Tarka the Otter

The other day I came across a short article about Henry Williamson, the 'Tarka the Otter' chap, in a Christmas present called 'Slightly Foxed' and was rather surprised to find that the author of this national treasure was a great admirer of Hitler and remained one throughout his long life.

First step was to take down our copy of 'Tarka the Otter', a book which I do not think I have read before, despite this copy appearing to have been bought secondhand at a sale by Cambridgeshire Libraries, and take a peek. I find that the book is very much in the earth bursting full of life genre, popular after the carnage of the first world war. A world which when not full of fat juicy buds just waiting to burst forth with new life at the coming of the spring was very red in tooth and claw. This book is in the latter category and is full of the gory details of an otter's daily routine, said to be based on years of patient observation, braving much cold and damp. A wonder that the chap did not die of rheumatism or pneumonia.

I find that the otter is a far more versatile carnivore than I had realised. It might take fish for preference but will also take frogs (which have a tough skin and needed to be peeled), ducks, swans, rabbits, chickens and pheasants. Ducks and swans by swimming up underneath them and making a grab for the neck. All this put otters on the gamekeeper's kill list. Presumably also the reason given for otter hunting, although this last came across as rather a brutal sport than a necessity, not least because in one early episode the dogs are called off Tarka's mother as she was visibly pregnant, not something one would do if one was hunting down vermin. Plus I find that a heron will take a rat should opportunity arise: spear the thing first then swallow whole. But I doubt if I shall read very much more, having found both subject matter and prose rather tiresome, this last chock full of all kinds of obscure country and dialect words for country things, words which were probably obscure and affected when the book was written getting on for a hundred years ago, never mind now. The thing might be a national treasure but I can't see many nationals reading it, young or old. Maybe most readers make do with a abridged text - although Amazon does not seem to offer one such. Only the full blown book.

Next step was to look into Williamson's politics, which the preface to Tarka by some military sounding eminence said nothing about at all. First I find that the Wikipedia article mentions his offensive views on matters Hitler but rather glosses over them. But second I find my way to a long article by a Mark Deavin which does not mince words at all. We have for example: 'And in one scene Phillip Maddison, in conversation with his girl friend Laura, questions whether it was Hitler's essential goodness and righteousness that was responsible for his downfall in the midst of evil and barbarity'. And this at a site for something called the 'National Vanguard', the rules for membership for which (first paragraphs illustrated) I would have thought were not legal in this country. Both scary and depressing that such outfits exist in the free world.

But national treasure status is carefully guarded in the holiday areas of North Devon where they make a great thing of all things tarkish. Perhaps someone ought to tell Devon County Council that Williamson is not just furry animals which put bums on seats.

PS: I did wonder whether the National Vanguard site was not some kind of tasteless spoof. But I don't think so.