Famous Eccentric Writers And Their Unusual Pets
Animals have always had a huge impact on our lives and have become indispensable to us from both an individual and a cultural point of view. Of course, all pets are great creatures! But today we want to tell you about some particularly extraordinary specimens that various eccentric writers kept as pets.
When you come home exhausted and tired after a long day at work, there’s nothing like being greeted by a pet. It is scientifically proven that animals improve physical and emotional wellbeing. Hence, their beneficial effects on human health are very well known.
In addition, pets have always been a source of inspiration in art, literature, or music. If you want to know what extraordinary animals some eccentric writers had at home, then you should definitely read on!
Eccentric writers and their extraordinary pets
Charles Dickens and his Raven Grip
Charles Dickens is a well-known writer who also called himself a great animal lover. Therefore, at home he was always surrounded by numerous cats, dogs and other more exotic pets.
Among the latter were ponies and eagles and a raven named Grip. He named it after his historical novel Barnaby Rudge (in German: The Faith War of London ), in which the raven played a leading role. In fact, it was Charles Dickens who inspired Edgar Allan Poe’s admiration for ravens.
However, ravens are very intelligent birds that are able to make tools for themselves. Plus, they can even mimic human sounds. And their minds have been the subject of numerous scientific studies.
Writers and their extraordinary pets: Gérard’s lobster and Virgil’s fly
Both the French poet Gérard de Nerval and the Roman poet Virgil kept unusual pets. While Gérard and his lobster repeatedly contributed to the amusement of the Parisian population in the 19th century, the Romans were in the 1st century BC. More than amazed at Virgil and his fly.
Well, you will surely agree that keeping a pet bow tie or lobster is quite unusual! But Gérard thought these crustaceans would be ideal pets because they are more peaceful creatures and do not bark.
The flies are rather short-lived insects that are somewhat unpleasant for the majority of the population due to their buzz. However, Virgil seemed to have a different opinion, although flies carried diseases such as cholera, dysentery and myiasis (fly maggot disease).
Dorothy Parker kept crocodiles as pets
Dorothy Parker was an American poet and playwright who was highly praised for her sarcasm and wit. Her sense of humor was so black that she adopted some crocodiles as pets.
Obviously , these facts do not seem to have impressed Dorothy in any way. And in a way she was right in her assessment, because most accidents with these animals are due to human ignorance.
Writers and Their Extraordinary Pets: Lord Byron’s Zoo
Lord Byron was not just a famous poet. In addition, he was also a great animal lover and there are numerous anecdotes about him and his animals.
One of the most famous tells of how he kept a bear. Lord Byron had enrolled at Trinity College, Cambridge, but could not take his dog there.
But he had a very creative idea. His solution was to take a trained brown bear raised in captivity. When the headmaster asked why the bear was there, Lord Byron replied that “he wanted to apply for a scholarship”.
It is reported that Lord Byron had a veritable zoo at home as he kept a large number of animals. These included dogs, horses, cats and such unusual animals as a bear, a badger, an eagle and an Egyptian crane.
We want to end this article by recognizing the important role pets play for their owners. Thanks to their presence, we can enjoy nature and develop a sense of responsibility and common sense.
In addition , animals can even appeal to a person’s artistic streak by inspiring us to compose music, write literature, and create other types of art. Or they simply put a smile on our faces when they accompany us every step of the way.
