J. M. Barrie

Born in Scotland in 1860, J. M. Barrie was profoundly influenced by his mother’s grief over his brother's childhood death — a tragedy that planted the seed for a boy who never grows up. Educated at the University of Edinburgh, Barrie moved to London to pursue writing, transitioning from regional Scottish fiction to a stellar career as an inventive playwright. His immortal masterpiece, Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up (1904), was inspired by his close bond with the Llewelyn Davies family, whose orphaned sons he later took under his guardianship. Honored with the Order of Merit, Barrie donated Peter Pan’s copyright to Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital before dying in 1937.