Barry James Matthew: biography, works, photo

Who does not know the lovely children's fairy tale about Peter Pan? This article will detail about her author, who is the famous Scottish novelist and playwright Barry James Matthew.

Start

Family Barry - working and having many children. The writer's father was a weaver in the state of Kirrymyur. Barry James Matthew was born in May 1860 as the ninth child; nevertheless, he did not have any gaps in education and training, like all the other children. First he studied at the academy, then at the largest university in Scotland in Edinburgh. Having finished it, I got a job at the editorial office of Nottingham Journal.

As soon as the journalistic fame came with the publication of a number of essays depicting the life of a small town in Scotland, Barry was asked to publish a separate book based on these works. So the "Idyll of Old Lights" appeared. Life, of course, is described in this book is not idyllic at all: poor, narrow, close, unduly churched. The success was noisy.

Literature Barry James began to study at the age of twenty-five, four years later he had already published several novels and his first novel. The novels were rustic, the series was called: "Idyll Old Licht", and the plot of the novel was taken from the profession, it told about a journalist - "When a man is alone". Criticism and readers enthusiastically met the new writer. And as if they had jinxed - Barry James wrote the most unfortunate melodrama "Better Die", which was published in 1888. Then the writer "corrected himself", and his new novels were again greeted favorably: "The Little Minister", "Sentimental Tommy" (here it even took a continuation - "Tommy and Grisel"), the book about the mother - "Margaret Ogilvy" was especially touching.

Playwright

By forty years, the best dramatist of the country was the famous novelist Barry James Matthew. Although he only three years ago turned to writing dramas. At first, the writer worked on his theatrical production "Little Servant", which was very popular with readers. Comedy "Quality City" brought him fame. And with the plays "Mary Rose", "Qualite Street", "Wonderful Krychton" came true glory. And when, in 1904, his fairy tale Peter Pan was staged on the stage, the accolades and honors fell. He was promoted to the Baronets, awarded the Order, in 1919 elected Rector of the University of St. Andrews, and in 1930 - the new Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, since 1928 he was the president of the Society of Writers of the country.

The largest share of literary work was done in the field of drama, and the most tangible too in this area was Barry James Matthew. The writer devoted his whole life to creativity, his personal life did not shine with an abundance of friends and admirers. But he made contact with the world easily, people loved him. He was married only once and not for very long, really close friends only with the Davis family, even cared for five children when their parents (Arthur and Sylvia Davis) died. His own direct heirs after his death in 1937 was not found.

Cinema

Barry James-Matthew, whose biography was peculiar and not without magical transformations and miracles, wrote many books. His tales have been screened many times, and in 2004 Mark Foster's film entitled "The Magic Country" was released, where the delightful Johnny Depp played the role of a wonderful storyteller. Of course, from the real biography the action of the film differs almost dramatically. The story with the adopted children and that has undergone variations.

"Wonderland"

The film was nominated for "Oscar" in seven categories, and for the BAFTA award - in eleven categories. In both cases, the evaluation is very high - eight out of ten, even in the main category. Rent was also successful: it paid off four and a half times on a budget of twenty-five million dollars (by American standards - not very cool, but for biographical, and even art-house film is very good).

An extraordinary creative person, plus a special world full of fantasy, these signs make the film far from interesting for all people. The fabulous territory of Neverland, which the writer came up with, is referred to here as Netlandia, and in this flemme as the Magic country. Country from which no return. It sounds antithesis to the prophecy of Edgar Poe - Nevermore, where only death and despair. Barry James Matthew, whose books are appreciated for the gifted illusion of immortality, is also represented in Foster's film as an "eternal child", inviolable, innocent in the notions of the surrounding world, and even able to see what adults can not notice. The hero surprises the beautiful world himself and knows how to surprise others.

Fiction and Reality

In the credits, the viewer sees the claim that the film is based on real events. However, this is not quite true. A number of facts and a whole series of years lived by the protagonist, as if cleared of unnecessary details and changed for the best report of the truth.

