The Wind in the Willows is a children's novel by Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. Alternately slow-moving and fast-paced, it focuses on four anthropomorphised animals in a pastoral version of Edwardian England. The novel is notable for its mixture of mysticism, adventure, morality and camaraderie, and celebrated for its evocation of the nature of the Thames Valley. In addition to the main narrative, the book also contains several independent short stories featuring Rat and Mole, which explore human emotions -the emotions of fear, nostalgia, awe and wanderlust.These stories appear for the most part between the chapters chronicling Toad's adventures, and are often omitted from abridgements and dramatisations. The novel was in its 31st printing when playwright A. A. Milne adapted part of it for the stage as Toad of Toad Hall in 1929. 1946 saw the first of several film adaptions. In 2003, it was listed at number 16 in the BBC's survey The Big Read.
About the Author
Kenneth Grahame was a Scottish author, best known for writing the children's book The Wind in the Willows.Kenneth Grahame was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on March 8, 1859. At the age of 9, he began attending St. Edward's in Oxford. He did well at school, achieving awards in Latin, theology and rugby. Despite his intellectual capabilities, Grahame lacked the money to study at Oxford. He took a job at the Bank of England, where he worked as a clerk. This position brought him to London, where the bank was based. While working there, he wrote in his spare time, authoring several books before achieving success with The Wind in the Willows in 1908. During his early years in London, Grahame became involved in local literary circles. He started out publishing essays in small publications. He then branched out to publish in literary magazines, including the St. James Gazette, the National Observer and the Yellow Book.
