P. G. Wodehouse

Pelham Grenville Wodehouse was born in Guildford, England, in 1881 and educated at Dulwich College. He began his career as a journalist and novelist, quickly gaining fame for his humorous tales of aristocratic fops and resourceful valets. His most enduring creations, Bertie Wooster and his butler Jeeves, first appeared in 1915 and became icons of comic literature. Wodehouse also wrote the Blandings Castle stories, featuring the absent-minded Lord Emsworth and his prize pig, Empress of Blandings. His works include novels, short stories, and musical comedy lyrics. Despite controversy during World War II due to his internment by the Germans and subsequent broadcasts, his literary reputation recovered, and he was knighted in 1975. Wodehouse's influence on comic writing is immense, with his precise language and intricate plotting admired by authors from Evelyn Waugh to Douglas Adams.