irish writer george bernard shaw 1856 1950

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW (1856 - 1950)


George Bernard Shaw was born on 26th July 1856 at 33 Synge Street, Dublin, where there is now a plaque dedicated to him. He was educated at Wesley College in Dublin.

The domestic arrangements were somewhat unusual. His father was a wholesale grain merchant but was not a success. His mother was a singer and took voice lessons. She struck up a close relationship with her teacher, George Vandeleur Lee. Subsequently he went to live with the Shaw's.

When Shaw was aged 16, Lee went to London, and his mother left shortly after taking her two daughters leaving Shaw with his father. Shy and introverted, Shaw's artistic inclinations manifested themselves in visits to the National Gallery in Merrion Square and an interest in music.

Four years later in 1876, he joined his mother in London. Over the next nine years he wrote five novels. All failed. According to one account his earnings would have been barely 50 pence a year.

In 1884 he joined the literary group, the Fabien Society. With a doggedness that was typical of Shaw, he overcame his shyness to become a brilliant public speaker. He supplemented his income by becoming a drama and art critic.

The success and recognition, which was now his due, were not far away. Between 1892 and 1895, he wrote five plays, "Widowers' Houses", "The Philanderer", "Mrs Warren's Profession", "Arms and the Man", "Candida" and "Caesar and Cleopatra". They were not a success and it seemed that his career as a dramatist would go the same way as his earlier efforts as a novelist.

Then the "Devil's Disciple" opened in New York in 1897. The following year he became ill from overwork. He was nursed by Charlotte Payne- Townsend a wealthy Anglo-Irishwoman who he met through his connections with the Fabien Society. They married when he returned to full health.

He wrote a play a year and in 1904 his major works "John Bull's Other Island", "Man and Superman" and "The Doctor's Dilemma" were all premiered at the Royal Court, one of London's most prestigious venues.
Shaw was an avid Socialist and served as a Councillor for the borough of St. Pancas for six years. When the First World War broke out in 1914 his popularity was at a peak. His opposition to the War, his support for the 1916 rebellion in Dublin against the English occupation of Ireland and his passionate defence of one of the Rising's leaders, Roger Casement, did not endear him to the powers that be.

His views however struck a cord with the men fighting in the trenched. When the war ended a re-run of his play "Arms and the Man" played to packed theatres.
A year later "Heartbreak House", Shaw's own favourite work, opened in New York. In 1924, "Saint Joan" played in London to enormous critical acclaim. The following year he achieved international distinction when he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Shaw did not see the theatre as entertainment in the popular sense. The themes, prostitution, religion, economics, war and politics mirrored a stark reality. The wit and eloquence that characterised them meant they were full of as much style as substance but the audience was invited to question prevailing social mores as much as to enjoy a night out.

George Bernard Shaw died in 1950. He had lived out his final years in solitude. He returned to Dublin and in 1946 was made a Freeman of Dublin City. His debt to the National Gallery was not forgotten. He bequeathed the royalties from his works in his will. Earnings from "My Fair Lady", "Pygmalion" and others are still contributing to its upkeep to this very day.