Home > Facts > Authors Facts > Kenneth Grahame Facts

Kenneth Grahame Facts

Kenneth Grahame Facts
Kenneth Grahame was a Scottish writer best known for his classic piece of children's literature The Wind in the Willows. He was born March 8th, 1859 in Edinburgh, Scotland. His father was a sheriff with a drinking problem and his mother died when Kenneth was only five, leaving him and his three siblings to be raised with their grandmother. Kenneth attended Oxford's St. Edwards when he was nine, but despite his intelligence he could not afford to continue studies at Oxford and eventually began working at a bank. While working at the bank Kenneth emerged himself in the literary world in London, and began publishing stories in various periodicals. When he married and had a son, he found the inspiration to write his best known work The Wind in the Willows.
Interesting Kenneth Grahame Facts:
Kenneth Grahame had three siblings Willie, Helen and Roland.
The area in which Kenneth was raised including Quarry Wood and River Thames is believed to have inspired the setting in Kenneth's later work The Wind in the Willows.
Kenneth worked at the Bank of England, beginning in 1879. He eventually retired in 1908 with the position of Secretary. It is believed that a shooting incident ended his career at the bank, when a bank director shot at Kenneth three times and missed.
In 1899 Kenneth Grahame married Elspeth Thompson, two years after they first met. They had a son Alastair. Alastair was born blind on one eye and had health problems all his life, which ended tragically when he was only 20 years old.
Kenneth began writing in his 20s and was published in the St. James Gazette, The Yellow Book, and the National Observer, among other periodicals.
Kenneth Grahame wrote several short stories about orphaned children which he titled The Olympians. 18 of these short stories went on to be published as a collection titled The Golden Age in 1895.
Dream Days was the second short story collection published by Kenneth Grahame, in 1898.
When they were published, both Dream Days and The Golden Age were highly acclaimed.
Kenneth Grahame published The Headswoman in 1898.
When Kenneth's son Alastair was born, with disability and health issues, Kenneth's writing slowed down. He began telling his son bedtime stories that incorporated the characters that would later become The Wind in the Willows.
Kenneth wrote down his stories for his son, which later became the book he became so well known for writing. Despite several rejections The Wind in the Willows was published in 1908.
The Wind in the Willows was commercially successful at first, but not critically successful.
U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt met Kenneth Grahame when he visited Oxford in 1910, because he was a fan of The Wind in the Willows.
Kenneth Grahame died in Berkshire in 1932 at the age of 73.
Kenneth Grahame's story The Reluctant Dragon, published in 1898, was later made into a Walt Disney movie of the same name. It has also been featured on TV and other media since its initial movie in 1941.
The Wind in the Willows has been adapted to stage, film, and television.


Related Links:
Facts
Authors Facts
Animals Facts
Literature
Literature Summary
Literature Quizzes