend, William Henley, who was an energetic and talkative man with a wooden leg.

Exploring the human mind the inspiration for another one of his great works, “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, the spine-chilling tale of a person with a split personality, came to him in a feverish dream. When he woke up, he could still remember the first few scenes, including the first transformation scene. Building on these sketches, he penned the masterpiece. The novel became so popular that today, the phrase “Jekyll and Hyde” has entered the dictionary to refer to people with an unpredictably dual nature.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Following the Stevenson trail: Stevenson went on a 12-day solo trek through the sparse and impoverished areas of the Cevennes mountains in south-central France. He hiked for nearly 200 km through barren rocky hillsides with a donkey – he named Modestine – as his only companion. He recounted his journey in “Travels With a Donkey in the Cevennes” It is one of the earliest accounts that presents hiking and camping outdoors as a recreational activity. Even today, hikers -sometimes with donkeys – retrace his route, which is now an official French footpath, the GR70 also known as the Stevenson Trail.
• His legacy lives on: In June 1888, Stevenson chartered the yacht Casco and set sail with his family from San Francisco. He wandered around the Pacific before settling down in the Samoan Islands. The locals fondly called him Tusitala (“Teller of Tales) and consulted him on all important matters. On December 3, 1894, Stevenson died of a cerebral haemorrhage at the age of 44. The Samoans carried their Tusitala on their shoulders and buried him near Mount Vaea, on a spot overlooking the sea, with a requiem, Here he lies where he longed to be: Home is the sailor, home from sea inscribed on his grave. The Samoans loved him so much that this requiem has been translated into a song of grief, which continues to be sung in Samoa.

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Alfred Nobel was born in Sweden on October 21, 1833. He was interested in literature, but his family steered him towards chemical engineering, to follow his father’s example. Nobel’s father Immanuel was an engineer who experimented with different explosives.

An explosive discovery

Once while mixing different additives to nitroglycerine, Nobel discovered that adding fine sand – silica – turns the liquid into paste, which made it safer and easier to handle. He moulded the paste into rods, which could be inserted into holes for controlled explosions. Nobel patented his discovery as dynamite. Always eager to experiment and innovate, he acquired as many as 355 patents during his lifetime; most of them dealt with manufacturing arms and helped him earn a fortune.

A change of heart

An unusual incident that took place in 1888 forced Nobel to re-evaluate his life. A French newspaper mistakenly published an obituary on him (instead of his brother Ludvig who had died due to a heart attack.) Titled “The Merchant of Death,” it criticised Nobel for the sale of arms. The error was later corrected, but it continued to prick his conscience. On November 27, 1895, Nobel signed his last will and testament, stipulating that 94% of his assets should be used to establish a series of five awards to felicitate excellence in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Medicine and Physiology, Literature and Peace. Nobel died in 1896 and the Nobel Prizes were handed out for the very first time in 1901.

ON THE 2020 HONOUR ROLL

• Chemistry: Jointly awarded to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna “for the development of a method for genome editing.”
• Physics: One half to Roger Penrose for the discovery that black hole formation is a robust prediction of the general theory of relativity” and the other half jointly to Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez “for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the centre of our galaxy.”
• Physiology and Medicine: Shared between Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice “for the discovery of Hepatitis C virus.”
• Literature: U.S. poet Louise Glück for “her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal.”
• Peace: The UN World Food Programme (WFP).

DID YOU KNOW?

• Have you ever wondered why the Nobel Prize winners are called laureates? The word Laureate’ refers to the laurel wreath’ which is a symbol of victory and honour in Greek mythology.
• Marie Curie is the only person who was awarded the Nobel in two different scientific categories – Physics and Chemistry.
• Malala Yousafzai is the youngest to win the Nobel. She was only 17 when she won the Nobel Peace Prize.
• John B. Goodenough is the oldest person to win the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. He won in 2019 at the age of 97.
•  

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Whether it is Peter Rabbit, Peppa the Pig or Winnie the Pooh, stories of talking animals are an integral part of our childhood. And the doctor who has an ability to talk to and understand animals holds a special place in our heads.

