I always knew, at the back of my mind, that Winnie-the-Pooh began as stories told by Milne to his son, but I never knew the full story. For this reason I was very excited to learn about Milne and Christopher Robin and their freind Pooh.Early Life
Alan Alexander Milne was born on January 18, 1882 in Kilburn, London. Milne went to school as a boy and was greatly inspired by one of his teachers, H.G. Wells, whom he would go on to describe as "a great writer and a great friend". In 1913, Milne married Dorothy de Selincourt. After he went off to serve in WW1, they had a son famously named Christopher Robin. Writing Career
Milne enjoyed writing verse as much as stories. After graduating from Cambridge he began to write for the magazine Punch, eventually becoming assistant editor. Before Christopher Robin was born, Milne wrote 18 plays and 3 novels. He was also a screenwriter who, in the year his son was born, saw four of his films made. The beginning of Milne's children's work was When We Were Very Young, a book of children's poems published in 1924. His most famous work would come the following year.Winnie-the-Pooh
In WW1, a Canadian soldier overseas bought a bear cub and named her Winnipeg, or Winnie for short, after his home. After the war ended Winnie, who had become a sort of mascot for the Britisg Brigade, was given to the London Zoo. Christopher Robin was fascinated by the bear and would beeline to her cage during every trip to the zoo. He called his own teddybear Winnie (although his was very much a boy), and this became Milne's inspiration. He needed to contribute a story to the Christmas Eve Issue of the Evening News, so he decided to write down a bedtime story he had told Christopher Robin. This would bWinnie-the-Pooh. To keep his son away from the public's eye, Milne anounced that the book's sequel The House at Pooh Corner would be his final "Christopher Robin" book.
 |
| Christopher Robin's original toys |
Milne's writing style is so unique. I haven't read anything like it. He so incredibly captured the flurry of a child's mind and the minds of a child's imaginary friends. Like L. Frank Baum, he was also a loving and protective father. I admire how this man, who's fame came about by bedtime stories, wasn't swept up in the excitement of fame and fourtune. Christopher Robin was a very lucky boy.
Sources
http://www.just-pooh.com/history.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._A._Milne
http://www.poohcorner.com/Alan-Alexander-Milne-Author.html
That's cool I never knew that Milne was the student of Wells. I've read a bit of Wells and though it's nothing like Milnes' work, it's interesting how great writers can inspire one another. Thanks again to your post it was very informative.
ReplyDeleteI know, it's weird how different famous authors know each other, like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were really good friends.
DeleteIt seems alot of childrens stories are written by parents who would tell these stories to their children. It was cool to learn that he knew H.G. Wells.
ReplyDeleteWow, very cute back story. Maybe the reason all these stories did so well is because so many of them were written out of love from the author to the children in their life.
ReplyDelete