Pelham Grenville Wodehouse

Biography

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (1881-1975), better known as P. G. Wodehouse, was an English humorist whose prolific career spanned more than seventy years, establishing him as one of the most widely read comic novelists of the 20th century. Born in Guildford, Surrey, he was educated at Dulwich College, an experience that heavily influenced his early school stories. After a brief stint working for the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank, he soon abandoned finance to pursue his true calling, publishing his first novel, "The Pothunters," in 1902. Wodehouse created some of English literature's most beloved and enduring comedic characters, including the well-meaning but dim-witted aristocrat Bertie Wooster and his hyper-competent valet Jeeves, along with the perpetually bewildered Lord Emsworth of Blandings Castle. His literary output was immense, comprising over 90 novels, 300 short stories, 18 plays, and lyrics for 33 musical comedies. His work is characterized by its lighthearted tone, intricate farcical plots, and escapist charm, offering a whimsical yet affectionate satire of early 20th-century English upper-class life. Despite living much of his later life in the United States and enduring wartime controversies, Wodehouse remained a quintessential English humorist, adored for his unparalleled ability to craft perfect comic timing, elegant prose, and a consistently optimistic worldview.