The first book, The Overloaded Ark (1952), was devoted to a trip to Cameroon and aroused enthusiastic responses from both readers and critics. The author was noticed by major publishers, and the fee from the books allowed to organize in 1954. Expedition to South America . However, a military coup broke out in Paraguay, and almost the entire living collection, collected with great difficulty, had to be abandoned, taking its feet away from the junta (General Alfredo Stroessner came to power then, who became a dictator for 35 years) Durrell described his impressions of this trip in the next book - "Under the canopy of a drunken forest" (1955)