G. B. Shaw was born in Dublin, Ireland, in a poor middle-class family.
When he was twenty, Shaw came to London. He was a tall, thin young man with blue eyes and sandy hair. At that time his favorite author was Shelley, who had radical ideas. In London, he became a journalist.
Between 1879 and 1883, he wrote five long novels. He described them as “heavy parcels which were always coming back from some publisher”. After this, Shaw gave up writing novels.
He first became known for his articles on art exhibitions, theater performances, and concerts, which were published in newspapers and magazines.
Shaw wanted to make his ideas clear to people. So he began writing plays, which he thought were the best way to share his ideas.
Shaw was a reformer of the theater, and his road to success was difficult. It was only in 1904 that one of his plays was first performed in the London West End. In fact, he was famous abroad long before he was famous in England.
The first performance of his play “Widower’s Houses” (1892) was a sensation. He was criticized by the public and the critics, who called him cynical. But Shaw continued to attack injustice and hypocrisy in society all his life. He used the stage to criticize the vices of capitalism.
In 1898, Shaw published some of his plays under the title “Unpleasant Plays”. It is clear why these plays were called unpleasant.
Shaw’s plays are discussion plays. They are full of witty paradoxes and brilliant dialogues. Many of his plays include long prefaces in which he explains his own point of view. These prefaces are almost as important as the plays themselves.
Shaw continued working almost until his death. He lived to be 94 years old, and his mind remained clear and strong until the end.
