Latest news with #JMBarrie
New York Times
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Dave Barry Is 77 and Still a Clown, Here to Amuse You
'All children, except one, grow up,' J.M. Barrie wrote in 'Peter Pan.' Let's make it two. Dave Barry has a new memoir titled 'Class Clown.' On the back flap, the floppy-haired author, now 77, looks all of 45. It's as if he's sealed in the amber of his own booger jokes. His prose style hasn't matured either, thank heavens. It's as ideally sophomoric as ever, if more rueful around the edges, what with civilization aflame and all that. 'Who is Dave Barry?' young readers may ask, alas. Let me take you back to the early 1980s, the twilight of the era of the great syndicated columnists, those ink-stained champions whose work was published in hundreds of newspapers. Art Buchwald, Erma Bombeck and Russell Baker were among them, and they were by and large terrific, but they were generally wry rather than laugh-out-loud funny. Barry brought the laugh-out-loud funny. Here, for example, is his advice in a piece on wilderness survival, written before he was syndicated: Newspapers were a daily diet of Serious Things, and Barry was profoundly unserious. He increased the gaiety of the nation. A day that began with 'Doonesbury' and a Dave Barry column had a better chance of being a good day. The New York Times, being serious indeed, did not run either one of these things, so it could seem like a pot-au-feu without its gherkins. I felt a bit smug when Barry went national, because I'd been on to him early. I spent the second half of my youth in Southwest Florida, and my parents were subscribers to The Miami Herald. Barry got his major-newspaper start writing for that publication's Sunday magazine, Tropic. When I went up north to college, in those pre-internet years, people would mail me clippings of his best stuff, including columns on exploding toilets and cows. He was the LeBron James of exploding toilet humor. 'Class Clown,' as funny books go, is a home run — albeit a shallow, wind-aided home run. Barry leans heavily on old clips of his writing to fill this book up, and that's fine, but near the end the bag of leftovers grows soggy. Barry has bragged about hating to work very hard, though it is difficult work indeed to give your prose this kind of easy, goofy feeling. Barry was born in 1947 in Armonk, N.Y., 30 miles north of Manhattan. His father, a Presbyterian minister, was the executive director of the New York City Mission Society, a social-services nonprofit for impoverished children. His dad loved the humorist Robert Benchley and kept his books in the house. Barry read these when he was 11 or 12 and they influenced his writing style. His mother, who had worked on the Manhattan Project as a secretary, seemed to others like a typical suburban housewife. 'But she was not like other moms,' Barry writes. 'She had an edge — a sharp, dark sense of humor coiled inside her, always ready to strike.' He derived his comic sensibility from her. Of course, 'funny isn't the same thing as happy,' he writes. His mother was prone to depression, and not long after her husband's death in 1984 she died by suicide. Barry was a wiseass at school. After teachers encouraged him, he wrote humor columns for both his high school and college newspapers. The college was Haverford in Pennsylvania — he thinks the school's official motto should be 'We Never Heard of You, Either.' He grew his hair long, smoked his share of pot and played in a party band called Federal Duck. The band was, to him, the best thing about being in college. He graduated in 1969 and escaped the draft by becoming a conscientious objector. That his father was a clergyman, and that Haverford had Quaker connections, did not hurt. He has some guilt about this, alongside anger that America was in Vietnam in the first place. Barry worked for two summers in college as an intern at Congressional Quarterly in Washington, a job he got through family connections. He fell into newspaper work in his 20s, becoming the city editor then news editor for a suburban Philadelphia paper. 'I found my identity as a newspaper guy,' he writes, 'which deep down inside I will always be.' He took an unlikely 7-year detour into teaching business writing to the employees of major companies. It made him a better writer: He began writing humor columns again in his spare time. Behind the world's silver linings lie dark clouds, but also stupid clouds, and those only Barry seemed to see. These columns appeared in smaller papers, then in larger ones. The Herald officially brought him on in 1983, and he was off like a Jet Ski, with flat water ahead of him and lively wake behind. The Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary came in 1988. A photo of Barry being ecstatically hugged by his son ran in some newspapers. The photo still makes Barry laugh because his son was not celebrating his father's big day — he was reacting to the fact that Barry had just promised him a Nintendo. That son is now an investigative journalist at The Wall Street Journal and has received a Pulitzer of his own. Barry had legions of fans, some of them credentialed. In 1991 Justice John Paul Stevens wrote to him on Supreme Court letterhead, enclosing an advertisement for the anti-flatulence product Beano, suggesting it might spark a column. It did! Barry 'conducted a scientific test of Beano under the most demanding possible field conditions — a Mexican restaurant' and wrote about the results. A few newspapers declined to print the column, calling it tasteless. Barry got funny revenge in print on those papers, but you'll have to read the book to find out how. The Beano column was, to borrow Lady Saphir's words from Gilbert and Sullivan's 'Patience,' 'nonsense, yes, perhaps — but, oh, what precious nonsense.' Barry kept his Sunday column until he retired in 2005, worried that he'd shot his bolt. He wrote a ton of books, including the novel 'Big Trouble' (1999), which was turned into a movie that was sunk by Sept. 11 — 'not a good time to release a wacky movie comedy, especially one with a suitcase nuke on an airplane' — and a reinterpretation of 'Peter Pan,' co-written with Ridley Pearson, that became an award-winning Broadway play. 'Dave's World,' a sitcom loosely based on Barry's columns and books, ran for four seasons in the '90s on CBS. Barry has mixed feelings about that show. He's most enjoyed being a core member, alongside Stephen King, Amy Tan and others, in the Rock Bottom Remainders, an almost competent all-writer band that has jammed with Warren Zevon and Bruce Springsteen. This book never goes too deep. Barry had two early marriages before marrying his current wife in 1996, for example, but no details are provided. He feels like a lucky man to have been paid for doing something that he loves. But he's contemplative when people tell him he's made the world a better place because of his writing. 'My response to these well-intentioned people has always been: Thanks, but I'd probably be doing this even if it made the world a worse place,' he writes. 'It's pretty much the only thing I know how to do. It's in my DNA. I'm a class clown.'
