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For the hill named Watership Down, see Watership Down, Hampshire.

Watership Down is the title of Richard Adams's first and most successful novel, starring a group of rabbits and named after a hill in the north of Hampshire in England where Adams grew up. It was first published in the United Kingdom by Rex Collings Ltd in 1972. Initially based on a collection of tales that Adams told to his young children on trips to the countryside, the book endured 13 rejections from publishers before finally breaking through.

The book's "gimmick" is that these are no storybook rabbits — figuratively speaking — they are significantly less anthropomorphized than the average fictional animal. Technology or articles of clothing are out of the question. Though for purposes of fiction they are depicted as sapient and capable of speech, the rabbits have the physical attributes and fierce instincts of their real-life counterparts. Furthermore, the author has gone so far as to construct a culture for his rabbits, including a language (Lapine), proverbs, poetry and mythology. More than one chapter consists of pieces of Lapine lore. Watership Down is one of the legendary classics of xenofiction - many editions include an appendix of Lapine vocabulary. It is thus not an animal fable like the works of Aesop but a genuine heroic fantasy.

Contents 1 Story 2 Characters 3 Interpretation and influence 4 Cultural References 5 Editions 5.1 UK editions 5.2 US editions 6 Translations 7 External links

Story

Watership Down tells the story of a group of rebellious rabbits who — against the wishes of their Chief Rabbit — escape from their threatened warren, and of their subsequent adventures. They find sanctuary by building their own warren on the down for which the book is titled, but the story continues after this.

Characters

Most of the rabbits in the book have a distinct personality.

The original group that leaves the Sandleford warren, all bucks, consists of the following. (Names are given as they most often appear in the book. These are mostly nicknames: Where they have an original "leporine" name, it's given in parentheses along with its meaning in that language.)

• Hazel, the leader, eventually Hazel-rah, the Chief Rabbit who is quiet, but has a talent for bringing out the best in his subordinates.
• Fiver (Hrairoo, "Little Thousand"), Hazel's little brother, small and weak but also the seer.
• Dandelion, the storyteller and the fastest rabbit.
• Blackberry, the thinker.
• Bigwig (Thlayli, "Fur-head"), the best fighter and the strongest rabbit, a member of the Owsla (ruling elite) of Sandleford warren.
• Silver, with silver fur, the main fighter besides Bigwig, and also a member of the Sandleford Owsla.
• Buckthorn, also a fighter.
• Pipkin, small and weak but also very loyal to Hazel.
• Speedwell, Acorn, Hawkbit, who are rather unremarkable.

They are later joined by:

• Strawberry, from Cowslip's warren.
• Holly, former Chief of the Sandleford Owsla and a capable fighter.
• Bluebell, the jokester, a member of the Sandleford Owsla.
• hutch rabbits: one buck (Boxwood) and two does (Haystack and Clover) (another buck, Laurel, is left behind).
• Blackavar, Efrafan rebel and prisoner.
• eight Efrafan does (originally ten, but two died during the escape from Efrafa), most notably Hyzenthlay, Thethuthinnang and Vilthuril.

Non-rabbit allies:

• Kehaar, the gull.
• the unnamed mouse whom Hazel saves from a kestrel.

Enemies

• General Woundwort militaristic rabbit warlord.

Interpretation and influence

Watership Down is notable as an ensemble story, with multiple protagonists who each serve a useful function under quietly competent leadership. Although Adams has always stated that the book was intended to be a children's story, many fans see the book as a political allegory attacking fascism and appeasement as Animal Farm attacked Stalinism. This opinion is supported by a plot involving visits to two other warrens whose political philosophies are depicted as antagonistic and repugnant. One of these is Efrafa, ruled with a merciless iron fist by the powerful and insane General Woundwort who becomes the story's principal antagonist. The other is known only as Cowslip's Warren: the rabbits there grow fat on food left out for them by a local farmer, yet it is common knowledge (but never openly said) that the farmer has wire traps set out to catch the rabbits; these rabbits accept the risk of sudden death for the benefit of an easy life. Adams has gone far enough to state that the personalities of the two principal hero rabbits, Hazel and Bigwig, are based on fellow officers he knew while a paratrooper during World War II.

Adams' father makes a cameo appearance (as "Doctor Adams") near the end of the book, in a chapter entitled "Dea Ex Machina" after the literary technique.

Watership Down has become a modern classic and won the Carnegie Medal in 1972. In 1978 the book was adapted as an acclaimed animated film, directed by Martin Rosen. In 1999, an animated television series, Watership Down, was also coproduced by Martin Rosen.

• Watership Down is Penguin Books' best selling book of all time.

• In 1996, Adams wrote a sequel of sorts, a collection of linked short stories titled Tales from Watership Down. This book provided much of the basis for the 1999 TV series.

• In 2003, Watership Down came 42nd in a public vote for the 100 greatest books of all time taken by the BBC.

Cultural References

• The RPG Bunnies and Burrows is unofficially based on Watership Down.
• Watership Down has been credited by George Lucas for providing inspiration in creating a "fictional universe" in Star Wars.
• The ABC Television show Lost references Watership Down by having the fictional character Sawyer read the book on that show.
• The Director's Cut version of Donnie Darko includes references to and clips from the Watership Down movie.

Editions

There have been over 300 editions of Watership Down in English - these are just a few of the ones known.

UK editions

• ISBN 0140306013 (Puffin, paperback, 1973)
• ISBN 0140039589 (Penguin, paperback, 1974)
• ISBN 0140364536 (Puffin Modern Classics, paperback, 1993)
• ISBN 0141186666 (Penguin Modern Classics, paperback, 2001)

US editions

• ISBN 0027000303 (hardcover, 1974)
• ISBN 0606050809 (prebound, 1975)
• ISBN 0380004283 (paperback, 1976, Anniversary Edition)
• ISBN 0380002930 (mass market paperback, 1976)
• ISBN 1568492502 (library binding, 1994, reprint)
• ISBN 068483605X (hardcover, 1996)
• ISBN 0783880812 (hardcover, 1997, Large Type Edition)
• ISBN 0060935456 (paperback, 2001)

Translations

• Danish: Kaninbjerget (The Rabbit Mountain)
• French: Les Garennes de Watership Down (The Warrens of Watership Down)
• German: Unten am Fluss (Down by the River)
• Italian: La collina dei conigli (The Rabbits' Hill)
• Japanese: ウォーターシップ・ダウンのうさぎたち (Watership Down no Usagi-tachi/The Rabbits of Watership Down)
• Polish: Wodnikowe wzgorze (Aquarius Hill)
• Spanish: La Colina de Watership (Watership Hill)
• Swedish: Den långa flykten (The Long Escape)
• Finnish: Ruohometsän kansa (Folk of the Grass Forest)

External links

• Bestseller database entry
• Article on the book by John D. Rateliff
• The Real Watership Down: Photographs and descriptions of the story's setting
• A Tribute to Watership Down, including Lapine Glossary
• A literary pilgrimage to Watership Down
• Watership Down publication history at the Internet Book List
• Watership Down publication history at The Internet Book Database of Fiction
• Watership Down publication history at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database

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