Where do the lost boys from the fairy tale live. Forever young character - peter pan
Once upon a time there was a man, very rich. But what good is wealth?
He did not have children, which means that there was no happiness. The pan was no longer young, and he had almost no hope left. So he once went to the witch - to find out his fate, and she told him: “You will have a son, only if you don’t want to lose him, don’t let the boy touch the ground with his foot until he is twelve years old. Otherwise, great grief will happen. Soon the wife told the pan that they would have a child. He understood that the witch did not lie.
And then a boy was born, handsome as a clear day. The father immediately hired nine nannies to take turns looking after the baby. Pan gave the nannies a strict order: “My son must not touch the ground!”
The nannies faithfully carried out the order of the pan. For several days he was up to twelve years old, and all the time they rocked him in a silver cradle, then carried him in his arms.
Pan, rejoicing that the terrible prediction did not come true, and the deadline had almost passed, began to prepare for the festive feast. And suddenly he heard screaming and crying. He ran into his son's room - and was stunned: the boy was not in the room!
It turned out that the young nanny, whose turn it was to carry the boy in her arms, looked out of the window at the handsome merchant, and in order to make it more convenient to look out the window, she lowered the child to the floor. She turned back - and the boy was gone! I wanted to punish the girl - but what's the point ...
Mr. grieved terribly. He sent servants in all directions - to look for his son. Promised rewards, handed out gold like rubbish. And the boy seemed to have sunk into the water.
Several years have passed... And then one day they reported to the sir that in one of the rooms of his house every midnight some strange noise was heard. I went to hear the sir himself. And he hears that someone is crying, complains bitterly, but the words cannot be made out. The old gentleman did not dare to enter the room, but his heart trembled: what if it was his missing son?
And then the pan promised three hundred coins as a reward to those who decide to spend the night in that room. At first, many daredevils came to the pan. They said they were ready to fight any monster. But as soon as midnight approached, there was nothing left of their courage. So the old pan could not solve this mystery. 
Not far from the lord's court lived a poor miller's wife with her three daughters. And now the rumors about the task set by the pan reached their little house. The eldest daughter of the miller said to her mother:
- Mother, let me go to the pan! I'll watch for one night, maybe I'll find out something. After all, three hundred coins for us is a whole wealth!
The mother did not like this idea very much, but nevertheless she allowed her daughter to go to the pan.
The girl came to the old pan. She said that she agreed to stay the night in the room. She only asked to be given some food for the night, and firewood, and a wax candle. Pan immediately ordered the servants to bring everything to her.
Then the girl took everything she needed, lit a candle and went to the room where she was supposed to spend the night. She lit a fire in the stove, began to cook dinner, set the table, make the bed. While I was doing all these things, time passed. And then midnight struck.
Suddenly, a strange noise was heard in the room. The girl was frightened, looked into all the corners - no one. She was completely timid, but the noise ceased, and a handsome young man appeared in front of the girl, as if from under the ground. He smiled at her and asked:
"For myself," the girl replied.
The young man was saddened, but a little later he asked:
- And who did you set the table for?
- For myself! - the girl answers the same way.
The handsome young man was even more saddened by such an answer, he lowered his head sadly.
- And who did you make the bed for? he asks.
- Yourself! - the miller's daughter answered again. 
Then tears appeared in the eyes of the young man, he wept bitterly and disappeared.
The next morning the girl told the pan all that she had seen and heard during the night. But she kept silent about one thing: that her answers upset the young handsome man. Pan was so happy that at least he learned something, he gladly paid her three hundred coins.
The next night the middle sister went to watch, and the eldest taught her what to do and how to respond. And she did everything as she was taught. Like her sister, the girl received three hundred coins.
On the third day, the youngest daughter, Bogdanka, said:
“Shouldn’t I try my luck too, mother?” If the sisters are so lucky, maybe fate will be kind to me too?
Well, there's nothing to be done. The mother sighed and allowed her to go too.
Arriving at the pan's house, Bogdanka, like her sisters, took food and a candle with her and went into the room. I tidied up there, lit a fire in the stove, set dinner to cook. Then she laid the table, made the bed. Behind the scenes, I did not notice how the clock struck midnight. Suddenly, in front of her, as if out of the ground, a handsome young man sprang up. He was beautiful as a clear day, only his face was sad, sad. The young man asked Bogdanka affably:
- For whom are you preparing this, beauty?
Bogdanka remembered how her sisters taught her, but the young man was so handsome and sad that she answered differently:
- For myself... but if you're hungry, then for you.
The young man's face brightened.
- And who did you set the table for, dear?
- For yourself... But if you want to sit at the table, then for you.
The guest smiled, he liked Bogdanka's answer.
- And who did you make the bed for? he asked at last.
- For yourself ... but if you want to sleep, then you too.
Then the young man was delighted, clapped his hands and said:
- Oh, how nice that you prepared all this for me! Soon you and I will sit down at the table, just wait a bit. I still have to say goodbye to my friends who helped me all this time.
And then, as if a breeze blew in the room, and right in the middle of the hall, a staircase appeared in the floor, leading somewhere down. The young man began to descend on it. But Bogdanka was so frightened that he would disappear, and she became so interested in where he went, that she imperceptibly took him by the half of his caftan and went down after him. And ended up in an unfamiliar wonderful place. Around the trees rustle, the river runs, the flowers bloom in the meadow. Everything is like on earth, but everything is made of pure gold! 
