Milne, A. A.

{miln}

The English author Alan Alexander Milne, b.  Jan.  18, 1882, d. Jan.  31,
1956, is known primarily for his children's books, which are widely
regarded as among the most delightful of all time.  His major works are
two books of verse, When We Were Very Young (1924) and Now We Are Six
(1927), and the stories about Christopher Robin (in real life, Milne's
son, Christopher) and his toys--WINNIE-THE-POOH (1926) and The House at
Pooh Corner (1928).  The stories give life to the toys--Pooh Bear, Piglet,
Tigger, Owl, Rabbit, Eeyore the Donkey, Kanga, and Roo--each with a
distinct personality.

Ernest Shepard's pen-and-ink drawings, including a map of Christopher
Robin's world, form an integral part of the book. Milne, a frequent
contributor to Punch magazine, also wrote essays;  comic dramas, such as
Mr.  Pim Passes By (1920);  and a detective novel, The Red House Mystery
(1921).

Of interest both to children and adults, Milne's works have been
translated into many languages, including Latin, and they have been
recorded on phonograph records and adapted for film and television.  Much
of the charm of his works lies in the ear-catching rhymes with which the
prose is interspersed and the playfully clever use of language.  One of
his devices is taking things literally;  for instance, the North Pole is
an actual pole, and the quest for it is possibly a parody of the
expeditions of the time.

Francelia Butler

Bibliography:  Lurie, Alison, Children's Literature, vol.  2 (1973);
Milne, Christopher, The Enchanted Places:  A Memoir of the Real
Christopher Robin and Winnie-the-Pooh (1975) and The Path Through the
Trees (1979);  Milne, A.  A., Autobiography (1939);  Swann, Thomas B., A.
A.  Milne (1971)