Doctor Dolittle first appeared in Hugh Lofting’s book. “The Story of Doctor Dolittle” in 1920, and was republished almost annually thereafter, as were many of the 11 other books in the series. But the character’s popularity grew because of the film versions – starring Eddie Murphy and the latest, Robert Downey Jr.

Who was Hugh Lofting?

A civil engineer by training, Lofting created children’s literature’s classic character Doctor Dolittle from the British Army trenches during World War I. He often wrote letters to his children from the battlefield. On their request, he began including drawings of animals were mistreated in the army. For instance, injured horses were shot dead and not treated. He imagined that humans would be less cruel towards animals if they could read their minds or communicate with them. And so he wrote stories of talking animals in his letters. These letters formed the basis of “The Story of Doctor Dolittle.”

Different faces of Doctor Dolittle

Even a century after his creation, Doctor Dolittle remains a popular character in children’s literature. However, the good doctor has undergone many transformations over the years as the books were adapted to be silver screen multiple times.

In the book, Lofting depicted Dolittle as a portly physician living in the Victorian era. He starts a veterinary practice after learning the secret of speaking to his parrot Polynesia. As his fame spreads throughout the animal world, he sets off on wild adventures across the world.

The first three books in the series were merged into a 1967 Hollywood film starring Rex Harrison as the doctor. Though this film did not do well at the box office, it won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and Best Original Song.

It was the comedian Eddie Murphy who immortalized the nutty titular character in the 1998 version of the film “Dr. Dolittle”. The film’s success spawned many sequels and spin-offs.

The latest version of the doctor is played by Robert Downey Jr. in “Dolittle” which released earlier this year.

• Oh really?
• Lofting’s experience in the army trenches turned him against war and the glorification of combat, including in children’s books. In 1942, he published “Victory for the Slain,” an epic poem about the futility of war.
• “The Story of Doctor Dolittle” won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1958. The sequel “The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle” won Lofting the prestigious Newbery Medal in 1923. Eight more books followed during his lifetime, however, two more were published posthumously. They contained short previously unpublished pieces. Lofting passed away on September 26, 1947.

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Who is Quentin Blake?

An English cartoonist, illustrator and designer, Quentin Blake is known for his collaborations with children’s author Roald Dahl. Through his expressive style, Blake breathed life into Dahl’s endearing characters such as the gentle BFG, the graceful Matilda, and the toe-curling Witches. He also created other memorable characters in children’s literature. And there is no stopping the octogenarian. He continues to sketch, winning the hearts of millions of children even today.

Early life

Blake grew up in Sidcup in the U.K. with a pencil in his hand. A self-taught artist, he never went to an art school. He learned to draw on his own by poring over the technical plans, or drawings, of machines that his father, a civil servant, brought home.

At 16 while still in school, his first sketches were published in the Punch magazine. He entered the children’s book sphere when he illustrated “A Drink of Water” by John Yeoman in 1960. He went on to become the head of the illustration department at the Royal College of Art in 1978, and served there till 1986.

Friendship with Dahl

Blake became friends with Dahl when he began to draw the BFG, Dahl rejected the first two sets of illustrations and even sent Blake one of his old sandals with a note stating “this was what the BFG should be wearing and not the clumsy knee-length boots” that he drawn.

Blake went to visit Dahl at his home in Gypsy House, at Great Missenden, northwest of London. There he saw Dahl with his family, especially his granddaughter Sophie after whom the little girl in “The BFG” was named. It prompted him to re-think the character of the giant as he found a similarity between the BFG and Dahl. Both were “tall men who put dreams into the heads of children.” At first, he had drawn the BFG with a clown face. But he redrew him in a “gentler manner” and made him “grandfatherly.”

The making of Matilda

Like the BFG, Blake created the character of Matilda in his unique style. She was drawn repeatedly until her face exuded “not her intelligence exactly, but her magic powers”. Willy Wonka’s appearance was also Blake’s visualization. He drew Wonka like a sprite because everything that happened inside his factory seemed unreal, like a fairy tale.

