Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, known as P.G. Wodehouse, was an English writer and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His notable creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jeeves; the immaculate and loquacious Psmith; Lord Emsworth and the Blandings Castle set; the Oldest Member, with stories about golf; and Mr. Mulliner, with tall tales on subjects ranging from bibulous bishops to megalomaniac movie moguls.

Born in Guildford, Wodehouse was the third son of a British magistrate based in Hong Kong. He spent his teenage years at Dulwich College, to which he remained devoted all his life. After leaving school, he was employed by a bank but turned to writing in his spare time. Initially, his novels were mostly school stories, but he later switched to comic fiction. Most of his works are set in the United Kingdom, although he spent much of his life in the US, using New York and Hollywood as settings for some of his novels and short stories.

Wodehouse wrote a series of Broadway musical comedies during and after the First World War, in collaboration with Guy Bolton and Jerome Kern, contributing to the development of the American musical. In the 1930s, he wrote for MGM in Hollywood. His 1931 interview revealing studio incompetence and extravagance caused a furore.

In 1934, Wodehouse moved to France for tax reasons. During the German invasion in 1940, he was interned for nearly a year. After his release, he made broadcasts from German radio in Berlin to the US, which created controversy in Britain. From 1947, he lived in the US, becoming a US citizen in 1955 while retaining British citizenship. Wodehouse died in 1975 in Southampton, New York, one month after being awarded a knighthood.

Wodehouse published over ninety books, forty plays, two hundred short stories, and other writings from 1902 to 1974. His prose style, a mix of Edwardian slang and literary techniques, has been compared to comic poetry and musical comedy. Despite some critics considering his work flippant, Wodehouse is admired by many, including former British prime ministers and fellow writers.