Wols or Owls
Christopher Milne remembers seeing letters addressed to his father (A.A. Milne, the author of the Winnie the Pooh books) when he was a child. His parents would read the letters and discuss them “‘What do you think?’ – ‘ Probably Wol.’ – ‘I thought so too.’” The term Wol referred to an occasion when Rabbit was in a frenzy over a note that Christopher Robin had left ‘GON OUT BACKSON BISY BACKSON.’ Owl asks rabbit what he did and Rabbit replied “‘Nothing.’ – ‘The best thing,’ said Owl wisely.’” (4)
As an adult, Christopher Milne became the recipient of the same types of letters his father once received. These letters were from people (often children) who wanted biographical information, autographs, or even advice. Milne noted that answering the letters was impossible and he thought it unkind to explain why he wouldn’t answer them. Wol was the solution. Do nothing.
However, doing nothing made Milne feel guilty. As a result, he wrote his book, The Enchanted Places, to answer those unanswered letters and questions.
Names
He writes “I have suffered – if not all my life, then at least for the first thirty years of it – from an embarrassment of names.” (17). For most of his life, he has avoided the name Christopher Robin, even before the books, he preferred Billy.
However, he points out that while his name was ‘useless to me personally’ it was a wonderful name for poetry. Still, one must not assume that just because his name is used in poem or a story does not mean that it is about him. His father often, used the name for poems about events in his own childhood or even to describe a universal child.
An Enchanting Memoir
Milne is genuinely fond of the books his father wrote, he knows that they are delightful stories. However, both father and son soon realized that the popularity of the books trapped them in a world that they soon outgrew. As a result, they both tried to put the books behind them.
Milne talks honestly about his ambivalence towards the books sharing both the joy they gave him and his parents and the distress it inflicted on them. Despite the book’s purpose of providing answers, there are beautifully written memories that will move you beyond the world of Pooh Bear and into another child’s childhood with its own particular enchantments. The real Christopher’s world was as delightful as his father’s creation and this memoir brings it to life.
Endings and Beginnings
Writing the 169 pages of answers and memories brought Christopher Milne to a new chapter in his adult life. He moved beyond his father’s books and his childhood to begin writing his own stories. The memoir ends in the fashion of Winnie the Pooh.
Milne writes of a letter from an American child who was angry at him for not always appreciating his namesake and what it meant to be Christopher Robin. He replies:
“And if she happens on this book she may perhaps understand just how and why it all came about.
“Pooh”, said Christopher Robin earnestly, “if I – if I’m not quite-“ he stopped and tried again – “Pooh, whatever happens, you will understand, won’t you?”
I like to think that Pooh understood. I hope that now others will understand too. (169)
It is unfortunate that this book is out of print but it is worth searching out a copy to read, especially if you are a fan of A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh.
Milne, Christopher. The Enchanted Places: A Memoir of the Real Christopher Robin and Winnie-the-Pooh. E.P. Dutton & Co. 1974. ISBN 0-525-29293-4
