George Bernard Shaw

Irish writer

Born: July 26, 1856 · Died: November 2, 1950

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Who was George Bernard Shaw?

George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950) was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. Born in Dublin, Shaw moved to London in 1876; he struggled to establish himself as a writer and novelist, and embarked on a rigorous process of self-education. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 1880s to his death and beyond. By the mid-1880s he had become a respected theatre and music critic. Following a political awakening, he joined the gradualist group known as the Fabian Society and became its most prominent pamphleteer. Influenced by Henrik Ibsen, he sought to introduce a new realism into English-language drama, using his plays as vehicles to disseminate his political, social and religious ideas.

Shaw's birthplace (2012 photograph). The plaque reads "Bernard Shaw, author of many plays, was born in this house, 26 July 1856".

Historical significance

He wrote more than sixty plays, including major works such as Man and Superman (1902), Pygmalion (1913) and Saint Joan (1923). With a range incorporating both contemporary satire and historical allegory, Shaw became the leading dramatist of his generation, and was awarded the 1925 Nobel Prize in Literature. Shaw had been writing plays for years before his first public success, Arms and the Man in 1894.

Sources and further reading

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“George Bernard Shaw.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/george-bernard-shaw/. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

APA

George Bernard Shaw. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved November 9, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/george-bernard-shaw/

Chicago

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