The young man quickly went ahead, and Bogdanka barely kept up with him. The young man strokes the bark of trees, affectionately touches the flowers, whispers something to them.
Birds flew out of the forest to meet him, sat on his shoulders, sang songs, whirled. The young man talks to them, strokes their feathers.
Meanwhile, Bogdanka broke off a golden twig from a tree - in memory of this wonderful place, and so that the sisters would believe when she would tell about all the miracles that happened to her.
Then they went on. And they came to another forest. Bogdanka looked around - and was stunned, such beauty around! The trees wave their branches, the lake glitters, the grass sways in the wind. Yes, but all this - from pure silver!
Many animals came out of the silver forest to the young man - and all around him crowded. Deer bow their antlers, hares jump for joy, wolves come closer to be stroked. The young man said a friendly word to everyone, stroked and caressed everyone.
And Bogdanka again plucked a branch from the tree and put it in her pocket.
Having said goodbye to everyone, the young man went back, and Bogdanka slowly followed him. Here they are at the stairs, along which they descended to this wonderful place. Bogdanka again grabbed the skirt of the caftan and, together with the young man, went up into the room. Immediately the floor closed behind them.
The young man turned to Bogdanka, who managed to sit down at the table and sat as if nothing had happened, as if she had been waiting for him here all the time.
So I said goodbye to my friends. Now you can sit down at the table, - he said, and Bogdanka began to get food from the oven.
They sat down at the table, began to talk, laugh, joke. And the young man turned out to be so amiable that Bogdanka did not notice how time flew by, and now the dawn was breaking outside the windows ... 
Meanwhile, the old pan, meanwhile, was impatiently walking around the house. He began to be afraid that something bad had happened to the girl, and decided to go see what was happening in that room. The pan opened the door and was stunned: his son was sitting at the table next to the miller's daughter, laughing loudly.
Pan hugged his found son, thanked Bogdanka. And his son immediately announced that he fell in love with Bogdanka - his savior and he wants to immediately play a wedding.
Pan, in joy, began to call his neighbors to a feast, and Bogdanka took twigs from her pocket and showed them to her fiancé. The young man took them and said:
- That's nice! From these two branches, let two castles become for us - gold and silver.
He took the branches and threw them out the window. And at the same moment two wonderful castles appeared, in which Bogdanka and her husband lived until the very death.
Slovak folk tale in pictures. Illustrations
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Pirate tattooed from head to toe
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Jung the inventor and gunner
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Fairy boy, ding ding friend
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Lost boy. Very silent
Wendy Moira Angela Darling
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Girl. Once in Neverland, she became a mother to Peter Pan and the lost boys. Returning home and growing up, she became a mother of real children and forgot about Peter and Neverland and stopped believing in them.
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A fairy with the talent of fast flight. Independent, quite cruel, sometimes rude, striving for leadership
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Lost boys, twins
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The girl who lives on the moon and is responsible for the change of day and night
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Daughter of Wendy Darling. Initially, I did not believe in magic, Neverland and fairies at all
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Younger brother of Wendy Darling, lived with her in Neverland
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Father of Wendy, John and Michael Darling
Tinker Bell, Tink
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The most famous of fairy fairies. For a person, it looks like a flying golden dot. He loves to repair all kinds of copper things (pots, kettles). At first glance, vengeful and vicious, but deep down she is very kind and ready to give her life for Peter Pan.
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Father of Lizzie Griffiths
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Pirate Fairy. Smart and ambitious, curious and addicted, capable of fraud. Alchemist of fairy dust, has a talent for researching the properties of pollen and creating pollen with new qualities
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Fairy of Light. It helps to properly distribute sunlight so that it is enough for every plant, even a small sprout. Very smart and disciplined, but easily irritated over trifles
James Hook
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Pirate team leader. Well known for his ruthless and nefarious nature
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The older brother of James Hook, who was killed by him many years ago because they did not share the booty. Peter, John and Slightly summoned his spirit, who vowed to avenge his death
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Pirate. It is said that he is the brother of the famous bloody Black Murphy, but this has not yet been proven.
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The funniest and most cheerful of the lost boys
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Lost boy. A desperate mischievous person, often punished for his own and even someone else's mischief
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Pirate. Untalented cook. Greek, can't sing at all
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A little girl with an unwavering faith in magic
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Younger brother of Wendy and John Darling. Shows great courage for his age
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Lost boy. It seems to him that he remembers well the time when he was not yet lost, and therefore looks down at everyone
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Mother of Wendy, John and Michael Darling
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Dog, nanny Wendy, John and Michael Darling
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A huge pirate negrus that has changed so many names that he no longer remembers his name
Peter Pan
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A boy who doesn't want to grow up and stays forever young. Charming, daring, very fond of pranks and adventures. Dressed in clothes as if made of leaves
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A powerful princess of light, she has a dark and powerful alter ego that she hides, an anime character
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Pirate. Very superstitious and suffers from ground sickness
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Often the main characters in the works of writers are children. But this does not mean that such books are intended for the category of young readers, for example, in the same "" political overtones can be traced.
So the eternally young character Peter Pan is needed in order to show parents the classic problem of fathers and children. But this tale is also suitable for little book lovers: children plunge into the magical land of Neverland, which is opposed to the boring and prosaic everyday life of adults.
