London George Bernard Shaw

shaw in 1879

initially, shaw refused seek clerical employment in london. mother allowed him live free of charge in house in south kensington, nevertheless needed income. had abandoned teenage ambition become painter, , had no thought yet of writing living, lee found little work him, ghost-writing musical column printed under lee s name in satirical weekly, hornet. lee s relations bessie deteriorated after move london. shaw maintained contact lee, found him work rehearsal pianist , occasional singer.

eventually shaw driven applying office jobs. in interim secured reader s pass british museum reading room (the forerunner of british library) , spent weekdays there, reading , writing. first attempt @ drama, begun in 1878, blank-verse satirical piece on religious theme. abandoned unfinished, first try @ novel. first completed novel, immaturity (1879), grim appeal publishers , did not appear until 1930s. employed briefly newly formed edison telephone company in 1879–80, , in dublin achieved rapid promotion. nonetheless, when edison firm merged rival bell telephone company, shaw chose not seek place in new organisation. thereafter pursued full-time career author.

for next 4 years shaw made negligible income writing, , subsidised mother. in 1881, sake of economy, , increasingly matter of principle, became vegetarian. grew beard hide facial scar left smallpox. in rapid succession wrote 2 more novels: irrational knot (1880) , love among artists (1881), neither found publisher; each serialised few years later in socialist magazine our corner.

in 1880 shaw began attending meetings of zetetical society, objective search truth in matters affecting interests of human race . here met sidney webb, junior civil servant who, shaw, busy educating himself. despite difference of style , temperament, 2 recognised qualities in each other , developed lifelong friendship. shaw later reflected: knew didn t know , knew didn t know ... had learn 1 , brains enough .

william archer, colleague , benefactor of shaw

shaw s next attempt @ drama one-act playlet in french, un petit drame, written in 1884 not published in lifetime. in same year critic william archer suggested collaboration, plot archer , dialogue shaw. project foundered, shaw returned draft basis of widowers houses in 1892, , connection archer proved of immense value shaw s career.

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