An unlikely world icon: reinventing Tarzan

Children's author Andy Briggs tells us about the challenges of retelling the story of Tarzan for a new generation

It’s such an old tale that it has woven its way into legend and on to classic literature: abandoned humans raised by wild animals. Romulus and Remus, suckling on a wolf, grew up to found Rome. Mowgli, growing up in the jungles of India, prowled the pages of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, and Tarzan, raised by apes, finally took his place as a British Lord. But what is it about these tales that endures, and why is Tarzan still a relevant character as he celebrates his hundredth birthday this year?

Our relationship with animals varies depending on how we perceive them. From loveable domesticated pets that share our mannerisms and thoughts, through to primal brutes baying for blood - mankind has fostered the belief, shrouded in romance, that we can tame the most savage beast. Tarzan proved to be the one character that proved we could. He was not only raised by apes, but became their leader and lord of the other animals. Created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan rapidly overshadowed his counterparts, becoming the perfect man. Savage, brave, a defender - but also somebody who could wear the veneers of civilization and become the perfect gentleman.

When I was tasked to write a new Tarzan I had to take a step back from - not just the 26 books Burroughs wrote but the 89 movies - and tried to see what the character meant for people a hundred years after his creation. It was difficult for me not to be too much of a fanboy, after all, I was raised watching Johnny Weissmuller and Ron Ely portray Tarzan. As a child it was pure escapism, a chance to step beyond the beak town I lived in and explore Africa - and now I had the chance to re-launch him for a whole new generation of readers. Casting my giddiness aside, I spoke to fans, re-read the books, watched the films and tried to see how Tarzan fitted in the world today. My conclusions surprised me: like a Jasper Fforde character, Tarzan had managed to escape the confines of his book and affect the real world around us.

His creator was a lowly pencil sharpener salesman who had never stepped foot on the 'dark continent'. Writing Tarzan of the Apes for All-Story magazine was one of the few chances he had to exercise his creative skills and try to earn a few dollars to feed his family. To Burroughs’ surprise, Tarzan became a success - more than he could ever have anticipated. In trying to keep up with Tarzan’s popularity, he was one of the first authors to incorporate himself in order to license off the character for radio shows, movies, plays and toys. Tarzan appeared to have a life and agenda of his own.

Published globally, Tarzan found a surprising fan base in Israel where he was regarded as a national icon, so much so that thousands of unauthorised Tarzan publications flooded the market and he became the symbol in the struggle against the Arab states. Not to be out done, Syria and Lebanon, who were equally enamoured with the Jungle Lord, used him in unauthorised stories where he was depicted fighting the Jewish threat. Two opposing sides, one mascot.

Tarzan’s influence continued to grow, inspiring a young Californian girl by the name of Dian Fossey to travel into the heart of Africa and study mountain gorillas. A similar experience consumed Dr Jane Goodall, who always dreamed of being Jane, as she set about her groundbreaking research on chimpanzees. It could easily be argued that without these two great conservationists, mountain gorillas and chimps could have been extinct by now. Tarzan’s inspiration led, in some small way, to preserving them. How many other literary characters could boast such a feat?

It rapidly became obvious to me that Tarzan was a more relevant character now than he had been a hundred years ago. Burroughs had inadvertently created the world’s first eco-warrior, and while that label comes with a lot of perceived baggage, he was saving the environment - his home - in a time when great game hunting was considered a legitimate sport.

My decision to set the new Tarzan in modern Africa was not an easy one.  Well, not at first. Tarzan has a legion of fans that are easily upset, and I had no desire to create a new series of books that alienated them. Conversely, I had to think about the new readers who I wanted to love Tarzan, just as I had first done while in school. Setting it now would show them he’s still relevant and, as Jane discovers in my first book, Tarzan: The Greystoke Legacy, once you step foot into the jungle everything you relied on in is rapidly stripped from you until all you have left are your wits. Once technology is taken from us, we all resort to primal instinct.

I also wanted the books to carry an environmental message, although I didn’t want to be preachy about it -  after all, I was supposed to be writing a rollicking action-adventure story. Tarzan: The Greystoke Legacy is set against the backdrop of illegal logging, but rather than take a black-and-white view on the subject, I made Jane’s father the leader of the logging team. I wanted to explore what drives people to such acts, rather than simply say 'that’s bad!'  Only by understanding the motivations can we stop such things. The theme of my new book, Tarzan: The Jungle Warrior revolves around the illegal pet trade, a diabolical business that is still very much active in our so-called civilisation.

Now, Tarzan gets to tackle these issues head-on, opening up the eyes of a new generation, and entertaining them along the way as he bellows his famous call of the Bull Ape across the epic rainforest... and I still grin like a kid at the thought that I am the one who gets to continue the adventures of this unlikely world icon.