J. M. Barrie

Sir James Matthew Barrie, Bt., OM (May 9, 1860 - June 19, 1937), more commonly known as J. M. Barrie, was a Scottish novelist and dramatist. He is best known for creating the character Peter Pan, whom he based on his friends, the Llewelyn-Davies boys.

The Llewelyn-Davies family

The Llewelyn-Davies family consisted of the parents Arthur (1863-1907) and Sylvia, née Du Maurier (1866-1910) (daughter of George Du Maurier) and their five sons George Llewelyn-Davies (1893-1915), Jack Llewelyn-Davies (1894-1959), Peter Llewelyn-Davies (1897-1960), Michael Llewelyn-Davies (1900-1921), and Nicholas Llewelyn-Davies or Nico (1903-1980).

Related Topics:
Sylvia, née Du Maurier - George Du Maurier - George Llewelyn-Davies - Jack Llewelyn-Davies - Peter Llewelyn-Davies - Michael Llewelyn-Davies - Nicholas Llewelyn-Davies

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Barrie became acquainted with the family in 1897 or 1898 after meeting George and Jack with their nurse in London's Kensington Gardens, where he often came while walking his dog, Porthos, and lived nearby. He did not meet Sylvia until later, at a chance encounter at a dinner party.

Related Topics:
London - Kensington Gardens

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He became a surrogate father, and when the boys became orphans, he became their guardian. Some sources say that the mother's will specified the nurse's sister, and that he forged or unintentionally mistranscribed the will. However it was clear that he was the only one with the time and resources to bring them up together, the alternative being splitting the boys up amongst relatives, a scenario Sylvia objected to.

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Barrie suffered bereavements with the boys, losing the two to whom he was closest. George was killed in action in World War One and Michael, with whom Barrie corresponded daily, drowned in a possible suicide pact, one month short of his 21st birthday, while swimming at a known danger-spot with a friend at Oxford. Some years after Barrie's death, Peter Davies, later a publisher, wrote his 'Morgue', which contains much family information and comments on Barrie. He later committed suicide by jumping in front of an Underground train.

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The statue of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, erected in secret overnight for May Morning in 1912, was supposed to be modelled upon a photograph of Michael, but the sculptor decided to use a different child as model, leaving Barrie very disappointed with the result. "It doesn't show the devil in Peter," he said.

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A semifictional movie about his relationship with the family, Finding Neverland, was released in October 2004, starring Johnny Depp as Barrie and Kate Winslet as Sylvia Llewelyn-Davies.

Related Topics:
Finding Neverland - Johnny Depp - Kate Winslet

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