Sir James Matthew Barrie was born on May 9, 1860, in Kirriemuir, Forfarshire, Scotland. He was the ninth child and the youngest of the three sons of David Barrie, a weaver, and his wife, Margaret Ogilvy Barrie. He attended Glasgow Academy, Dumfries Academy, and Edinburgh University, where he graduated with a master of arts degree in 1882. In 1894 he wed Mary Ansell, a young actress in London. The marriage ended in divorce in 1909.

Even as a young boy, Barrie was determined to be a writer, and upon graduating, he took a job as a writer and sub-editor on the Nottingham Journal In addition to his publishing duties, he found time to write sketches and stories, which he published anonymously in the St. James's Gazette.

Barrie moved to London in March 1885, determined to make his living from writing. Between 1885 and 1890 his works appeared in many magazines, most often...