Irish Times
29-04-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Extended Peter Pan-inspired four-bed in Delgany for €1.15m
Address : Wendon House, Church Road, Delgany, Co Wicklow Price : €1,150,000 Agent : DNG Said to have been inspired by the story of Peter Pan, Wendon House on Church Road in Delgany , Co Wicklow , once bore the moniker Wendy's House in a nod to JM Barrie's 1904 play. The 1930s quirky gem is instantly recognisable in the local community thanks to its unique architecture and fairy-tale charm, with a central turret, quaint casement windows and signature red door. The house was last on the market in 2017, when it sold for €610,000, according to the Property Price Register. Since then, it has been extended and upgraded into what is on the market today: a fine four-bedroom house filled with character. Hall Kitchen Bedroom four, now used as a study Diningroom New extension Now period features such as original flooring, leaded windows and old fireplaces are married with contemporary features that bring the house up to date for 21st-century living. READ MORE Upgraded in 2022, an extension accessed from the diningroom and described in the brochure as blending 'industrial chic with organic warmth' sits to the rear of the house. This new space, which replaced an old sunroom, brings the total floor area (including a 13sq m integrated garage) to 178sq m (1,916sq ft). It has a D1 Ber, which new owners may want to improve. A wall of brick, Crittall-style doors and a free-standing stove add warmth, as does the herringbone flooring underfoot. It's a great space providing a complete contrast to the older part of the property, and is now the focal point of this interesting four-bedroom home. It is also bathed in light, thanks to a large overhead roof light and expanse of glazing with a southerly orientation. Inside the front door lies a study (listed as the fourth bedroom, a single) with leaded windows, while the kitchen, installed in 2024, sits opposite. In cool blue-green hues, the kitchen has a range of integrated appliances including a large wine and drinks fridge, with ample storage in a larder pantry and additional storage in an interconnecting original garage. Three additional bedrooms lie upstairs, the principal of which has a contemporary en suite, while the family bathroom, updated in 2021, has an oversized double shower and free-standing bath. Main bedroom Family bathroom Wraparound patio A lawn area lies behind the patio Lots of work was undertaken outside: the new extension design allowed for a small courtyard off the diningroom that has a fine specimen Acer palmatum. Wrapping around the entire back of the house is a newly laid sandstone patio bordered by a low wall that doubles as seating. Beyond is a lawn with well-stocked beds, allowing year-round colour. To the front there is off-street parking for an abundance of cars, with much privacy from mature Scots pine trees. Located 350 metres from Delgany National School and just minutes from the village itself, the quaint house is also close to Greystones and the Dart. Its proximity to a wealth of amenities such as the Wicklow Mountains, the sea, yacht clubs and the like make the property attractive to those who enjoy the great outdoors. [ Five homes on view this week in Dublin and Wexford from €275,000 to €1.25m Opens in new window ] This characterful home is now on the market through DNG seeking €1.15 million.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Peter Pan mansion sold to property investor
A Dumfries mansion which inspired JM Barrie to write Peter Pan has been sold to a local property investor. Liquidators confirmed that a deal had been done for Moat Brae house in Dumfries, which closed last year. A closing date for offers passed more than five months ago but an agreement has finally been reached with an undisclosed buyer. Alistair McAlinden, joint liquidator of the Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust (PPMBT), said: "We are pleased to have completed the transaction and wish the new owner success as they take ownership of this iconic property in Dumfries." More stories from South Scotland Listen to news from Dumfries and Galloway on BBC Sounds Moat Brae, which was built in 1823, was designed by architect Walter Newall for a local solicitor and Barrie used to play there while growing up. It opened as a children's literature centre after a multimillion pound fundraising campaign in 2019. However, it was closed due to the Covid pandemic and struggled after reopening due to rising running costs, dwindling funding support and lower than anticipated visitor footfall. That prompted the decision to close its doors in August last year. It was subsequently put up for sale after liquidators were appointed at the PPMBT. Talks have been ongoing since late last year with prospective buyers but a deal has now been reached to take over the building. The rise and fall of the Peter Pan mansion
BBC News
28-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Moat Brae: Peter Pan house in Dumfries sold to property investor
A Dumfries mansion which inspired JM Barrie to write Peter Pan has been sold to a local property confirmed that a deal had been done for Moat Brae house in Dumfries, which closed last year.A closing date for offers passed more than five months ago but an agreement has finally been reached with an undisclosed McAlinden, joint liquidator of the Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust (PPMBT), said: "We are pleased to have completed the transaction and wish the new owner success as they take ownership of this iconic property in Dumfries." Moat Brae, which was built in 1823, was designed by architect Walter Newall for a local solicitor and Barrie used to play there while growing opened as a children's literature centre after a multimillion pound fundraising campaign in it was closed due to the Covid pandemic and struggled after reopening due to rising running costs, dwindling funding support and lower than anticipated visitor prompted the decision to close its doors in August last was subsequently put up for sale after liquidators were appointed at the have been ongoing since late last year with prospective buyers but a deal has now been reached to take over the building.
