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George Bernard Shaw

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From: Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Date: 20070301
Author:

(born July 26, 1856, Dublin, Ire.—died Nov. 2, 1950, Ayot St. Lawrence, Hertfordshire, Eng.) Irish playwright and critic. After moving to London in 1876, he worked for years as a music and art critic, wrote book and theatre reviews, and was an active member of the socialist Fabian Society . In his first play, Widowers' Houses (1892), he emphasized social and economic issues instead of romance, adopting the ironic comedic tone that would characterize all his work. He described his first plays as “unpleasant” because they forced the spectator to face unpleasant facts; these plays ...

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