J.M Barrie

J.M Barrie is credited for writing the famous children's tale, Peter Pan, and he is also known for popularizing the name, Wendy, which was not common in both Britain and the United States. Barrie was born in 1860 to a conservative scottish family. His father was a weaver while his mother was simply a housewife. It is said that Barrie's inspiration for his books, Peter Pan, Robinson Crusoe, and Pilgrims Progress. His older brother who was thought to be his mother's favorite child, died at the early age of 13 in an ice-skating accident. This left his mother devastated, but warmed her heart to know that her deceased son would remain a boy forever. It is questionable if characters like Peter Pan represent Barrie's older brother. At the age of 8, Barrie was sent to the Glasgow Academy where his elder siblings worked. At the age of 13 he left his home for the Dumfries Academy where he was often found playing pirates, and reading constantly. His times at the academy playing pirates soon became the foundation of his plot for Peter Pan.

As a young adult, Barrie enrolled at the University of Edinburg where he wrote drama reviews for a local newspaper. He eventually returned to Kirriemuir and wrote narratives for a newspaper in London, using the tales his mother would share with him as a child. Barrie, however, always had an interest for the theatre. His plays include Richard Savage, Ghosts, Quality Street, and The Admirable Crichton.

Peter Pan, first appeared in The Little White Bird, then in Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up. The story of Peter Pan had long years of success and has been made into a variety of plays and major motion pictures. Barrie continued to have a long string of success after his rendition of Peter Pan. His other stage works include The Twelve Pound Look, Mary Rose, Dear Brutus, and What Every Woman Knows.

J.M Barrie married and actress that he became acquainted with in the theatre named Mary Ansell. Little did Barrie know that his relationship would become a public scandal. Ansell was reported having an affair, and when Barrie asked her to end it she refused. This resulted in a divorce.

Barrie died of pneumonia in 1937 and is buried at Kirriemuir next to his two parents.