According to the film version, Barry James Matthew, whose personal life interests many, even did not know Arthur, but met with his widow - Sylvia, who does not have five sons, but four. In the film, the writer becomes their official guardian along with his mother Sylvia. In addition, Barry James Matthew, whose works were already published at that time in huge editions, the writer-loser was never. And in the film, this fiction has added sharpness to the plot. But there is in the film version and the truth: the inspiration Matthew received from communicating with children, helped him create a wonderful fairy tale about a boy who did not want to grow up.

The film did not tell much about Barry James Matthew. Interesting facts from his life were missed. For example, how he did not want to divorce his wife Mary until 1909, although she was jealously jealous of her husband's family. But Matthew continued to disappear there, near the boys, among whom was Peter - the prototype of the fairy-tale hero.

Johnny Depp as Peter Pan's "father"

In the biographical tape, Johnny Depp exclusively truly presented extraordinary talent with all sorts of talents and an irrepressible fantasy of his hero. The games that the writer came up with for the children, he was amused much more than the rest of his life. "Peter Pan" was created between games, easy and fun, but glorified Barry much more than the other forty excellent plays, six popular novels, seven bright documentaries and numerous collections of short stories.

Prototypes

A boy who will never grow old, appeared in Barry's work many times, long before the creation of a fairy tale about Peter Pan. This story was dedicated to the elder brother of the writer, who died one day before the ninth. He was forever a child in his memory. Immediately in the first two books, Barry mentions a single boy who broke away from the family. He was lost, but only happy about this circumstance ("Tommy and Grisel"), most of all he does not want to be found and returned to his old life, where he must necessarily grow up.

Then six chapters ("The White Bird") tell of another boy who also did not want to grow up. Subsequently, this book was reprinted under a different name - Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (by the way, it was in this London garden that Barry met the boys from the Davis family and was completely fascinated by them.) The book came out with excellent illustrations of the famous Arthur Rackham.

A family

First of all, we need to talk about the mother of the famous storyteller. He, probably, would not have become theirs, had it not been for Margaret Ogilvy (in the tradition of Scottish women to leave her maiden name in marriage). The writer's mother was very gifted from nature, she sang beautifully, she knew many folk songs, ballads, legends, legends. It was from her children and adopted the desire for everything beautiful, fascinating and magical. Despite the fact that the family in many ways denied themselves, the parents made a cherished dream: all their children were educated.

As soon as James's older brother Alexander settled down to teach in Glasgow, he immediately took over custody of the younger ones. James learned a lot thanks to Alexander.

Famous friends

The beginning of the twentieth century found James Barry quite a prominent figure among the writers of England. A man deeply decent and exceptionally good, he gathered around him the most outstanding society of that time. His friends were John Galsworthy, Thomas Hardy, Henry James, Herbert Wells, Jerome K. Jerome, James Meredith, Arthur Conan Doyle. The latter even co-wrote Barry in writing a libretto of a comedy that failed miserably, but this failure spawned a humorous story, written again together: writers ask Sherlock Holmes to investigate why such a comedy is not funny to the public.

In any case, until the very end of life, writers maintained excellent relations and helped each other in every possible way. In addition to writers, Barry's works were interesting to researchers and travelers, brave and active people. This interest was mutual. Researchers in Africa Joseph Thomson and Paul du Shailu often spent time together with Barry, and the posthumous letter of the famous polar explorer Robert Scott, which was found on his body six months after the expedition died, was addressed to his dear friend - James Matthew Barry, whom he bequeathed Care for the widows and children of his fallen comrades. The last request of the deceased was carried out.

Own Testament

Barry James Matthew, whose interesting facts were so plentiful that he repeatedly inspired the people of art to create world masterpieces, died in 1937, having previously transferred all incomes and rights from the Peter Pan (an impressive amount) to a London children's hospital.

And in 1987, the British Parliament took an unprecedented step - established Barry's copyright as perpetual. Such outstanding respect was won by this outstanding man in his homeland.