Hide-and-Seek with Angels: The Life of J.M. Barrie

A fascinating and emotional biography of the man who created Peter Pan.

When James Matthew Barrie died, in 1937, his funeral was an occasion for national mourning. Crowds gathered, reporters came to record the day, and many well-known figures followed the coffin to the churchyard. Later, a memorial service was held at St. Paul’s Cathedral for the Scottish weaver’s son who died Britain’s playwright extraordinaire.

A succession of novels and long-running plays had brought Barrie enormous wealth and critical acclaim. His public following extended to Hollywood where his work was performed by the stars of the silver screen. Unhappily such achievements did little to ameliorate the strains in Barrie’s private life. Hampered by a stigmatizing divorce, he was also struck by a series of tragic bereavements from which he never fully recovered. While savouring his public image, Barrie gave no more than a handful of interviews. During his lifetime this inscrutable, enigmatic man succeeded in his desire to remain only partially known.

Barrie was already famous for sophisticated political satires and social comedies when, with the creation of Peter Pan, his immense artistic gift was displayed at its extraordinary best. It became a part of the common culture of the Western world, and is as relevant today as on that first performance one hundred years ago.