Wodehouse, << WUD hows, >> P. G. (1881-1975), was an English writer famous for his humorous novels and short stories. Nearly all his tales are set in England during the early 1900’s. Wodehouse created many types of amusing characters, including silly young men, empty-headed young women, domineering older female relatives, and self-important businessmen. Two of his best-known characters are the dim-witted aristocrat Bertie Wooster and Wooster’s valet, Jeeves. Wodehouse’s clever, complex plots are filled with unlikely events.
Wodehouse wrote about 100 novels and books of short stories. He also worked with such famous composers as Jerome Kern and George Gershwin. He wrote lyrics for Kern’s musical comedy Leave It to Jane (1917) and Gershwin’s Rosalie (1928).
Pelham Grenville Wodehouse was born on Oct. 15, 1881, in Guildford, England, near London. The Nazis arrested him in France as an enemy alien in 1940, during World War II, and later detained him in Berlin. In 1941, while in German custody, Wodehouse made some controversial radio broadcasts in which he joked about his imprisonment. Many people in England considered him a traitor, but he was not formally accused. Wodehouse never returned to England. He moved to New York City in 1947 and became a United States citizen in 1956. Queen Elizabeth II knighted him in 1975. He died on Feb. 14, 1975.
