SKGfun Fantasy Edition (May/June)

WRITER SPOTLIGHT MAY/JUNE 2017
He belonged to a Calvinist family and was
the son of a modest and successful weaver.
Barrie attended school at The Academy and
Dumfries Academy. He loved writing and
wanted to become a writer, but his family
emotionally blackmailed him into pursuing a
worthwhile profession in ministry. Barrie
struck a bargain that he would pursue higher
education with a major in literature, so he
decided to attend University of Edinburgh.
He also served as a drama reviewer for the
Edinburgh Evening Courant. In 1882, he
earned his Masters of Arts degree. After
graduating, Barrie worked at a number of
newspapers as a journalist and would adapt
his mother’s stories about the town
Kirriemuir in his own series of stories which
were published in the St. Dames Gazette. The
stories included Auld Licht Idylls and A
Window in Thrums which laid the
groundwork for his first novel. In the
following years, Barrie directed his attention
toward playwriting. He began writing for the
stage in the 1880s and also produced many
plays. After a couple years of playwriting and
producing, Barrie got married to an actress
named Mary Ansell. Sadly, things did not go
well for them and they divorced. Later on in
the 1890’s, Barrie happened to meet
Llewelyn Davies brother in Londons
Kensington Gardens. The Davies brother
served as a model for Barrie's legendary
creation of Peter Pan.
In 1902, Barrie wrote the book The Little
White Bird in which the character made his
debut appearance. Later he adapted the
story into a play titled “Peter Pan”. The idea
of a flying boy, stuck in his youth, in a
magical Neverland world, fascinated the
audience. Barrie also penned several plays
based on Peter Pan and adapted the play,
Peter, and Wendy into a novel format. In
addition to receiving rave reviews for Peter
Pan, Barrie wrote many adult plays with
dark themes and complex emotions. Barrie
suffered from pneumonia in his last days
which resulted in his death on June 19, 1937.
He was buried at Kirriemuir in the same
cemetery along with his parents and
siblings. Thanks to J. M. Barrie, Walter
Disney got the idea to make a film on the
beloved novel Peter Pan which many adults
and children enjoy today.