Such examples show that Blake gave shape to Dahl’s characters in his own way and that he did not blindly follow Dahl’s instructions. Perhaps, that’s why Dahl entrusted only Blake with his work. Blake has illustrated almost all of his books. Dahl’s final book, “Billy and the Minpins” was the only children’s book Blake did not originally illustrate, but a new updated version includes Blake’s illustrations.

Centre for illustration

A new gallery dedicated to Quentin Blake will open in London in 2022. The Quentin Blake Centre for illustration will become the world’s largest public arts space.

The House of illustration in King’s Cross, founded by Blake in 2014, will make way for the new centre in Islington. The Quentin Blake Centre for illustration will be built at an estimated cost of whopping $8 million.

It will feature exhibition galleries, education studios, and events spaces.

It will also become a permanent home for Blake’s archive of over 40,000 drawings.

Oh really?

• Blake has worked with other children’s literature authors, including Russell Hoban, Joan Aiken, Michael Rosen and David Walliams. His own heavily illustrated and quirky books include “Mister Magnolia”, “Zagazoo” and “Loveykins”.
• Blake was honoured with a knighthood in 2013 for his work as an illustrator.
• So far, he was illustrated more than 300 books, Blake also works with hospitals and mental health units, decorating buildings with his sketches.

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Kirby’s origin story

From Captain America and The Hulk to The X-Men and the adorable Groot, comic look artist Jack Kirby breathed life into some of Marvel’s biggest and most popular superheroes. Sadly, he never got due recognition in his lifetime.

Written in the form of a graphic novel, “The Epic Life of the King of Comics” by Tom Scioli tells the improbable tale of how a young kid raised in the streets of New York became the most important figure in the evolution of comics.

Rough-and-tumble life

Born as Jacob Kurtzberg on August 28, 1917, Kirby lived in the Lower East Side of Manhattam – a neighbourhood infamous for its violent street gangs, Kirby too joined one of the gangs and led a rough life – partly due to poor financial conditions at home. Years later, these experiences helped him come up with dynamic fight and action sequences in his comics.

Drawing from scrap

The timeless characters that Kirby created are testament to his talent. But id you know how Kirby learnt to draw? No, he could not afford to study at any fancy art school. Instead, he practised his art skills using newspapers stolen from his neighbour’s trash can.

At the age of 11, he started drawing cartoons for the local newspaper. A few years later, he was hired to illustrate columns such as “Your Health Comes First” and “Facts You Never Knew” by another newspaper. From there he moved on to Max Fleischer’s animation studio where he worked for a while creating backgrounds for “Popeye” cartoons.

A timely choice

Working with Timely Comics (which eventually became Marvel), Kirby partnered with writer Joe Simon to come up with the shield-bearing Captain America.

While he was busy illustrating the eye-popping fight scenes of the Cap on paper, he soon experienced them in real life. In 1943, he got drafted into the Army to fight in WWII. On learning of Kirby’s background in the comics industry, his lieutenant made him a scout who would advance into towns and draw reconnaissance maps and pictures, an extremely dangerous duty. During one such mission in Normandy, he nearly lost his leg to frost-bite.

Working with Stan Lee

Kirby worked on several projects with Marvel comics figurehead Stan Lee, and Steve Ditko. They came up with legendary characters such as Fantastic Four, Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Anti-Man, the collective Avengers, Silver Surfer and the X-Men. But while Lee come into the limelight, Kirby and Ditko remained in the shadows.

At Marvel, Kirby struggled for better pay, royalties, and the return of original artwork.

Later, he worked for other publications including DC Comics, created the Fourth World saga, which includes New Gods, an integral part of the DC universe. He also worked with Neil Gaiman to revive the “Sandman” series.

Work ethic

Kirby was known for his strict work ethic. In his prime, Kirby would draw three or four pages a day, resulting in thousands of pages over the course of his career.

Legacy

Kirby died in 1994, but his name remains etched in stone in the comic world.

Did you know?