Story
Peter Pan has become as iconic a character as the girl from Thumbelina. Few think who wrote about the cheerful boy with milk teeth. But he first appeared not in cartoons. A short six-chapter story, Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (1902), was part of the Scottish playwright James Barry's novel The White Bird.
The author of the work came up with an unusual concept: in the world there is an Island of Birds, where winged warm-blooded animals are born, later turning into children. If parents decide to have a child, they send a note to this heavenly place, and then wait for the parcel with a boy or a girl.
But the freedom-loving Peter Pan did not want to be under the care of his parents, so he found a way to stay in the garden, where elves, fairies and the wise raven Solomon live. The work of James Barry was in demand, so the genius of literature already in 1904 staged a play called Peter Pan on the stage of the London theater, and then other works about the radiant boy began to come out from the writer's pen.
In 1953, the Disney cartoon studio took up the character of James Barry, giving the world Mickey Mouse. The role of the main character was voiced by Bobby Driscoll. In the first cartoon, which was released in 1953, the brave Peter Pan met the girl Wendy.
Image
Who is Peter Pan is told on the first pages of the work. James Barry mentioned that all born children are initially able to fly, so they only think about escaping from home, like birds that sit in an iron cage without getting out. So Peter Pan was no exception: as soon as the boy had the opportunity, he immediately flew out the window, remaining only half a man because of his act.
It is noteworthy that Disney artist Milt Kahl sometimes complained to the bosses of the animation studio: while depicting a normal flight is not difficult, then animating Peter Pan, floating through the sky in zero gravity, was really difficult.
James Barry gave free rein to the imagination of readers: the writer did not describe the appearance of his character in detail. All that is known from the book is that the resilient adventurer has not yet lost his pearly white milk teeth.
James also hinted that the child appeared on the pages of the book dressed in dry leaves and transparent resin, while in the Disney cartoon, Peter Pan's costume is somewhat reminiscent of the outfit of the defender of the disadvantaged people. Although others see a curious elf in a boy with pointed ears and a green cap with a red feather.
It is worth saying that in theatrical productions, where the role of the hero went to the representatives of the beautiful half of humanity, the resin was replaced with a spider web.
Not all readers realize that Peter Pan had real prototypes. After the deaths of writer friends Sylvia and Arthur Davis from cancer, James became the unofficial guardian of five boys, the so-called "Davis Boys". The writer became close to the orphans, becoming a kindred person for them. He was not even afraid of the antics of the media, falsely hinting at an intimate relationship.
But when the young men crossed the line of childhood and stepped into the adult world, joy was replaced by sadness. Two died at a fairly early age: one drowned, the other died in the war. The third committed suicide at the age of 63. That is why James Barry did not want the carefree youth to end, and tried to stop time at least in his work.
As for the true age of Peter Pan, this is a secret with seven seals. A possible prototype of the character is considered to be 13-year-old brother Barry, who died in an accident the day before his birthday, remaining in the hearts of his parents as an eternally young son. The writer hinted in The White Bird that the hero is seven days old, but in other books he has become older, and the cartoon Peter Pan is from 10 to 13 years old.
James Barry, who knows firsthand about the difficult nature of children, endowed Peter Pan with contradictory qualities: on the one hand, the boy is a true friend, ready to give a helping hand, and on the other, a braggart, personified by children's egoism.
One day, Peter Pan made a wish to return to his mother, so he flew home with the help of the pollen of fairy wings. Despite the fact that the woman yearned for her son, the young man did not appear to her. When Peter Pan plucked up courage and again came to his native home, the window was closed, and another child was sleeping next to his mother.
actors
The famous director freely interpreted the story of James Barry "Peter Pan and Wendy", published in 1911. The plot of the film "Captain Hook" (1991) tells about the adult "Peter Pan" - Peter Benning (), who is so passionate about work that he cannot devote time to raising children.
A forty-year-old man lives an ordinary life, until at one fine moment the fairy Tinkerbell arrives in his adult world and convinces Peter to return to his native Neverland. The boy has grown up, but the old enemies have not buried the hatchet: the main character will have to meet the insidious pirate Captain Hook. The brilliant cast included cinema gurus, Bob Hoskins, and other stars.
In the film "Peter Pan", which was released in 2003, the main role was played by Jeremy Sumpter. According to the plot, an eternally ageless boy fights villainous pirates who want to capture the magical land of Neverland.
In 2011, the Once Upon a Time series was released, in which you can meet anyone: be it Snow White, Pinocchio, Little Red Riding Hood or Cinderella. In this multi-part film, the role of Peter Pan was played by Robbie Kay, and the directors showed him as a negative character.
In 2015, Levi Miller portrayed Peter in Pan: Journey to Neverland. The young man worked on the same set with famous colleagues: Garrett Hedlund, and other actors.
Quotes
“And my mother also had something in her character ... well, just amazing, almost magical. I will now try to explain to you. You know, there are such boxes. You open one, and in it - the other, and in the other - the third. And there is always one more drawer in reserve, no matter how much you open it.
"You just think of something good, your thoughts will make you light and you will take off."
“To die is also a great and interesting adventure.”
“They even seem to like him. Why do they like him? Maybe because he's in uniform? The boatswain was always in good shape, although he himself did not know it. And not to guess - this is the best form!
