J M Barrie

J. M. Barrie (1860 – 1937) was born in the burgh of Kirriemuir, Angus, Scotland, the son of weaver David Barrie and his wife Margaret Ogilvy. His brother David died at the age of fourteen in a skating accident, and the profound sadness of his mother deeply affected young James. James attended school in Kirriemuir before entering Edinburgh University, earning his M.A. in 1882, before obtaining a job as a writer with the Nottingham Journal, and moving to London in 1885. In 1894 Barrie married actress Mary Ansell. Though they would have no children of their own, he became legal guardian to the five sons of the Llewelyn Davies family when they were orphaned. A prolific writer of fiction, plays, articles and even an opera on which he collaborated with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Barrie was knighted in 1913, the same year he became rector of St. Andrews University. In 1922 he received the Order of Merit, and in 1928 became President of the Society of Authors. His most famous and enduringly popular story remains that of Peter Pan, which began life as a play, first performed in 1902, and published in 1928.