Hugh Lofting – How and why did he write Doctor Dolittle?
Hugh Lofting was not a naturalist at all, as it might seem from the fact that he wrote a whole series of books starring a true naturalist.
Since childhood, he had a tendency to make up stories for his siblings, but later he went to study at the polytechnic. He became a civil engineer. He worked for railway companies in Africa and Cuba.
So how did he become a famous author of books about the animal world? And there were a dozen or so children’s books, each of which took 1-2 years of work.
Why did Hugh Lofting write stories of Doctor Dolittle?
Hugh Lofting studied in Massachusetts (USA) and London (UK) in 1904-1907 (18-21 years old). Later he worked as an engineer (1908-1912; 22-26 yo) in railway companies in Africa and Cuba. In 1912 (26 yo) he returned to the USA and got married. In 1913 (27 yo) and 1915 (29 yo) they had two children – Elizabeth and Colin, thanks to whom the books about the doctor were written, as discussed below.
Hugh Lofting had been working as a magazine writer since 1912 (26 yo), but in 1914 (28 yo) the “Great War” (later known as the First World War) was started. He was a British citizen, hence in 1915 (29 yo) he started working for the British Ministry of Information (Intelligence). In 1916 (aged 30) he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Irish Guards.
In the years 1917-1918 (31-32 yo) he witnessed the war in Belgium and France, which he perceived as terrible, cruel and senseless. He was impressed by the behavior of the battle horses under fire and the carnage he saw there.
Under these conditions, what was he supposed to write to his children (Elizabeth and Colin) about in his letters? Well, he invented a little doctor who could help animals, something that was missing in wartime reality. To put it simply: thanks to the war, the first story about Doctor Dolittle was created. This is probably the only good thing we still have today thanks to wars.
These letters were preserved and later published as the first story “The Story of Doctor Dolittle (1920)”. Further stories were written approximately 1-2 years apart, during Hugh Lofting’s life, as described in the full biography.
Full biography of Hugh Lofting
Complete and the best biography of Hugh Lofting is provided on Wonderful World of Hugh Lofting’s “Doctor Dolittle” webpage made by Karen W. Welbourn.