“Strange things happen to us sometimes in life. And we don’t even notice that they are happening.”
- The actor played James Barry in the biopic Fairyland (2004), which tells about the relationship between the writer and the Davis boys. Julie Christie and also played in the picture.
- Disney artists often drew their characters from live actors. The prototype of the blonde fairy Tinker Dilin was a typical "cover girl".
- James Barry's relationship with foster boys was not always smooth. George, Michael, and Nicholas adored the man of letters, but the rest of them disliked the guardian.
- On the night of April 30, 1912, a monument to Peter Pan was erected in Kensington Gardens, commissioned by the writer from the sculptor George Frampton.
Barry was born into a simple family - his father was a weaver - in the small Scottish town of Kirrimure and achieved everything that his parents could only dream of. Thanks to the help of his older brother, James graduated from the University of Edinburgh. His writing career was extraordinarily successful, he received the title of baronet Baronet- a title of nobility in England, constituting a transitional stage between the lower and higher nobility., was elected Chancellor of the University of St. Andrews and received many other honors. However, he has experienced many losses and tragedies, and this fracture permeates almost all of Barry's texts, including the fairy tale about Peter Pan.
Chronology
The Russian reader knows "Peter Pan" primarily from the story "Peter Pan and Wendy". But in fact, this is a cycle of texts in various genres, written from 1901 to 1928.
1901 - photo album with the captions "The Boy Castaways of Black Lake Island" (The Boy Castaways of Black Lake Island)
1902 novel The Little White Bird
1904 - premiere of the play "The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up" (The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up)
1906 - short story "Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens" (Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens)
1911 - the story "Peter Pan and Wendy" (Peter Pan and Wendy)
1922 - screenplay "Peter Pan" (Peter Pan) It was never used in the film adaptation.
1925 - story "Jas Hook at Eton" (Jas Hook at Eton) In 1927, Barry read this text at Eton.
1926 - essay "The Weakness of Peter Pan" (The Blot on Peter Pan)
Fairy tale recipients
Arthur Llewelyn Davis with his sons. 1905 Arthur Llewelyn Davis holds Nicholas in his arms, Jack, Michael, Peter and George stand in front.Wikimedia Commons/jmbarrie.co.uk
“...I created Peter by rubbing the five of you together well, like savages rub wands to strike a spark. He is the spark ignited by you,” Barry wrote in Dedication to the play. These five are the Llewelyn Davis brothers: George, Jack, Peter, Michael and Nicholas. All the adventures of Peter Pan are dedicated to them - and for the most part they were their own adventures. Barry considered the Davis brothers to be his collaborators and gave the name of one of them to the protagonist. Peter Davies suffered all his life from being considered "that very Peter Pan" and called the tale "that awful masterpiece".
In 1897, Barry was thirty-seven years old: he was already a well-known writer, his plays were staged on both sides of the Atlantic. Having moved from Edinburgh to London, he easily entered the metropolitan literary circle, bought a house in South Kensington and a summer cottage in Surrey, married the beautiful actress Mary Ansell and got a St. Bernard.
George, Jack and Peter Llewelyn Davies. Photograph by James Barry. 1901 Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University Walking his dog in Kensington Gardens, he met the Davis brothers. There were three of them then: five-year-old George, three-year-old Jack and baby Peter. Soon the writer met with their parents - lawyer Arthur Llewellyn Davies and his wife Sylvia, née du Maurier The famous writer Daphne Du Maurier was the niece of Sylvia, the daughter of her brother Gerald.. Barry was fascinated by Sylvia and soon practically adopted the whole family: he took Llewelyn Davis to theaters and dinner parties, took them on trips and invited them to Surrey, taking an active part in the fate of the boys. They called him "Uncle Jim." This caused a lot of gossip, but Barry did not attach any importance to them. Michael and Nicholas were born in 1900 and 1903.
Novel "The White Bird"
Peter Pan first appears in the insert chapters of the adult and not very cheerful novel The White Bird, which Barry published in 1902 with the dedication "Arthur and Sylvia and their boys - my boys!". In the center of the plot is a lonely bachelor who is trying to "appropriate" a boy named David, making him his child. He takes care of the young family, trying to keep his participation secret, but he fails: David's mother guesses everything.
Illustration by Arthur Rackham for James Barry's Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. London, 1906 Houghton Library, Harvard University, Cambridge The novel also contains several inserted chapters about Peter Pan, the baby who flew from the nursery to Kensington Gardens. Barry told the boys about his adventures Davis - and it was these stories that became the basis of the texts about Peter. Even at the beginning of their acquaintance, Barry assured George that his brother Peter could still fly, because his mother did not weigh him at birth, and George tried for a long time and unsuccessfully to track down the baby at the time of night flights. On another occasion, George asked what the letters WSM and PP stood for on the white stones in Kensington Gardens. The stones served as the border of the church parishes of Westminster St. Mary's and Paddington (Paris of Paddington), but Barry came up with the idea that these were the graves of the children - Walter Stephen Matthews (Walter Stephen Matthews) and Phoebe Phelps (Phoebe Phelps). The story of the hero of The White Bird about Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens ends like this: “But how strange it is for parents who hastened to the Gardens to open the gates to find their lost children, to find instead of them cute little tombstones. I really hope Peter isn't in too much of a hurry with his shovel. It's all pretty sad." Translation by Alexandra Borisenko. This episode flashed in the second edition of the Russian translation by A. Slobozhan (first edition in 1986, second edition in 1991) and disappeared in subsequent editions. In the translations of G. Grineva (2001) and I. Tokmakova (2006), it is completely absent..
