Shaw: A Rave

Today's NY Times has a long article about George Bernard Shaw, which reminds me I've been meaning to write my "read GBS" rave for a while now.

So, Shaw. Irishman who spent most of his time in England, committed Socialist who married an Irish millionairess, master of witty epigramms who sometimes wrote prefaces longer than the plays they went with, passionate admirer of Wagner and Marx (when a celebrity of the day spotted the young redhead reading the score of Tristan und Isolde side by side with Das Kapital on the British Library, it got his attention), long term correspondant of beautiful actresses whom he in one case only ever met once and in the other never as much as kissed, writer who went from penniless critic to most successful playwright of his day. Today known mostly for the musical based on his play Pygmalion, "My Fair Lady", and thus associated with quaint Edwardian costume drama. I can't decide whether that would have amused or appalled him. You can find a lot of his plays and essays online here. But why should one even try?

( Words and the Man )