James Brian Jacques and his Redwall

Autumn was at its peak. The wind whistled around the open gatehouse door, playing with the rustling golden leaves in the last rays of the fading day. Bella of Brockhall huddled in her old armchair by the hearth. From beneath half-closed eyelids, she watched a small mouse standing shyly at the entrance, peeking at her.

“Come in, little one, and close the door behind you.” The small mouse obeyed, encouraged by the friendly smile on the badger’s face. He climbed onto a chair and settled into a cushion.
“You promised me a story, Auntie Bella.” The badger nodded slowly.
“Do you hear the wind outside? It’s carrying away the last of the autumn leaves and heralding the arrival of winter. We’ve had a bountiful harvest this year, and you are free to enjoy its fruits, whether they be ripe apples or golden honey. I will tell you of ancient times, before the abbey of Redwall even stood. Of times when there was no freedom, and the inhabitants of Mossflower Woods suffered under the tyranny and oppression of Verdauga Greeneyes and his daughter, Tsarmina. It was a mouse, just like you, who saved us. His name is known to everyone today: Martin the Warrior.”

Redwall is the name of a British fantasy saga for children featuring anthropomorphic animal heroes. The stories from Redwall – the Red Abbey – have been translated into many languages and have sold tens of millions of copies worldwide. In the following lines, Zbyněk Holub, the translator of the first book Redwall: Martin the Warrior, will introduce you to this saga and its author.

The first book (titled Redwall in English) was published in 1986, and there are 22 books in total (the last one was published 3 months after the author's death in 2011). The inspiration for writing Redwall came to Brian Jacques from the Royal Wavertree School for the Blind in Liverpool (he later became its patron), where he delivered milk and volunteered to read to the blind children. That is precisely why he chose a flowery and descriptive narrative style, to bring the colorfulness of the surrounding world to life for his young readers as vividly as possible.

The books from the world of Mossflower Woods and its surroundings are written for children aged 8 to 14, but adult readers will enjoy them just as much. They take you into a setting inspired by the Middle Ages, where instead of magic and supernatural beings, you will find unique animal heroes fighting the battle between good and evil. Despite their playfulness, the Redwall stories have surprising depth; characters face moral dilemmas and sometimes even have to cope with the death of friends. Abroad, an entire community of fans has formed around Redwall, with interesting phenomena such as tattoos that some enthusiasts get.

The individual stories can be read independently; they take place in different eras of Redwall Abbey and usually feature unique heroes for each book. After the first volume, Redwall, there follows, for example, a prequel about the legendary Martin the Warrior.

In addition to colorful language, the author also played with the speech of different types of animal heroes. Otters, hares, snakes, and others all have their own dialects. Moles are a chapter in themselves. Their speech is based on the English Somerset dialect, where Brian Jacques listened to the locals while working as a truck driver. For the Czech translation of the "mole-speak," I was inspired by the Plzeň dialect (or rather, my wife gave me the idea).

The author of Redwall, James Brian Jacques (June 15, 1939 – February 5, 2011), was a native of Liverpool, England, and had Irish roots. He was a man of many professions, and his life was just as adventurous as his stories. He left school at fifteen and went to sea. As a sailor, he traveled the world on a merchant ship. After returning to Liverpool, he worked as a railway fireman, a dock worker, the aforementioned long-haul truck and bus driver; he was also a boxer, a policeman, a postman, a stand-up comedian, and a playwright. He hosted his own show, Jakestown, on BBC Radio Merseyside, where he focused on his favorite opera. He played in the folk group Liverpool Fishermen with his two brothers.

In addition to the Redwall stories themselves, there are publications focusing on individual animal species, the Redwall Cookbook, picture books, and more.

The world of Redwall has spawned computer games, three seasons of an animated series from 1991–2002, and another animated project was intended by Netflix. This year, a Redwall-influenced card set is also being prepared for the famous game Magic: The Gathering.

Redwall has become an inspiration for many other books, comics with anthropomorphic animal heroes, role-playing games, board games, and video games.

Let yourself be inspired too, and dive into the stories of brave mice and other inhabitants of Redwall! Visit the pages of books that are enjoyed by readers all over the world, whether they are 8 or 88 years old!

author Zbyněk Holub