Children dance around the Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens. Photograph by James Jarcher. London, 1935 Royal Photographic Society / Science & Society Picture Library In 1906, insert chapters from The White Bird were published as a separate edition with illustrations by the then famous artist Arthur Rackham. These illustrations have become classics: for all their fabulousness, they accurately reproduce the topography and views of Kensington Gardens (there is even a map in the book). Rackham here follows Barry, who created a kind of guidebook that mythologises the paths, ponds and trees of the beloved park and turns them into attractions. However, Kensington gardens are forever associated with Peter Pan not only for this reason. On the night of April 30 to May 1, 1912, a statue of Peter Pan with fairies, hares and squirrels by the sculptor Sir George Frampton suddenly appeared on the lakeshore. An ad in The Times explained that it was a gift to children from James Barry. And although he installed the sculpture arbitrarily and without any permission, it still stands there. Barry had his own key to one of the gates of Kensington Gardens - he received it as a reward for his book..
Play
James Barry and Dumfries Academy students after the performance. Dumfries, early 20th century Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust Two years after the publication of the novel, in 1904, Barry decided to bring Peter Pan to the stage, creating a play full of wonder and adventure. It soon became clear that such a production would require huge investments. The producer was Barry's friend, American Charles Froman: he fell in love with the text so much that he agreed to the most incredible and expensive ideas. Barry wanted the characters to fly, and John Kirby, an expert on creating the illusion of flight on stage, was brought in to implement this idea. But his equipment seemed to Barry too primitive, too conspicuous. He asked Kirby to build a new apparatus that would actually give the impression of flying, and he agreed. The actors needed serious training - it was especially difficult to take off and land. At first, everyone was delighted with notes like “Rehearsal at 12.30. Flight ”, but when the artists were asked to insure their lives, the excitement subsided noticeably.. However, not all of Barry's ideas were implemented. For example, he wanted the audience to see the Tinker Bell fairy through a reducing lens, but this turned out to be technically impossible, and then they decided that a light would represent the fairy on stage, and the audience would hear her voice.
Theatrical program of the play "Peter Pan" at the Empire Theater on Broadway. November 1905 According to the author's idea, Peter Pan was supposed to be played by a boy, but Froman hoped that the famous actress Maud Adams would play this role in America, and persuaded Barry that a woman should play Peter Pan on the English stage. Actress Nina Busikolt.. Since then it has become a tradition. According to another tradition, Captain Hook and Mr. Darling are played by the same actor. In the first production, it was Gerald du Maurier, Sylvia's brother, who made Hook the stilted villain one of the most complex characters, both terrifying and pathetic.
Maud Adams as Peter Pan. 1905Museum of the City of New York
Nina Busikolt as Peter Pan. 1900s The Peter Pan Chronicles
It premiered at the Duke of York's Theater in London on 27 December 1904. There were much more adults in the hall than children, but from the first minute it became clear that everything was a success. In a telegram to Froman, who was in America at the time, the English manager wrote: “Peter Pan ca. Seems like a big success."
During rehearsals, Barry constantly made changes, something changed as a result of improvisation. Several endings have survived. In one of them, Wendy agreed to stay with Peter in Kensington Gardens, they found a forgotten baby there, and Wendy was glad that he would take care of Peter when she grew up. In another, a dozen mothers took the stage to adopt lost boys. But the famous finale with an adult Wendy and her little daughter, to whom Peter Pan flies, was written separately, rehearsed in secret from the director and completely unexpectedly performed in 1908 at the last performance of the fourth season - and Barry even appeared on stage Barry did the same with his other plays. For example, during the performance of the play "Darling Brutus" in 1919, the "Author's Letter" was suddenly read from the stage.. This was the only time such an ending was performed during the author's lifetime, and it was she who subsequently became canonical.
Where did it come from
Peter Pan
Illustration by Francis Donkin Bedford for James Barry's Peter Pan and Wendy. New York, 1911 Barry thought about childhood all his life and constantly returned to this theme in his work: the eternal childhood of those who died before they could grow up; the eternal childhood of those who cannot grow up; eternal childhood as a refuge and as a trap.
When James was six years old, his brother David died: while skating, he fell and hit his head. To console his mother, James began to wear his brother's clothes, imitate his whistle and habits. Later, in Margaret Ogilvy, a novel about his mother, he described a heartbreaking scene: he enters the room, and his mother asks hopefully: "Is that you?", and he answers: "No, mother, it's me." Some researchers believe that David was bred in the image of Peter Pan, who never grew up because he died. However, to a greater extent it is Barry himself. He did not grow up in the literal, physical sense - his height was 161 centimeters - and always recalled his childhood with extraordinary nostalgia. He was constantly fascinated by the game: he arranged performances with his brothers and sisters, studied in the school theater, played travel and adventure novels with friends. “When I was a boy, I knew with horror that the day would come when I would have to leave the game, and I did not know how to do it,” he wrote in the novel “Margaret Ogilvy”. “I felt that I would continue to play, but in secret.”
