Aldous Huxley
Aldous Huxley, (1894-1963). British novelist and essayist. Almost blind from an eye disease, he made his reputation with such witty satirical novels as Antic Hay (1923). Point Counter Point (1928) contains a famous portrait of D. H. Lawrence. Huxley’s best-known novel, Brave New World (1932), portrays a frightening future in which there is total control of human breeding and conditioning. Huxley later explored the use of drugs to achieve mystical experiences. His brother Sir Julian Huxley (1887-1975) was a scientist. He researched into ecology, ornithology, and hormones and held many academic posts, including the chair of zoology at King’s College, London. His writings on biology made the subject accessible to a wide readership. He was the first director general of UNESCO and also worked on the development of the Regent’s Park and Whipsnade zoos. Their grandfather Thomas Huxley (1825-95) was also a scientist. In 1846 he made a four-year voyage to the South Seas, where he studied and classified marine life. He published several important papers on his return and in 1854 became a lecturer at the School of Mines in London, an institution which he eventually transformed into the Royal College of Science. Huxley of Charles Darwin, whose ideas y became a friend oil evolution he defended publicly to great effect. He was active as a writer, lecturer, and educationalist until his death and received honorary degrees from many countries.
“You could always tell by his conversation which volume of the Encyclopaedia Britannica he’d been reading. One day it would be Alps, Andes and Apennines, and the next it would he Himalayas and Hippocratic Oath. Bertrand Russell on Aldous Huxley”
