Sir James Matthew Barrie (May 9, 1860 – June 19, 1937) was a Scottish playwright and novelist.
Some of his best works are The Little White Bird, The Admirable Crichton, and Peter Pan. Barrie’s brother David died when he was just 6-years-old.
Barrie’s tragic childhood in particular gave him the ability to comprehend the development of child mental health from a very young age.
Peter Pan; or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up is the greatest work of James Matthew Barrie. It was published as a novel in 1911 and in the form of a play in 1904.
He created Peter Pan through stories he narrated to the sons of his friend Sylvia Llewelyn Davies. Mrs Llewelyn Davies died of cancer.
The subtitle of the play “The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up” suggests the combat between childhood innocence and adult responsibilities.
J.M. Barrie was insightful in observing several aspects of children’s mental development decades before they were studied by scholars and cognitive psychologists.
It overshadowed his other plays and writings. Peter Pan is a story that continues to fascinate and encourage us, and it never gets old.