Island
James Barrie album page with photographs of the Llewelyn Davies family Sotheby's The summer of 1901 was spent by the Llewelyn Davis family at Barry's in Surrey. Barry played with the boys in the Indians and pirates on the island in the middle of the Black Lake, near which stood his cottage. He also used this island to play with his adult friends: the cricket team he created gathered here, which included Arthur Conan Doyle, H. G. Wells, Jerome K. Jerome, Rudyard Kipling, Allan Milne, G. K. Chesterton and many others The team was called Allahakbarries ("Allahakbarriz") - someone told Barry that "Allah Akbar" means "God help us.".
James Barry during a cricket game for his team Allahakbarries. Early 20th century The Conan Doyle Estate Limited That summer, Barry took a lot of pictures and then published a kind of photo book about the adventures of the boys on the island. This album existed in two copies. Arthur Llewelyn Davis forgot the first one on the train (his son Niko thought it was no coincidence), the second is kept in the Yale University Library.. The memory of that summer will later turn into a story about the island of Neverland - in various Russian translations, the island is Nowhere, Unprecedented, Somewhere-there, No-and-will not be.
Captain Hook
Michael dressed as Peter Pan with James Barry as Captain Hook. August 1906 JMBarrie.co.uk The theme of Captain Hook's relationship with education appears already in the first texts about Peter Pan. In the play, Hook dies with the words: "Floreat Etona" (translated from Latin as "Long live Eton!"), and in one version he pursues Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, pretending to be a school teacher. In the story, Hook's obsession with his high school past reaches epic proportions. The fact is that four of the five Davis brothers studied at Eton, and Barry delved into the boys' school life with great enthusiasm. He was fascinated by the world of the old famous school, he went to all sports games, asked about the rules and traditions, remembered the jargon. This language also penetrated the text of the story: Hook mentions the "wall game" ("playing at the wall"), which is played only at Eton, the elite club Pops and typical Eton phraseological units like "send up for good" - for special achievements, students were called to director for praise.
Playing "Eton Wall" rugby-pioneers.blogs.com In addition, Barry drew on a literary tradition begun in 1857 with Thomas Hughes's Tom Brown's Schooldays. In the middle of the 19th century, public schools were reformed in England, and numerous magazines for boys began to publish stories about school life, in which the characters learn not only Latin and mathematics, but also master the "gentleman's moral code" - the same "good form that Captain Hook is so worried about. Talbot Reed's stories about St. Dominic's school were especially popular. Later, friends Barry Wodehouse and Kipling paid tribute to this genre. For example: Rudyard Kipling. Stalky & Co, 1899; P. G. Wodehouse. Tales of St. Austin's, 1903..
In 1927, at Eton, Barry gave a speech that was entirely dedicated to Captain Hook. The headmaster suggested the subject to him: "Captain Hook was a great Etonian, but he was not a good Etonian." Barry altered it somewhat - according to his version, Hook was not a great Etonian, but he was a good Etonian. The plot is as follows: Under the cover of night, Hook sneaks into Eton to destroy all traces of his stay there - all the most precious memories of his life - just not to compromise his beloved school.
Wendy, Pirates and Indians
The prototype of Wendy is Margaret Henley. Around 1893 Wikimedia Commons Another genre popular in 19th-century English literature was adventure literature. As a child, Barry read "Coral Island" by Robert Ballantine (1857), Fenimore Cooper and Walter Scott - in episodes about Indians and pirates there are clearly parodic fragments. Direct references in Peter Pan can be found to Robert Lewis Stevenson's Treasure Island (1883): Captain Hook claims that the Ship's Chef himself was afraid of him, "and even Flint was afraid of the Ship's Chef."
Harold B. Lee Library / Brigham Young University
Illustration by Francis Donkin Bedford for James Barry's Peter Pan and Wendy. New York, 1912Harold B. Lee Library / Brigham Young University
Barry knew Ballantyne, but they never met Stevenson, although they corresponded and admired each other. Stevenson wrote Barry: "I am proud that you are also a Scot", and in a letter to Henry James called him a genius "I'm a capable writer, and he's a genius.". Stevenson spent his final years on Upolu Island Upolu- an island in the South Pacific Ocean, part of Samoa. and invited Barry there: "You take a ship to San Francisco, my house will be second from the left." When Wendy asks Peter where he lives, he replies, "Second right, then straight on until morning." And even the name Wendy is indirectly connected with Treasure Island. So called Barry Margaret Henley - the daughter of a one-legged poet, critic and publisher William Henley, a friend of Stevenson, who became the prototype of John Silver. Instead of the word "friendy", "friend", she pronounced "fwendy-wendy". Margaret died at age five, in 1894, and Barry named Wendy in memory of her.
Dead children and living fairies
Houghton Library, Harvard University, Cambridge Although technically all the Peter Pan stories were created in the 20th century, Barry himself and his work belong to the Victorian era. His attitude towards children and childhood is also typically Victorian. Following the romantics, the Victorians believed that childhood is not only a time of innocence, but also a time when a person is especially close to nature and “other worlds”. Themes such as the death of children were familiar and commonplace for the then literature and life. Barry himself was one of ten children: before the birth of James, two of his sisters died (the death of a brother was not the first loss of parents).
