History of Peter Pan
Peter Pan was the creation of the Scottish author JM Barrie. This character of a boy who has decided never to grow up and who lives in Neverland appeared in various stories by the author.
It is thought that Barrie’s inspiration for Peter Pan were the two sons of his friends (the Llewelyn Davies family). When the boys’ parents died within a few years of each other Barrie adopted them unofficially. It is thought that the name Peter Pan came from one of the Llewelyn Davies boys who was called Peter and from the mischievous God Pan.
In 1902 Barrie published a novel called The Little White Bird - although a book for adults this book was to give him the foundation stones for building the character of Peter.
Peter Pan first appeared in theatres soon after this and was followed by the publishing of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens which was based on the relevant chapters of The Little White Bird. The stage play of Peter Pan was adapted for the novel Peter and Wendy (later called Peter Pan and Wendy) in 1911.
In Barrie’s novels Peter Pan is a boy who can fly and who lives on Neverland with his gang (the Lost Boys). His adventures revolve around various pirates and fairies (including Captain Hook and Tinkerbell) and his meetings with children (such as the Darlings) in the real world.
In Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, for example, Peter flies into Kensington Gardens, decides to live there and befriends various fairies. In Peter and Wendy, Peter Pan meets the Darling children (Wendy, Michael and John) and takes them to Neverland where they have various adventures before Peter defeats his arch-rival Captain Hook.
Pete Pan has also appeared in various other novels by different authors and in various films. The most famous film version is probably the Disney film (Peter Pan) which was released in 1953. The musical version of Peter Pan is currently popular as well.