• In 2017, Kirby was posthumously named a Disney Legend with Lee for their co-creations, which formed the heart of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
• The Jack Kirby Award was presented in his honour from 985-1987 for achievement in comic books.
• Kirby produced over 25,000 pages during his lifetime as well as hundreds of comic strips and sketches.

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Alan Alexander (A.A.) Milne’s collection of children’s stories about a little boy named Christopher Robin and his beloved little bear made him a household name.

Generations of children all over the world grew up loving the tales of Winnie-the-Pooh and the friendly animals of the Hundred Acre Wood.

But while the poems and stories continue to enthrall readers even today, their creator Milne himself was never able to enjoy his success. The honey-eating bear overshadowed all his other work and was the cause of a bitter feud with his son, the real-life Christopher Robin who had inspired Milne to create the fictional characters.

Who was A.A. Milne?

Born in London on January 18, 1882, Milne was the son of John Vine, a headmaster of a small boys’ school in England. Milne had an extraordinary flair for writing from a young age. Despite a graduate degree in mathematics from Trinity College, Cambridge, Milne chose to pursue a career in literature. His first big break was working for the leading British humour magazine Punch.

War experiences

Milne served in the British Army during World War I. Fighting in the Battle of Somme, he witnessed the harsh realities of war. His best friend was “blown to pieces just as he was settling down for tea,” while another friend was killed by a German sniper. Disturbed by his war experiences, Milne took refuge in writing. He became a successful playwright and a screenwriter.

Milne and Robin

Christopher Robin, born on August 21, 1920, was Milne’s son. On his first birthday, Robin received a stuffed bear as a present and named it Edward. The child soon accumulated a collection of similar animals, which inspired Milne to spin whimsical stories around the toys. He created the world of Pooh and the Hundred Acre Wood, along with illustrator Ernest Shepherd who brought the tales to life through his expressive drawings. The first book, a collection of children’s poems titled “When We Were Very Young”, came out in 1924, shortly after Robin’s fourth birthday. It sold more than 50,000 copies in eight weeks. Three more short stories followed.

Rift with Robin

But as the popularity of the series grew, it made life incredibly difficult for Milne’s young son., Robin. He was bullied in school for resembling the eponymous fictional character. His classmates taunted him by reciting lines from Milne’s books and poems.

The 2017 biopic, “Goodbye Christopher Robin” an iconic scene between the father and son, shows his agony – “You asked me to write a book for you” says the father. The son replies: “Yes, for me not about me!”

Robin has elaborated on his feelings towards his father and character in his memoir “The Enchanted Places.” “At home I still liked him (his father), indeed felt at times quite proud that I shared his name and was able to bask in some of his glory. At school, however, I began to dislike him, and I found myself disliking him more and more the older I got,” it reads. The father-son relationship strained as a result.

Bear in mind

Even Milne eventually came to resent the honey-eating bear as it eclipsed all that he had accomplished as a poet, playwright, peace campaigner and novelist. As he put it in 1952, he created Winnie-the-Pooh, “little thinking/ All my years of pen-and-inking/ Would be almost lost among/ Those four trifles for the young”.

Did you know?

• The first volume of Milne’s “Winnie-the-Pooh” series published in 1926, consisted of 10 short stories, which were later adapted by Disney into a cartoon series. It was followed by the second volume “House at Pooh Corner” in 1928.
• Milne also wrote for different audiences spanning different genres such as war and politics. In 1922, he wrote a mystery novel called “Red House Mystery.”
• Milne and Arthur Conan Doyle played on the same cricket team Allahakberries.
• A talented mathematician, Milne won a scholarship to study at one of the world’s most restricted institutions, Trinity College, Cambridge.
• The original map of Winnie-the-Pooh’s Hundred Acre Wood by Ernest Shepherd sold at an auction in Sotheby’s in London for 430,000 pounds, a record price for a book illustration.
• The name Winnie came from a brown bear that young Robin visited in the London Zoo. The bear was rescued by a veterinarian doctor from Canada, Harry Colebourn in 1914, who named it Winnipeg, after his hometown.
• The character has always been referred to as a ‘he’ in the literary works and films.

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