A. A. Milne

A. A. Milne
Milne in 1922
Milne in 1922
BornAlan Alexander Milne
(1882-01-18)18 January 1882
Kilburn, London, England
Died31 January 1956(1956-01-31) (aged 74)
Hartfield, Sussex, England
Occupation
  • Novelist
  • playwright
  • poet
EducationWestminster School
Alma materTrinity College, Cambridge
PeriodInterwar Britain
GenreChildren's literature
Years active1906–1956
Notable worksWinnie-the-Pooh
Spouse
Dorothy "Daphne" de Sélincourt
(m. 1913)
ChildrenChristopher Robin
RelativesAubrey de Sélincourt (brother-in-law)
Signature

Alan Alexander Milne (/mɪln/; 18 January 1882 – 31 January 1956) was an English writer best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh, as well as for children's poetry. Milne was primarily a playwright before the huge success of Winnie-the-Pooh overshadowed all his previous work. He served in both world wars, as a lieutenant in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment in the First World War and as a captain in the Home Guard in the Second World War.[1]

Milne was the father of bookseller Christopher Robin Milne, upon whom the character Christopher Robin is based. It was during a visit to London Zoo, where Christopher became enamoured with the tame and amiable bear Winnipeg, that Milne was inspired to write the story of Winnie-the-Pooh for his son.[2] Milne bequeathed the original manuscripts of the Winnie-the-Pooh stories to the Wren Library at Trinity College, Cambridge, his alma mater.[3]

  1. ^ "A.A. Milne | British author". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  2. ^ "The bear who inspired Winnie-the-Pooh". Zoological Society of London. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  3. ^ "A A Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh goes to London". Trinity College Cambridge. 2017. Retrieved 27 April 2023.