P.G. Wodehouse

Born in Guildford, England, to a Hong Kong based British magistrate, Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse was primarily raised by a nanny until he was old enough to be sent to boarding school. From the ages of 12 to 18, he attended Dulwich College, which he considered to be the happiest years of his life, and the school heavily influenced his earlier works. Following his graduation, Wodehouse intended to pursue further education at Oxford, but his family’s financial troubles prevented this, and he instead became a junior banker. During this time, Wodehouse published 80 articles across nine magazines, and following the release of his first book, The Pot Hunters, in 1902, he resigned from his position to write full-time. From this point onward, he divided his time between England and America and began to write for the stage. Eventually, Wodehouse and his wife moved to Le Touquet, France, where he was imprisoned by German soldiers following the town’s capture in World War II. After his release, he made five radio broadcasts to the U.S, over German radio, detailing his capture in a humorous light. His use of enemy broadcasting equipment caused outcry in Britain, where he was labeled a traitor and Nazi propagandist. In the wake of the war, Wodehouse moved to Long Island and remained there for the rest of his life. In 1975, he was awarded a knighthood and died just a month later at the age of 93. Over the course of his lifetime, Wodehouse authored over 90 books, 40 plays, and 200 short stories.