Barry James Matthew: biography, works, photos

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Who doesn't know a lovely children's fairy tale about Peter Pan? This article will tell you in detail about its author, who is the famous Scottish novelist and playwright Barry James Matthew.

Start

Barry's family is working and has many children. The writer's father was a weaver in the state of Kirrimuir. Barry James Matthew was born in May 1860 as the ninth child, however, he had no gaps in education and training, like all other children. First he studied at the academy, then at the largest university in Scotland in Edinburgh. After graduating, he got a job at the Nottingham Journal.

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

Literature Barry James began studying at the age of twenty-five, four years later he had already published several stories and his first novel. The stories were rural, a series ofand was called: "Idyll of Old Licht", and the plot of the novel was taken from the profession, it told about a journalist - "When a person is alone." Criticism and readers enthusiastically met the new writer. And as if jinxed - Barry James next wrote the extremely unsuccessful melodrama Better to Die, which was released in 1888. Then the writer "corrected", and his new novels were again met favorably: "The Little Minister", "Sentimental Tommy" (it even required a sequel - "Tommy and Grisell"), the book about his mother - "Margaret Ogilvie" turned out to be especially touching.

Dramaturg

By the age of forty, the famous novelist Barry James Matthew became the best playwright in the country. Although he turned to writing dramas only three years ago. At first, the writer processed his novel "The Little Servant" for stage production, which was very fond of the readers. The comedy "Quality City" brought him fame. And with the plays "Mary Rose", "Quality Street", "Wonderful Crichton" came real fame. And when in 1904 his fairy tale "Peter Pan" was staged, honors also rained down. He was promoted to baronets, awarded an order, in 1919 he was elected rector of the university in St. Andrews, and in 1930 - the new chancellor of the university in Edinburgh, since 1928 he has been president of the Society of Writers of the country.

The largest share of literary work has been produced in the areadramaturgy, and the most tangible return in this area was also received by 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 was in contact with the world easily, people loved him. He was married only once and not for very long, he was really close friends only with the Davis family, he even took care of five children when their parents (Arthur and Sylvia Davis) died. No direct heirs were found after his death in 1937.

Cinema

Barry James-Matthew, whose biography was peculiar and not without magical transformations and miracles, wrote many books. His fairy tales have been filmed many times, and in 2004 a film by Mark Foster called "Magic Land" was released, where the role of a wonderful storyteller was played by the delightful Johnny Depp. Of course, the action of the film differs almost radically from the real biography. The story of the adopted children has also undergone variations.

Magic Land

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

An extraordinary creative personality plus a special world full of fantasy - these signs make the film far from for everyonepeople are equally interesting. The fairy-tale territory of Neverland, which the writer came up with, is called Neverland, and in this film - Magic Land. Country from which they do not return. It sounds like an antithesis to the prophecy of Edgar Allan Poe - Nevermore, where only death and hopelessness. Barry James Matthew, whose books are valued for giving the illusion of immortality, is also presented in Foster's film as an "eternal child", untouchable, innocent in ideas about the world around him, and even able to see what adults are not able to notice. The hero is surprised at the beautiful world himself and knows how to surprise others.

Fiction and reality

In the credits, the viewer sees the statement that the film is based on real events. However, this is not quite true. A whole series of facts and a whole series of years lived by the main character, as if cleaned of unnecessary details and changed to better convey the truth.

According to the film version of Barry James Matthew, whose personal life is of interest to many, he didn’t even know Arthur, but already met his widow, Sylvia, who has not 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 being published in huge editions at that time, was never a failed writer. And in the film, this invention added spice to the plot. But there is truth in the film version: the inspiration that Matthew received from communicating with children helped him create a wonderful fairy tale about a boy who did not want to grow up.

Film of a lotdidn't talk about Barry James Matthew. Interesting facts from his life were missed. For example, how until 1909 he did not want to divorce his wife Mary, although she was furiously jealous of her husband for someone else's family. But Matthew continued to disappear there, around the boys, among whom was Peter - the prototype of a fairy-tale hero.

Johnny Depp as Peter Pan's "father"

In the biographical tape, Johnny Depp extremely truthfully presented the extraordinary giftedness of all kinds of talents and the irrepressible fantasy of his hero. The games that the writer invented for children amused him much more than the rest of his life. "Peter Pan" was created that way - between games, easy and fun, but glorified Barry much more than the other forty excellent plays, six popular novels, seven brilliant non-fiction books and numerous collections of short stories.

Types

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

Then for six whole chapters ("The White Bird") tells about another boy who also does notwanted to grow up. Subsequently, this book was reprinted under a different title - "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 was published with excellent illustrations by the famous Arthur Rackham.

Family

First of all, you need to tell about the mother of the famous storyteller. He probably would not have become one if it were not for Margaret Ogilvie (in the tradition of Scottish women to leave their maiden name in marriage). The writer's mother was very gifted by nature, she sang wonderfully, she knew many folk songs, ballads, legends, tales. It was from her that the children adopted the desire for everything beautiful, exciting and magical. Despite the fact that the family denied themselves a lot, the parents realized their cherished dream: all their children received an education.

As soon as James' older brother Alexander got a job teaching in Glasgow, he immediately took over the 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 deeply decent and exceptionally kind man, he gathered around him the most outstanding society of that time. His friends were John Galsworthy, Thomas Hardy, Henry James, H. G. Wells, Jerome K. Jerome, James Meredith, Arthur Conan Doyle. The latter even co-authored Barry in writing the libretto of a comedy, which failed miserably, but this failurespawned a humorous story, again written jointly: the writers ask Sherlock Holmes to investigate why such a wonderful comedy is not funny to the public.

In any case, until the very end of their lives, the writers maintained excellent relations and helped each other in every possible way. In addition to writers, explorers and travelers, brave and active people, were interested in Barry's work. This interest was mutual. African explorers Joseph Thomson and Paul du Chailou often spent time 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, to whom he bequeathed care for the widows and children of his dead comrades. The deceased's last request was granted.

Own Will

Barry James Matthew, interesting facts from whose life were so abundant that they repeatedly inspired people of art to create world masterpieces, died in 1937, having previously transferred all income and rights from "Peter Pan" (an impressive amount) to the London Children's hospital.

And in 1987, the British Parliament took an unprecedented step - established Barry's copyright as perpetual. This is the exceptional respect that this outstanding person has earned in his homeland.