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James Matthew Barrie (1860-1937) was a highly
successful novelist and playwright of his day.
Following the death of his friend, Arthur
Llewelyn Davies and his wife Sylvia, their five
orphaned sons came to live with him. Barrie got
the idea for Peter Pan from the stories he made
up to amuse them. Peter Pan was first performed
in 1904 and was so successful that it became an
annual Christmas event, produced every December
for the next sixty years. In 1911, Barrie wrote
Peter Pan in novel form.
Peter Pan is one of the most popular of all
children's classics. Though it is nowadays
mostly staged as a children's play, it is meant
for adults as well. Blending autobiography,
fancy and fantasy, like Alice in Wonderland, it
is a beautiful story about childhood. At the
same time, it is also about growing up, and not
growing up, and the desolation of adulthood.
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