Illustration by William Heath Robertson for Charles Kingsley's Children of the Water. Boston, 1915 New York Public Library
Illustration by Arthur Rackham for James Barry's Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. London, 1906Houghton Library, Harvard University, Cambridge
In the middle of the 19th century, a genre emerged that today is called "fantasy". Almost simultaneously, several writers create magical worlds, thanks to which Barry's Nowhere Island, and later Middle-earth, appeared. The obvious literary predecessor of Barry is Charles Kingsley with his famous novel "Children of the Water" Water Babies, 1863.. In this fairy tale, chimney sweep Tom drowns and ends up in an underwater kingdom where fairies and tragically dead children live. Another writer to whom Barry owes a lot is George MacDonald. We will also meet a dying child who is carried away by the North Wind At the Back of the North Wind, 1871., and a flying baby The Light Princess, 1864. and, of course, fairies. Another fan of fairies was Lewis Carroll, whose children's literature was forever changed. Undoubtedly, and he significantly influenced Barry Carroll was a close friend of George du Maurier, Sylvia's father, and photographed her when she was little. The last play Carroll saw in his life was Barry's The Little Minister. On November 20, 1897, he wrote in his diary: "I would like to watch this play again and again.".
"The Curse of Barry"
The Llewellyn Davis family. Photograph by James Barry. Late 19th - early 20th century Sotheby's Many people close to Barry died tragically, leading some of the writer's biographers to speak of the so-called Barry curse. His sister's fiancé fell off the horse that Barry gave him and fell to his death. In 1912, Barry helped finance the expedition of polar explorer Captain Scott, during which Scott himself died. One of the seven farewell letters written by Captain Scott, freezing in the tent, is addressed to Barry.. In 1915, producer Charles Froman died on the Lusitania liner, and, according to survivors, refusing a seat in the boat, he quoted Peter Pan's phrase that death is the greatest adventure.
But the fate of the Llewellyn Davis family was especially unfortunate. Arthur died of sarcoma in 1907, and Sylvia died of cancer in 1910. Barry became the boys' guardian and paid for their education. He survived some of them: in 1915, George died in the war, in 1921, Barry's favorite Michael drowned in Oxford. Peter Davis committed suicide 23 years after Barry's own death.
Peter Pan translations
Cover of James Barry's novel "Peter Pan and Wendy" translated by Nina Demurova. Moscow, 1968 Publishing House "Children's Literature" Peter Pan came to Soviet children's literature relatively late, in the late 1960s. There was a translation of "Peter Pan and Wendy", made in 1918 by L. Bubnova, but it was not republished.: for quite a long time, a fairy tale in the Soviet Union remained under suspicion - it was believed that unbridled fantasies were harmful to children.
Peter Pan was discovered to the Soviet reader almost simultaneously (and independently of each other) by two of the best translators of English children's classics, Boris Zakhoder and Nina Demurova. Boris Zakhoder translated the play - at first several Youth Theaters staged his translation, then, in 1971, he came out as a book.
As always, Zakhoder translated quite freely, with great passion and sensitivity to the text. It was Zakhoder who translated the play - lighter, more dynamic and more cheerful - and in his translation it is devoid of the tragic and sinister notes that Barry has.. In the preface, he explains the liberty of dealing with the text in the interests of the addressee-child: “The translator tried to be as close as possible to the original, more precisely: to be as faithful to it as possible. And where he allowed himself small “liberties”, these were liberties caused by the desire to be faithful to the author and be understandable to today’s young! - to the viewer" It is interesting that, despite the general tendency towards simplification, he did not miss the last exclamation of Hook, although he replaced it with another, more well-known and understandable Latin phrase - Hook dies with the words “Gaudeamus igitur”, thereby making it clear to the reader that Hook received a university education..
The first translation of the story "Peter Pan and Wendy" had to lie in the table for ten years. Nina Demurova saw the English "Peter Pan" in the early sixties in India, where she worked as a translator. She liked the illustrations of Mabel Lucy Atwell, she bought a book and sat down to translate it. This was her first translation experience, and out of naivete she sent it to the Detgiz publishing house. Of course, to no avail. But ten years later, when Demurova became a famous translator thanks to the translation of Alice, she received a call and was offered to publish Peter.
Cover of Peter Pan and Wendy by James Barrie, illustrated by Mabel Lucy Atwell. London, 1928 Hodder and Stoughton Detgiz was going to seriously censor the text. Actually, this was to be expected: it is difficult to imagine a work that is more distant from the Soviet concept of childhood (joyful, cheerful, creative and devoid of “tearful sentimentality”).
Children's literature was as much censored as adult literature, and for the most part the rules of the game were known to everyone in advance. The translator himself removed and smoothed out in advance what they would probably “not miss” For example, Demurova immediately removed the phrase that the boys want to remain loyal subjects of the king.. But there were also surprises: for example, Detgiz demanded that the maid Lisa, who is only ten years old, be completely removed from the story, because the goodies, to which the editors ranked the Darlings, should not exploit child labor. Demurova joined the fight and even turned to Korney Chukovsky.
