George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw, (1856-1950). Irish dramatist. He came to London in 1876 to join his mother, who was separated from her husband. Having helped to found -the Fabian Society in 1884, he devoted much of his time to political activities, although he was also a successful music and drama critic. His first play was per-formed in 1892; other early works include Arms and the Man (1898), The Devil’s Disciple (1900), and Man and Superman (1903). Not until 1904 were his plays regularly performed, but after that his fame spread rapidly. His most popular plays included The Doctor’s Dilemma (1906), Major Barbara (1907), Androcles and the Lion (1912), and Saint Joan (1923). Pygmalion (1912) has since been adapted as a musical, My Fair Lady. Shaw’s passion for social reform is apparent in most of his plays, all of which have long prefaces. He also wrote literary and political essays and one of the best popular books on economics ever written, The Intelligent Woman’s Guide to Socialism and Capitalism (1928). His letters to the actress Ellen Terry were published in 1931. Awarded the Nobel Prize in 1925, he gave away the prize money. A lifelong vegetarian and teetotaller, he died at 94.
