Shaw George Bernard

Biography

George Bernard Shaw – an English playwright of Irish origin, one of the founders of the "drama of ideas", writer, essayist, one of the reformers of the theatrical art of the 20th century, the second most popular author of plays in the English theater after Shakespeare , laureate of the Nobel Prize in Literature, winner of the Academy Award (Oscar).

George Bernard Shaw was born on July 26, 1856 in Dublin. John Shaw, the father of future play writer was not a very successful grain merchant, mother was a professional singer. Bernard attended John Wesley Protestant school. From the age of fifteen, he worked as a clerk in a real estate office, collecting rent in poor neighborhoods. When the young man turned 16, his mother, taking the girls - his sisters went to London, he decided to stay with his father for several more years.

After moving to the British capital, Bernard managed to get a job in one of the newspapers. During this period, he was engaged in self-education, reading many books and reflecting on the philosophical issues of human life, as well as various social problems.

At the age of 28 years, he joined the Fabian Society, whose members promoted socialism. After some time, he decided to try himself as a journalist. At the beginning, George Bernard Shaw was a correspondent, later he worked as a critic for the “London World” for 6 years.

During the period of 1879-1883, he wrote 5 novels. After reading his novels, critics praised Bernard Shaw, highlighting his talent for satire.

In addition to reading and criticism, Shaw had another unusual hobby of his life - boxing. By the way, both Lord George Gordon Byron and Jack London loved boxing as well. In his spare time, Shaw enjoyed participating in middleweight competitions, and this, of course, was reflected in his works.

Many years later, literary critics analyzed the debut of Shaw-writer and concluded that the features of his peculiar style were already visible in them: brief descriptions of the depicted situations and dialogues full of paradoxes.

In 1885, he published the first play “The House of the Widower” that the readers liked. From that moment, his brilliant career as a play writer began. Shaw presented the world with a fundamentally new drama: acute, topical, built on dialogues and conflicts.

Bernard Shaw was a master at describing various conflicts between heroes. His most famous plays were "The Profession of Mrs. Warren" and "The Philanderer".

George Bernard Shaw was one of the first who dared to talk about any piquant or hidden topics. On the verge of censorship.

In this regard, critics have divided his dramatic works into "unpleasant" and "pleasant" plays. He managed to create both complex and simple works, in which there was always humor with the elements of sarcasm and irony.

In adulthood, Bernard Shaw wrote four masterpieces: “Pygmalion”, “Caesar and Cleopatra”, “Major Barbara” and “Man and Superman”. In general, Show always invited his audience to think, reflect, his works were not limited to unambiguous answers, and sometimes some problems did not have the right solutions at all. He began to transform the theater, offering new themes - philosophical, political and social. At the same time, he spoke on these topics easily, funny and ironically, which, of course, in no way diminishes the seriousness of the questions posed.

After the end of the First World War (1914-1918), Bernard Shaw presented a new play “A Home Where Hearts Break”, which caused a violent reaction in society. Almost directly, Bernard blamed the British elites for the post-war devastation and horrors of life. The writer vehemently denied the idea of any war; the play also shows the beginning of the loss of faith in humanity itself. Shaw concluded that people would never be able to establish harmony and order in the world, since each person has his own interest and his own opinion that is very hard to reject.

In 1923, Shaw wrote the best, according to critics, play “Saint Joan”, which he dedicated to the life and exploits of Joan of Arc. Creative work of Bernard Shaw work did not lose its sharpness and relevance. The plays were a roaring success, with “Pygmalion” earning the Show an Oscar for the Best Adapted Screenplay in 1938. In addition, the play became the basis for the famous musical “My Fair Lady” by the composer Frederick Loewe.

Bernard Shaw also wrote an autobiography, where he wrote that in books like this, everyone lies. “After all, you have to be an inveterate villain in order to reveal the whole truth during your lifetime, and not only about yourself, but about your family, friends and colleagues as well,” he joked.

He said that nothing incredible happened to him during his life, and the most fascinating things for him were books or his plays.

He never invented aphorisms on purpose, and if Shaw was asked how he managed to joke so sparklingly, he replied, "I just always tell the truth, because there is nothing funnier than this".

In 1898, George Bernard Shaw married Charlotte Payne-Townshend that was very wealthy young girl. However, the playwright was never attracted by money.

An interesting fact is that when in 1925 he was awarded with the Nobel Prize, he refused the due reward.

Since 1906, Bernard Shaw lived with his wife in a luxurious mansion in Hertfordshire. When, in 1943, at the height of the Second World War, his beloved Charlotte passed away, he was left completely alone. George Bernard Shaw died on November 2, 1950 at the age of 94. According to the last will of the great writer, his body was cremated, and the ashes were scattered along with the ashes of his wife.