Creative Connections

J. M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan, numerous other plays and novels counted Robert Louis Stevenson, George Bernard Shaw, H. G. Wells, and Thomas Hardy as his friends and founded a cricket team consisting of Conan Doyle, A.A. Milne, G. K. Chesterton, P. G. Woodhouse, and other luminaries. 


He told stories to the young daughters of the Duke of York who would become Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret. 


During the height of his career, Barrie was better known than any writer of his time.


He had a unique connection with Daphne du Maurier author of RebeccaThe Scapegoat, The House on the Strand and Jamaica Inn 


Here is the connection:

George du Maurier was the father of Sylvia du Maurier Davies and Gerald du Maurier who was the father of Angela and Daphne du Maurier.


Sylvia du Maurier Davies and Arthur Davies had five sons George, John, Peter, Michael and Nicholas making Angela and Daphne du Maurier their cousins. 


Barrie met the boys in Kensington Gardens where he walked his Newfoundland dog Porthos. The boys served as inspiration for the characters in the play Peter Pan that had its first stage appearance in 1904.

When Arthur Llewelyn Davies died in 1907, Barrie provided financial support for the family. Following Sylvia’s death in 1910 Barrie became the boys’ guardian.             

Here are some fascinating tidbits regarding the du Maurier family:

Ø  George du Maurier—Daphne’s and the boy’s grandfather was the author of Trilby, the story of a young girl transformed into a diva by the evil musical genius Svengali. Trilby inspired the 1910 novel, Phantom of the Opera, that was later adapted into one of the longest running Broadway shows in history. The word “Svengali” has entered the language meaning a person who, with evil intent, manipulates another into doing what is desired.


Ø  Gerald du Maurier— father of Angela and Daphne was an actor acclaimed for his dual role of George Darling and Captain Hook in J. M. Barrie’s play, Peter Pan


Ø  Angela—Daphne’s sister was a beautiful actress who played Wendy in Peter Pan.

Ø  Peter—Daphne’s cousin and publisher of her first short story was identified as the name source of the play, Peter Pan.          

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