If I May

A.A. Milne in full Alan Alexander Milne (born January 18 1882 London England-died January 31 1956 Hartfield Sussex) English humorist the originator of the immensely popular stories of Christopher Robin and his toy bear Winnie-the-Pooh.Milnes father ran a private school where one of the boys teachers was a young H.G. Wells. Milne went on to attend Westminster School London and Trinity College Cambridge the latter on a mathematics scholarship. While at Cambridge he edited and wrote for Granta magazine (then called The Granta for Cambridges other river). He took a degree in mathematics in 1903 and thereafter moved to London to make a living as a freelance writer. In 1906 he joined the staff of Punch (where he worked until 1914) writing humorous verse and whimsical essays. He was married in 1913 and in 1915 though a pacifist he joined the service during World War I as a signalling officer. He served briefly in France but he became ill and was sent home. He was discharged in 1919.When he was not rehired by Punch Milne turned his attention to playwriting. He achieved considerable success with a series of light comedies including Mr. Pim Passes By (1921) and Michael and Mary (1930). Milne also wrote one memorable detective novel The Red House Mystery (1922) and a childrens play Make-Believe (1918) before stumbling upon his true literary métier with some verses written for his son Christopher Robin. These grew into the collections When We Were Very Young (1924) and Now We Are Six (1927). These remain classics of light verse for children.Despite Milnes success as a playwright only these verses and his two sets of stories about the adventures of Christopher Robin and his toy animals-Pooh Piglet Tigger Kanga Roo Rabbit Owl and Eeyore-as told in Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) and The House at Pooh Corner (1928) endured into the 21st century. Illustrations by Ernest Shepard added to their considerable charm. In 1929 Milne adapted another childrens classic The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame for the stage as Toad of Toad Hall. A decade later he wrote his autobiography Its Too Late Now. (britannica.com)