Somewhere, a Boy and a Bear - by Gyles Brandreth (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

For the 100th anniversary of the publication of "Winnie-the-Pooh," Gyles Brandreth chronicles the writing of this beloved classic and the life of its creator, A. A. Milne.

Somewhere, a Boy and a Bear tells the remarkable story of A A Milne, a playwright, a bestselling crime writer, poet, polemicist, humorist, and the man who created Winnie-the-Pooh.

Gyles Brandreth explores "Winnie-the-Pooh," a bear beloved by millions: his genesis, his life across a hundred years, his special philosophy, and the reasons for his worldwide popularity. Brandreth's book is also the intimate biography of three generations of the fascinating and troubled Milne family, which knew fame and fortune, despising both for a time, but a family that ultimately found a profound reason to be grateful for the riches Pooh brought them.

With an extraordinary cast list that includes Elizabeth II and Walt Disney, Somewhere, a Boy and a Bear moves from idyllic childhood games in the English countryside to New York in the 1930s and the love affairs, litigation, and heartrending family rifts that touched the life of one of Britain's most brilliant writers and his most famous creation.

Review Quotes

"The story of the Milne family is the story of holding the temptations of a pastoral imagination together with the traumas of the real world...Somewhere a Boy and a Bear is a lesson in childhood innocence, its loss, and its recovery in storytelling." - Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Gyles Brandreth is a writer, broadcaster and former politician. His many books include the bestselling poetry anthology, Dancing by the Light of the Moon, and the international bestseller about spelling and punctuation, Have You Eaten Grandma? In the 1980s Gyles Brandreth wrote a play about the Milne family during which he became friends with the real Christopher Robin and his wife, Lesley, and began to discover the complex story of Christopher Robin's parents. Brandreth is also the founder of the award winning teddy bear museum at Newby Hall, The Bear House.