James Matthew Barrie of Peter Pan notoriety was a Scottish author and playwright. Born on May 9, 1860, his upbringing and childhood were extremely formative to his personality and writing — the death of his fourteen year old brother David loomed especially large over his work. His mother never recovered from David’s death, and Barrie would always idealize this childhood when his family was intact. He would cling to his childlike sensibility and love for play and whimsy throughout his life and career, leading to the creation of Peter Pan as “the boy who would never grow up.”
Barrie developed a love for fantasy and storytelling and wished to become an author from a young age. He studied literature at the University of Edinburgh and wrote for the Nottingham Journal for nearly two years upon his graduation, after which he settled in London and gave himself over to novel writing. His first books, including Auld Licht Idylls (1888) and A Window in Thurms (1889) were quaint sentimental novels set in his Scottish hometown of Kirriemuir. Money and fame came relatively quickly, especially after shifting primarily to writing for theater.
Barrie was married to the actress Mary Ansell, and though had no children of his own with her, he became the guardian of his friends Sylvia and Arthur Llewelyn Davies’ five sons upon their deaths. He developed a close bond with them, and the mythology of Peter Pan arose from stories Barrie would think up to entertain the boys on walks through the Kensington Gardens. The character Peter Pan first appeared in Barrie’s 1902 novel The Little White Bird, and later more formally in the 1904 play Peter Pan; or, The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up. Upon J.M. Barrie’s death in 1937, he donated the copyright of the Peter Pan body of works to London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital so that it has continued to collect its royalties. He is remembered for affinity for the preservation of childhood through his life and works.