A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne

Born in London in 1882, A. A. Milne studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, and went on to work for Punch, becoming one of its best-known writers. He also served in the First World War, and in the years that followed he wrote plays, essays, stories, and poems for adults as well as children.

His most lasting success came from the books inspired by his son Christopher Robin and his son’s toys: Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner, along with beloved poetry collections such as When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six. Set in the Hundred Acre Wood, these stories made characters like Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and Tigger part of childhood around the world.

Although many readers know him mainly for Pooh, Milne was a versatile and accomplished writer whose work stretched far beyond the nursery. He died in 1956 in Sussex, but his calm wit, kindness, and understanding of a child’s imagination still feel remarkably fresh.