Scottish playwright and novelist. He is best remembered for his play Peter Pan, a supernatural fantasy about a boy who refused to grow up. His early plays were mostly unsuccessful, but the dramatization in 1897 of THE LITTLE MINISTER established him as a playwright. Barrie’s life was dominated by his extraordinary mother. This relationship left him emotionally immature and probably precipitated the failure of his marriage. His lack of maturity is a discernible element in all Barrie’s works. Yet even though he has been criticized for whimsy and sentimentality, Barrie reveals in his best works a profound understanding of human nature and an unexpected capacity for irony and mordant wit.
