A. A. Milne

A. A. Milne was a British writer best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends, as well as for his children's poetry. He was born in Kilburn, London, on 18 January 1882 to John Vine Milne, who ran a private school, and Sarah Marie Milne. He studied at Henley House School, where one of his teachers was H. G. Wells, and then at Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge. He graduated with a degree in mathematics in 1903 and became a writer and editor for Granta, a student magazine. He also collaborated with his brother Kenneth on articles that appeared under the initials AKM. Milne's work caught the attention of Punch, a leading British humour magazine, where he became a contributor and later an assistant editor. He also pursued a career as a playwright and novelist, writing several comedies and mysteries for the stage and screen. He married Dorothy "Daphne" de Sélincourt in 1913 and had one son, Christopher Robin Milne, who was born in 1920. Milne served in both World Wars, first as a lieutenant in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment in the First World War and then as a captain in the Home Guard in the Second World War. He was wounded in the Battle of the Somme in 1916 and suffered from shell shock. He wrote several books about his war experiences, such as Peace with Honour (1934) and War with Honour (1940). Milne's most famous works are his stories of Christopher Robin and his toy bear Winnie-the-Pooh, which he wrote for his son based on their visits to London Zoo and Ashdown Forest. The first book, Winnie-the-Pooh, was published in 1926 and was followed by The House at Pooh Corner (1928), When We Were Very Young (1924), and Now We Are Six (1927). The stories were illustrated by E. H. Shepard and became immensely popular with children and adults alike. They have been translated into many languages and adapted into various media, such as films, television shows, radio programs, musicals, and video games. Milne also wrote other children's books, such as The Red House Mystery (1922), The Magic Hill (1937), and The World of Pooh (1958). He also continued to write plays and novels for adults, such as Mr Pim Passes By (1919), Toad of Toad Hall (1929), Two People (1931), and Chloe Marr (1946). Milne died of a stroke on 31 January 1956 at the age of 74 in Hartfield, Sussex. He left the original manuscripts of his Winnie-the-Pooh stories to the Wren Library at Trinity College, Cambridge. His son Christopher Robin donated his stuffed toys that inspired the characters to the New York Public Library in 1987.¹³