Nina Demurova in Delhi. Late 1950s Personal archive of Nina Mikhailovna Demurova "Detgiz" made concessions, and in 1968 the story "Peter Pan and Wendy" was published in the translation of Nina Demurova. But in 1981, the same publishing house released a new translation by Irina Tokmakova: it does not mention the age of the ill-fated Lisa, there are no scenes of “excessive cruelty”, everything too sad (like references to death), too incomprehensible (all the torments of Captain Hook and all his school background), too adult (a kiss on the corner of Mrs. Darling's mouth is replaced by a smile, the spouses do not discuss whether to keep them a child), the ambiguity of the characters is smoothed out.
It can be said that the Russian-speaking reader has some idea of Victorian children's literature thanks to Nina Demurova, who completely ignored the adaptation strategies common for Soviet practice and left to English literature of the 19th and early 20th centuries all its inherent complexity, sadness, sentimentality and eccentricity.
Not only children, but adults all over the world are familiar with the great character Peter Pan. He is known primarily as a boy who does not want to grow up and lives on the magical and distant island of Neverland. Every new day for him is associated with exciting adventures, and life is like a series of fun and dangerous games, in which other inhabitants of the magical area are also involved.
James Matthew Barry
The book character Peter Pan has come to life on screen more than once in a variety of interpretations over his long history, but he owes his first appearance precisely
The great writer was born in 1860 in Scotland. The family was not rich, but still managed to provide education for their sons. James developed an interest in writing at an early age. After university, he becomes a successful journalist and actively begins to write all kinds of essays, novels and plays.
Few people know about this, but before the publication of his main work, Barry managed to become famous as one of the most witty writers for adults. He was friends with such great talents as HG Wells and Arthur Conan Doyle, and also received a lot of prestigious literary awards.
The idea to write his immortal work came to him after close contact with the Davis family. The first time the character of Peter Pan appears in the novel "The White Bird", but its peak was in 1911, when the book "Peter Pan and Wendy" was published.
Barry's work is not forgotten, and his story continues to live in adaptations to the present.
Character
Peter represents all the children who have ever lived on the planet. He is a completely ordinary boy who is constantly eager to fight. Immediately after meeting him, it becomes clear that he is mischievous and restless. His character traits can also be gleaned from the fact what name the Indian leader gave Peter Pan. He called it the Winged Eagle, and it is known that this bird is wayward, proud and devoted. In addition, the main feature of the boy is that he can fly. The eternally young hero bravely faces any danger, is ready to do anything to protect his friends, and he is the undisputed leader. It is thanks to these qualities that the "lost boys" perceive him as their older brother and guardian, and also carry out any of his orders. It may also seem that Peter is extremely selfish and arrogant, but such qualities are characteristic of all boys of his age. But this character will never grow up, which means that he is not destined to change.
Relationships with other characters
The boy is rarely left alone, so it is important to find out who Peter Pan was friends with. First of all, it is worth noting his faithful companion, the Tinker Bell fairy, who is ready to protect her best friend at any moment. However, she is very harsh and jealous of anyone who claims Pan's attention. Also, the character is constantly followed by his detachment of boys, who also once got lost. He takes care of them and is their permanent commander.
A very important milestone in Peter's life is occupied by Wendy and her brothers, whom he invited to fly together to Neverland. They remembered this adventure as one of the most exciting in life, and together the guys overcame a lot of dangers. After returning home, the hero visited Wendy more than once.
From difficult situations, Peter is often rescued by the Indians with whom he once entered into an alliance. The most famous of them is the daughter of the leader - In addition to friends, he also has a sworn enemy - Captain James Hook. Along with his pirates and loyal assistant Smee, he constantly causes trouble for the boy to avenge the loss of his arm.
Disney cartoon
One of the most successful and significant adaptations is the Disney cartoon called "Peter Pan", a photo of which can be seen below. It was released back in 1953, and it was an incredible success. The main character was voiced by the famous actor Bobby Driscoll, whose appearance became a kind of character model. There is little to no description in the books of what Peter looked like, or exactly how old he was. In the cartoon, he vaguely resembles the mythical character Pan because of his pipe, pointed hat and suit. It is known that the boy is very handsome, and his snow-white smile is especially attractive. And in 2002, a sequel was released, which, however, did not become as memorable.
2003 film
One of the most famous film adaptations in which the character Peter Pan appears was a 2003 film directed by Paul J. Hogan. The plot is most similar to the classic, and the characters and scenery are superbly designed. As is customary in the theater, the role of Wendy's father and Captain Hook was played by the same actor. They became the great British performer Jason Isaacs, familiar to viewers from the role of Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter. Peter himself was embodied on the screen by 14-year-old Jeremy Sumpter, for whom this image has become one of the most important in his career. The part of Wendy went to actress Rachel Hurd-Wood, who was expected to have great success in the cinema in the future. Notably, the picture has an alternate ending available to those who have purchased the disc.
Other film adaptations
Peter Pan is a character with many faces, perhaps even one of the most diverse in history. The book has been filmed a huge number of times, including several countries. Not everyone prefers to follow the canon, so authors often come up with their own versions and interpretations.
A good example of this approach is the British mini-series Neverland, in which Hook and Peter live together in London, but accidentally end up on a magical island with boys from an orphanage. The main storyline there is dedicated to the conversion of the captain to the evil side.
And in 2015, the film Pan: Return to Neverland was released, where Captain Blackbeard became the main antagonist. This is a kind of prehistory of already known events.
Among others, there is even the Soviet film "Peter Pan" in 1987 and many others that simply cannot be listed, not to mention theatrical productions.
