TODAY marks the 80 year anniversary of Scottish writer James Matthew Barrie’s death - the man who notoriously introduced the world to Peter Pan.

The boy who never grew up first appeared in text in Barrie’s 1901 novel, The Little White Bird before a stage debut in 1904. Since then, Peter Pan has been immortalised in popular books, plays and films – most recently in the 2015 film Pan.

A HAPPY UPBRINGING?
DESPITE a career littered with acclaim, Barrie’s life was beset by tragedy. The writer was born on May 9, 1860, in Kirriemuir, arriving as the ninth of 10 children. The family was dependant on the income of father David – a hand-loom weaver – and consistently struggled to sustain itself as the Scottish weaving industry endured a steady decline.

At the tender age of six, Barrie’s 13-year-old brother, David, died in a skating accident on the eve of his 14th birthday. Aside from losing his brother, Barrie also lost a sense of identity as his distraught mother, disillusioned with the loss of her favourite son, repeatedly confused her living son with her deceased one.

The troubled childhood was compounded by the absence of his father, who refused to have any dealings with his children whatsoever. Such was the extent of the psychological torment, Barrie developed psychogenic dwarfism, stunting his growth.

SUCCESS IN ADVERSITY?
THE young writer, although physically and emotionally depleted, managed to carve out a career in newspaper writing after graduating from Edinburgh University, where he exhibited a fondness for playwriting.

He relocated to London in 1885, becoming a profitable reporter, novelist and playwright. He even co-wrote an opera called Jane Annie, or the Good Conduct Prize.

Three years after he penned his first novels, the so-called Thrums fiction, he married actress Mary Ansell in 1894.

Barrie was fortunate enough to live to see recognition for his literary work first-hand, and was knighted in 1913. That same year, he became the rector of St Andrews University before receiving the Order of Merit in 1922.

By the time he died in 1937, he had served as the president of the Society of Authors and chancellor of the University of Edinburgh.

WHAT INSPIRED PETER PAN?
THE traumatic experiences of Barrie’s formative years help explain his works’ consistent preoccupation with childhood mortality, exile and fantasy. Identifying the inspiration for Peter Pan, specifically, has proved trickier for Barrie biographers.

The most obvious explanation relates to the novelist himself. Barrie literally never grew up, hence the connection. Others have argued that the loss of his young brother inspired the creation of a character who would remain a child in perpetuity.

Another theory is borne out of the writer’s later-life tragedies. Following the dissolution of his marriage and the death of two close friends, Sylvia and Arthur Llewelyn-Davies, Barrie took it upon himself to care for their five sons – the “lost boys”.

Barrie himself said that the Pan creation drew on an amalgamation of the five boys. The youngest, Peter, even lent his name to the character.

Tragedy, though, once again reared its ugly head. George Llewelyn-Davies died at the age of 21 fighting in the First World War, while Michael Llewelyn-Davies drowned in 1921. Peter struggled with the notoriety which “that terrible masterpiece” brought him throughout his life and was reportedly bitter after being written out of Barrie’s will.

Suffering from alcoholism, illness and mental health issues, Peter committed suicide by throwing himself under a London Underground train in 1963.

HOW IS BARRIE REMEMBERED TODAY?
KIRRIEMUIR has certainly not forgotten one of its most talented sons. A memorial to the writer, in the form of a Peter Pan statue, stands in his hometown, where he was buried. It is joined by a memorial fountain while the house in which he was born now serves as a museum maintained by the National Trust for Scotland.

And the novelist generously awarded the copyright of the stage version of Peter Pan to Great Ormond Street Hospital, ensuring that the hospital benefits each time the play is performed.