Peter Pan

Author: [British] Barrie, translated by Yang Jingyuan and Gu Geng
Publisher:
Publishing Date: Not available
Features: Peter Pan is a fairy tale that tells the adventures of Peter Pan and the children. This book has a beautiful writing style and an interesting plot, resembling a sequel to Alice, with a style that carries on from it. However, this book is ultimately a "written" fairy tale, and compared to Carroll's famous "told" fairy tale, it is still somewhat inferior, with too many traces of craftsmanship. As the preface to the translation states, if you don't read the last chapter of this book, Peter Pan would just be a "simple children's story," but it is precisely this last chapter that provides the finishing touch. James Barrie wrote many fairy tales and plays for children throughout his life, and Peter Pan is his masterpiece, with the greatest influence. After Barrie moved to London, he lived near Kensington Park, passing by there every day on his way to and from work. One day, he saw several children playing on the grass, building houses with branches, making snacks with mud, and pretending to be fairies and pirates from fairy tales. This game attracted the black-bearded writer. He stood to the side, smiling as he watched. Later, a bolder child asked if he would like to join them, and the black-bearded writer happily joined the children's game, playing until dark. On the way home, Barrie realized that these children were actually his neighbors, and the most active boy was named Peter. Later, the children heard from their parents that Barrie was a writer and that he was working on a play called Peter Pan. They surrounded him, wanting him to tell the story of Peter Pan. After Barrie finished, they realized that each of them was in the story. Later, Barrie called all these children collaborators in his creation. When Peter Pan premiered, each child even received five pence in royalties! Peter Pan caused a great sensation among the audience after its premiere in London. Later, it was adapted into a fairy tale and translated into multiple languages, spreading abroad. Comics, commemorative albums, engravings, stamps, and other works based on the Peter Pan story became popular in Europe and America. Since Peter Pan was adapted for the screen, Western countries have been broadcasting this program on television every Christmas as a gift to children.