| The Lovers | |
|---|---|
| George Bernard Shaw
(1856-1950) was born into an impoverished branch of the Irish landed gentry. In 1876 he came to London to work as a journalist and arts critic, struggled for some years, but eventually embarked on a literary career. His first novels written in the 1880's, were all failures, but he gained fame in other areas: as a socialist pamphleteer, a critic, an orator, and a campaigning vegetarian. In the 1890's, inspired by Ibsen, he began to write modern comic drama, which was hugely successful. Over the following years, his plays--including Arms and the Man (1894), Candida (1897), and John Bull's Other Island (1904)--became internationally admired. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925 following the publication of his most acclaimed play, St. Joan, in 1924. Shaw was 94 when he died, attributing longevity to his vegetarian lifestyle. |
Ellen Terry
(1847-1928) was the most celebrated actress of her generation. After several false starts and two broken marriages, she began, in 1878 a 24 year partnership with the actor Sir Henry Irving, as his leading lady. The couple became famous internationally for their Shakespearean productions, but their partnership on stage was never formalized in marriage. When Irving's affection for her began to fade, Ellen began the famous "paper courtship" with Shaw. After the correspondence petered out she married in 1907 for the third and last time. Her new husband American actor James Carew; he was some 30 years younger than Ellen and the marriage soon broke up. She continued her career on the stage, in films, and as a Shakespearean lecturer, and was made a Dame Grand Cross of the British Empire in the year Shaw became a Nobel Laureate. |
