Nepedia
Back to Discover
Fluent Reader
🎨

P. G. Wodehouse

arts Maturity 11-13 death dying war conflict Next article →

This article covers sensitive topics: death_dying, war_conflict. Parents can manage visibility in Parental Controls.

P. G. Wodehouse was a very famous English writer.

P.G. Wodehouse, 1930
P.G. Wodehouse, 1930

He was one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. People loved his books because they were very funny. He wrote more than ninety books during his life. He also wrote forty plays and two hundred short stories.

ThePothunters
ThePothunters

His writing style was special and very clever. Some people said his prose felt like comic poetry or musical comedy. He used many different types of slang and quotes from poets. This made his stories feel lively and full of rhythm.

Writing a book was a big job for him. He worked very hard on every single story. First, he would build a plot and a scenario. This part could take up to two years to finish. The scenario was about thirty thousand words long.

P.G. Wodehouse's autograph
P.G. Wodehouse's autograph

After the plan was ready, he would write the actual story. Early in his career, he could finish a novel in three months. As he got older, it took him about six months. He often worked on two or more books at once.

Plum was the nickname his family and friends used for him.

PGWodehouse
PGWodehouse

He was born in Guildford, England, in 1881. His father was a magistrate in Hong Kong. Wodehouse spent many happy years at Dulwich College. He loved the school and its many sports. He played cricket, rugby, and even boxing there. He was also a good singer in school concerts. He even helped edit the school magazine called The Alleynian. He stayed devoted to this school for his whole life.

Before he was a full-time writer, he had a different job.

A Prefect's Uncle 1903
A Prefect's Uncle 1903

In 1900, he worked at a bank in London. He did not like the bank work at all. He found the work very confusing and boring. Instead, he spent his free time writing funny pieces. His first comic story was published in a magazine called Tit-Bits. He soon became a professional writer for many magazines. This helped him start his long and successful career.

His stories feature many silly and memorable characters.

Psmith-1909
Psmith-1909

One famous pair is Bertie Wooster and his smart valet, Jeeves.

P.G. Wodehouse - My Man Jeeves - 1st American edition (1920 printing) - Crop
P.G. Wodehouse - My Man Jeeves - 1st American edition (1920 printing) - Crop

He also wrote about Lord Emsworth at Blandings Castle. Some of his stories were set in the United Kingdom. Other stories took place in New York or Hollywood. He even helped develop American musical comedies with other writers. Many famous people, including British prime ministers, were fans of his work.

404 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (15)
File:P.G. Wodehouse, 1930.jpg
P.G. Wodehouse, 1930.jpg
File:St Nicholas' Church, Bury Street, Guildford (April 2014, from Northwest) (1).JPG
St Nicholas' Church, Bury Street,...
File:ThePothunters.jpg
ThePothunters.jpg
File:PGWodehouse.jpg
PGWodehouse.jpg
File:Psmith-1909.jpg
Psmith-1909.jpg
File:P.G. Wodehouse - My Man Jeeves - 1st American edition (1920 printing) - Crop.jpg
P.G. Wodehouse - My Man Jeeves - 1st...
File:Wodehouse with Gest Comstock Bolton and Kern circa 1917.jpg
Wodehouse with Gest Comstock Bolton and...
File:P.G. Wodehouse's autograph.jpg
P.G. Wodehouse's autograph.jpg
File:2024-09-07 Plaque at Le Touquet.jpg
2024-09-07 Plaque at Le Touquet.jpg
File:61031-CLT-0025-01 Fort van Huy (2).jpg
61031-CLT-0025-01 Fort van Huy (2).jpg
File:2025-09-06 Plaque at Huy.jpg
2025-09-06 Plaque at Huy.jpg
File:Duff Cooper 1941.jpg
Duff Cooper 1941.jpg

+ 3 more

More to explore

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.