George Bernard Shaw eBooks

George Bernard Shaw was a Nobel Prize-winning Irish playwright who was born in Dublin in 1856. Despite his negative attitude towards formal education, he was also a founder of the London School of Economics. He also helped found the magazine, New Statesman.

Shaw spent his early years in Dublin, where he attended a number of schools before leaving to work as a clerk in an estate office. He moved to London in 1876, where he joined his mother and sisters. Once there, he spent most of his time at libraries and the British Museum reading room. He began writing novels, which were rejected by publishers, and ghostwriting a music column.

Through his reading, Shaw had become a Socialist and joined the Fabian Society, for which he wrote many brochures and speeches. Though the organisation wanted him to stand as an MP, Shaw refused. In 1897, though, he was elected to the London County Council.

At the same time, Shaw began writing plays, which were performed throughout the 1890s. His most famous plays include 1897’s The Devil’s Disciple, 1902’s Man and Superman, and 1912’s Pygmalion. After his success as a playwright, his earlier novels were eventually published.

In 1925, Shaw was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Though he wanted to refuse the prize, he accepted it as his wife’s insistence. He rejected the monetary award, though, and asked for it to be used in translating Swedish books into English.

When Shaw died in 1950, he had produced a prolific output of writing, including more than 250,000 letters. His final play, Why She Would Not, was left unfinished.